Chinese stereotypes of women in question using the women`s contributions in buck`s selected novels the good earth, the mother and imperial woman - USD Repository
1 CHINESE STEREOTYPES OF WOMEN IN QUESTION
USING THE WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTIONS IN BUCK’S SELECTED NOVELS THE GOOD EARTH, THE MOTHER AND IMPERIAL WOMAN AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
AFRILLA NITA SARY
Student Number: 034214129
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2007
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“SUCCESS IS THE ABILITY TO GO FROM ONE FAILURE TO ANOTHER WITH NO LOSS OF ENTHUSIASM” (WINSTON CHURCHILL)
5 For
My Beloved Parents, Brothers, and Jo in the Hope of a Better Future
6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank Allah SWT for his greatest mercy and guidance that I always feel in every step I take, especially in my desperation during the completion of the thesis.
My deepest thanks and gratitude is to my lovely parents Mr. and Mrs. Baroes, who always believe in me and give me the best wishes in gaining my hope through their prayers. My deepest thanks and gratitude is to my lovely brothers Sandy Baroes and Kiky Baroes who always encourage me in achieving my dreams. May they know that I always have them in my heart.
For my dearest, Jo, I dedicate this thesis to you. You have always been there to love and to support me no matter what I am going through. Thank you for the love, strength, and faith. I love you, baby.
My deepest thanks is for Dra. Novita Dewi, M.S.M.A. (Hons), my major sponsor for her patience and understanding of my difficulties, who always gives me guidance, encouragement, and big attention from the beginning until this thesis is completed. Without her assistance this thesis would not have been completed.
I would also like to express my gratitude to other lecturing member of English Study Programme Father Dr. Hary Susanto, S. J, for teaching me how to think critically. I would also thank the rest of the lecturers for their guidance.
Sincere appreciation is extended to all my friends of class D. we have always been together since the first semester. Let’s finish the thesis and achieve our dreams since the thesis is the thing standing between us and the future. Thanks for the
7 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.2. O-lan’s Contribution ………………………………..36
C. Determining in What Way and Why ………………………...58 The Contribution Question the Stereotypes
3. The Stereotypes of Women In Imperial Woman ………...57
2. The Stereotypes of Women in The Mother ………...57
1. The Stereotypes of Women in The Good Earth ………...56
B. The Stereotypes of Women ………………………………...56
3.2. Yehonala’s Contribution ………………………...52
3.1. Yehonala’s Personality ………………………...46
2.2. The Mother’s Contribution ………………………...43
2.1. The Mother’s Personality ………………………...39
1.1. O-lan’s Personality ………………………………...30
TITLE PAGE …………………………………………………………i
APPROVAL PAGE …………………………………………………………ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE …………………………………………………iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT …………………………………………………iv TABLE OF CONTENT …………………………………………………v ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………vi ABSTRAK …………………………………………………………………vii
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ………………………………...26
A. Object of the Study ………………………………………...26 B. Approach of the Study ………………………………………...27 C. Method of the Study ………………………………………...28 CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS …………………………………………...30 A. Personality and Contribution of the Characters ………………...30D. Theoretical Framework ………………………………………..25
Century ………………..20
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C. Review on Chinese Society in the 19
3. Theory on Stereotypes ………………………………. 19
2. Theory on Contributions …………………………..........18
1. Theory of Character and Characterization ………………..16
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………1 A. Background of the Study …………………………………………1 B. Problem Formulation ………………………………………....5 C. Objectives of the Study ………………………………………....5 D. Definition of Terms …………………………………………6 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW………………………………...7 A. Review of Related Study ………………………………………....7 B. Review of Related Theories ………………………………..16
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ………………………………..61
8 ABSTRACT AFRILLA NITA SARY. Chinese Stereotypes of Women in Question Using the
Women’s Contributions in Buck’s Selected Novels The Good Earth, The Mother,
and Imperial Woman. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of
English Letter, Sanata Dharma University, 2007.
