Tolerant and Understanding Madame Wu’s Personality Development under the Influence of Priest Andre
some country across the sea whose waters and winds she would never know.’ p. 264
When she was talking with priest Andre, she let him to tell his honest opinion about her. Willing to open her heart to a foreigner that she knew not
long, who was not a member of her family, to listen to his admission of her mistakes is a modest attitude, showing that she wanted to learn and change to
be a better person. She let Priest Andre to tell what her mistakes were and what she had to do.
‘…. “It has been shown me that I did you a great wrong, my sister. It is true that you were brought here as I might have bought a pound of
pork. How could I dare so to behave toward a human being? I see now that I had no thought for your soul. What can I do to make amends?”’
p. 267
Ch’iuming was only a concubine, but Madame Wu never saw her as a lower status person. She even dared to admit her mistake to Ch’iuming. She
was not afraid that what she did would break her self-respect. Madame Wu is a wonderful woman. She even asked Ch’iuming what she could do to correct
her mistake. She realized that she was wrong because she had bought Ch’iuming as a concubine for her husband without considering Ch’iuming’s
feeling. She forgot that human has feeling and to match a couple needs love. Being strict, Madame Wu could be said as an arrogant person who
thought that what she thought about and decided was the right one. But from the two conversations of Madame Wu with Priest Andre and the concubine, it
is shown that Madame Wu started to change. She started to change when she wanted to open her heart, listen to other people’s opinions no matter who they
44 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
were, and admit her mistakes. She truly put off her arrogance. That is also an attitude of a true student, being humble and willing to learn to be better.
Her loving attitude also changed her relationship with her family. She became a more tolerant woman. Her changes recovered her relationship with
her sons. She wanted to listen to her sons’ opinion and what they felt, as a mother should actually do.
‘’What do you call freedom?” she inquired. “Tell me and I will give it to you.”
“I should like to go away out of this house,” he said. ….. To this she said nothing. She sat mute and thoughtful. Then she
sighed, “Very well, my son,” she said at last. “Go free.”’ p. 223
She used to be so strict. None had ever broken her order. At that time her third son, Fengmo, asked her to let him go away out of her house. In that
house everything went as she wanted and none had ever decided hisher own way, including her sons’ marriage. Surprisingly, Madame Wu permitted her
son to go away. Becoming a more tolerant woman, she made her relationship with other people and other members of her family better. Her sons became
braver to share what they thought or felt with Madame Wu, which they had never done before. They used to do what Madame Wu said, no matter they
liked it or not. Madame Wu’s changes also recovered her relationship with her
husband. Although she had done a mistake by choosing a concubine for her husband without thinking about his feeling which caused her husband
unhappy, she tried to do something to make him happy. She did not think about releasing herself from a duty as a wife any more.
45 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
‘She opened her long and lovely eyes. “Can it add to my cares if you are happy?” she asked in her most silvery voice. “Let her come and
live under your own roof. Why should your house be divided?”’ p. 270
When Mr. Wu told Madame Wu the truth of his feeling, that he fell in love with a woman from a prostitution place, Madame Wu permitted him to
bring the woman to her house to be his husband’s wife. She did it because she cared about her husband’s happiness and she had never seen Mr. Wu so
excited in telling about someone. She realized that her husband was happy with that woman and he loved her much. She did not take selfish decision for
her own sake but a decision that other people might think that she was crazy by permitting a woman from a prostitution place to a house of a highly
regarded family for her husband’s happiness. She tried to compensate for her act making her husband unhappy and choosing a concubine for him without
considering his feeling by an act to make him happy, permitting him bring a woman he loved to that house, no matter from what level of status she was and
who she was. She was also kind and tolerant to other people. ‘“Your milk has dried because you are sad,” she said. “What is your
trouble?”…. “It is strange you have water enough for your own tears and not for
milk for my son,” Meng said distractedly. “Hush,” Madame Wu said. “She is a human being. Speak, good soul.”
…. “I have not seen my own child. I do not know how she does–I have been here nearly a month…..”
…. Madame Wu said again.” Let her child be brought here.”’ p. 233
The way she reacted to what happened to her grandson’s condition and to the servant’s admission shows that she was a tolerant, understanding, and
wise woman. Her tolerance made her a wiser one. She permitted the servant to 46
bring her daughter to her house to be breast fed together with Madame Wu’s grandson. It is a very wise decision. It is hardly possible for a rich woman to
decide such a great decision. It also shows that Madame Wu was a very kind woman with gentle heart.
The author shows Madame Wu’s personality development through the way she reacted to some situations and events. We can see it from her reaction
to her husband’s and her son’s honest opinion of what they thought and felt, and also to the condition of the servant whose milk had dried because she
longed for her son. Whatever she did, she did it with love and she also thought about other people’s happiness.