The thesis is meant to question or to argue against the Chinese stereotypesof women using the contribution of the major female character in Buck’s selected novels
The Good Earth, The Mother , and Imperial Woman, such stereotypes are proven to be
wrong. O-lan in The Good Earth and the mother in The Mother have given significant contribution to their families, while Yehonala in Imperial woman has given big contribution to her kingdom.
There are three main problems that will be discussed in the thesis. The first problem is about the contribution of each female character based on their personality, the second is to reveal the stereotypes of women in the three novels under discussion, and the last problem is about in what way and why the contribution challenges the stereotypes.
In order to answer the three problems above, the theories of character and
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characterization, and reviews on 19 Century Chinese Society are employed. The approach used to conduct the study is the socio-cultural approach because this approach believes that a piece of literary work is the product of the civilization that produces it.
The female characters have contributed things showing that the stereotypes of women are wrong. O-lan has saved the family from starvation and poverty. Moreover, she has succeeded in continuing the family line, restoring her husband’s father’s health, helping her husband to achieve his dream and making her husband understand his son. The mother is the tough woman whose love and hard work have saved the family from falling apart. She takes over the responsibility which is supposed to be her husband’s responsibility well. She has succeeded in supporting the family alone and when her children become adults she marries them. Yehonala is the strong queen who has saved the dynasty from the western invasion, rebellion, and civil war. She is the one who knows how to deal with the western people, ends the T’ai P’ing Rebellion, and civil war. The contribution that these women have given is the tool for questioning the Chinese stereotypes portraying women as evil power, burden, stupid creatures, and unqualified leader. The contribution shows that women are human beings who can make difference, bring lots of positive things to others. It is very important to challenge the custom since it has made girls unwanted and even infanticide. Hopefully the contribution will end the female stereotypes of women in China.
AFRILLA NITA SARY
9 ABSTRAK AFRILLA NITA SARY. Chinese Stereotypes in Question Using the Women’s
Contibutions in Buck’s Selected Novels The Good Earth, The Mother, and
Imperial Woman. Yogyakarta: Fakultas Sastra, Program Studi Sastra Inggris,
Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2007.Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah untuk mempertanyakan stereotip Cina yang memandang wanita sebelah mata. Dengan menggunakan tiga tokoh wanita utama yang diambil dari novel- novel karya Buck The Good Earth, The Mother, dan
Imperial Woman , anggapan tersebut dicoba untuk ditepis dengan cara
memperlihatkan sumbangan yang diberikan oleh ketiga wanita tesebut. O-lan, tokoh yang diambil dari The Good Earth dan sang ibu yang diambil dari The Mother telah memberikan banyak hal yang berarti bagi keluarga mereka, sedangkan Yehonala dari Imperial Woman telah banyak melakukan hal yang penting untuk kerajaan.
Ada tiga pokok permasalahan yang dibahas dalam skripsi ini yaitu, pertama mengenai apa yang dapat mereka sumbangkan dilihat dari penggambaran karakter setiap tokoh tersebu, kedua menemukan stereotip cina terhadap wanita, dan yang ketiga mengenai dalam hal apa dan mengapa stereotip cina mengenai wanita patut untuk dipertanyakan.
Teori mengenai tokoh dan penokohan dan juga ulasan-ulasan mengenai masyarakat Cina pada abad ke 19 digunakan untuk menjawab ketiga pokok permasalahan diatas. Skripsi ini menggunakan pendekatan socio-cultural historical karena pendekatan tersebut menyakini bahwa suatu karya sastra merupakan produk dari peradaban yang menghasilkannya.
Ketiga tokoh wanita diatas telah melakukan banyak hal positif yang menunjukkan bahwa pemikiran kuno Cina terhadap wanita adalah salah. O-lan telah menyelamatkan keluarganya dari kemiskinan dan kelaparan. Terlebih lagi dia telah berhasil melanjutkan garis keturunan keluarga, mengembalikan kesehatan ayah mertuanya, membantu suaminya dalam meraih impiannya. Sang ibu adalah seorang wanita kuat yang telah menyelamatkan keluarganya dari kehancuran berkat cinta dan kerja kerasnya. Dia berhasil mengambil tanggung jawab suaminya dengan baik. Dia menyokong keluarganya sendirian, berhasil membesarkan anak-anaknya dan ketika anak-anaknya telah dewasa dia menikahkan mereka. Tokoh terakhir Yehonala adalah seorang ratu yang hebat yang telah menyelamatkan kerajaannya dari penjajahan bangsa barat, pemberontakan, dan perang saudara. Dia mengetahui cara untuk menangani penjajahan bangsa barat, mengakhiri pemberontakan T’ai P’ing, dan anak yang dilahirkannya telah menyelamatkan kerajaan dari perang saudara. Sumbangan para wanita ini dalah alat yang digunakan untuk menentang stereotip Cina yang percaya bahwa wanita adalah jahat, beban, tolol, dan tak mampu memimpin. Sumbangan tersebut telah membuktikan bahwa wanita mampu memberikan banyak hal positif. Sangatlah penting untuk menentang stereotip tersebut karena membuat wanita tidak diinginkan bahkan dibunuh ketika masih bayi.
AFRILLA NITA SARY
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study In 2006, Howard Husock, a New York Times journalist visited China in order
to reveal the bitter truth concerning the single child policy in the country. Earlier, it was reported by the Hong Kong press that in 2005, a family-planning squad targeted the city of Linyi and its surrounding rural area in the Shandong Province, because the population had far exceeded the Party’s child quota. The agents kidnapped 17,000 women, forcing abortions on those who were pregnant—in some cases, immersing seven- to eight-month-old fetuses in boiling water—and sterilizing those who were not. The agents also tortured the Linyi men until they revealed the hiding places of their daughters and wives (www.city-journal.org/html/17_2_china.html).
Further, Hussock came up with a conclusion that the policy might have slashed China’s population growth, but the preferences for boys have led to widespread of female infanticide and gender imbalance on an unprecedented scale- 120 boys are born for every 100 girls. If this continuously happens, there will be an inevitable source of teenage violence, as the boys compete for a limited number of available girls (www.city-journal.org/html/17_2_china.html).
Female infanticide was the distinctive characteristic of the ancient Chinese and to discover that the practice is still happening in the modern China is tragic. Does not it occur to our minds that the practice may be the remains of the conservative tradition that should be abandoned? In the ancient time, it was true that males were always glorified.
The birth of a baby boy was a joy, a blessing from heaven given to the family. Therefore it was not a strange thing if they always received a shower of privileges even days after they were born, while baby girls had to endure unfair treatment as if being a girl were a sin.
In ancient times a female infant, on the third day after her birth was placed underneath her parents’ bed and given a spindle to play with. Meanwhile her father would fast and do penance. While a male baby will be placed on top of the parents’ bed with a piece of jade as his toy (Hughes & Hughes, 1995:175). When girls had grown up, they were married and lived in their husbands’ houses. Besides doing domestic jobs, they also wove to clothe and to support the family. The money was very significant to ease the financial burden if the family is poor. However, still they were considered as trifle.
Women produced silk cloth, a very valuable product. Not only did they clothe their families, but they, as Meng Mu did, used it to obtain food. Before the Chinese used money, they purchased goods with bolts of silk cloth and paid part of a family’s taxes with silk………… Chinese women were expected to feed and clothe both the men and the women of their families, which was a substantial contribution to the household’s economy, not to mention the family income from their surplus weaving (Hughes & Hughes, 1995:179).
As it is, Chinese culture has become the topic that many writers, not only Chinese writers themselves, but also non Chinese writers find it fascinating to write about. For example an American female novelist, Pearl. S. Buck was so inspired by Chinese culture itself especially about the women within the culture that she wrote stories about them in her novels. Some of her novels dealing with it are The Good
Earth, The Mother , and Imperial Woman. The reason why I chose the three novels
thwas because the stories focus more on women’s lives in 19 century. I decided to use the three novels instead of one because I want my argument not only to be based on one woman coming from a lower class family like O-lan and the mother, but also on another woman coming from a high class family like Yehonala. Briefly, I want to show that no matter how high a position of a woman, she still suffers from discrimination.
The Good Earth is not only a story of a hard-working peasant named
Wanglung who is able to take his family out of poverty with the help of his wife, and what his hard work has done to him, but it is also about his relationships with his lands, wives, father, children, and his uncle’s family, and women issues. When we look at the novel more closely, we will see the novel as a real reflection of the way
th the Chinese lived their lives in the 19 century. th
The second novel entitled The Mother also portrays a peasant’s life in 19 century with the mother as the major character. However, it focuses more on the struggle of a wife (the mother) deserted by her husband to feed the family (her children, herself, and her mother-in-law), to raise the children as best as she can do and her efforts to hide her shame from her neighbors and her own family in order to secure her reputation as a devoted wife.
Finally, the third novel, Imperial Woman, deals with the life of an ordinary woman who becomes the last empress of China named Yehonala or Tzu Hsi. She is the only woman who is interested in the issues faced by the dynasty which her weak husband is ruling. In fact, she knows how to handle the issues much better than her sick husband. However, she cannot directly tell the parliament what to do because she is a woman. Therefore, she asks the emperor to give her permission to join the state meeting, and after that she can give him some advice of what to do next.
O-lan, the mother, and Yehonala have the similar traits of life. Their role is pretty much similar to each other no matter they come from lower or upper class. The novelist depicts the characters as people who never give up, and never avoid responsibilities. The depiction shows how the novelist truly admires the women which she considers as tough women.
It can be said that the women’s contributions in those three novels serve as an early challenge toward the Chinese stereotypes of women. It can also be said that the contributions of the women in the novel is a “wake up call” to all Chinese families so that they will stop killing baby girls.
Seeing the reality it can be referred that China’s single child policy is not the true key to overcome its enormous population growth. It will only lead the people particularly those who are still influenced by the old doctrine to commit more crime to newborn baby girls.
In the three novels under discussion, the woman named O-lan in The Good women having the roles in determining the fate of the families like O-lan and the mother, and the fate of the kingdom like Yehonala. O-lan and the mother’s touch to their families have saved them from hunger and poverty, while Yehonala’s touch to the kingdom has helped it hold on against the western invasion and rebellion.
The contributions of the women in the novels serve as an early challenge to the Chinese stereotypes of women. The fact that the novelist takes her character from the ordinary women like the women in The Good Earth and The Mother is a remarkable way to make people see that even in the smallest community which is family women are undoubtedly needed. Her depiction of the woman in Imperial
woman leads perhaps not only the Chinese but the world to think that a woman can
also be a hero and a great leader, looking at the character’s hard work to save her country from the western invasion.
B. Problem Formulation
1. What are the contributions of O-lan in The Good Earth, the mother in The
Mother , and Yehonala in Imperial Woman based on their personalities?
2. What are the Chinese stereotypes of women found in the novels?
3. How do their contributions are a challenge to the Chinese stereotype of women?
C. Objectives of the Study
Based on the three problems above, the objectives of the study are, to decide the contributions of women based on their personalities in the three novels, determine why their contributions serve as challenge toward the stereotypes believing that women are useless.
D. Definition of Terms
1. Personality Personality refers to the total individual and includes needs, motives, methods of adjusting, temperament qualities, self-concepts, role-behavior, attitudes, values, and abilities (Kalish, 1973:52).
2. Contribution Webster defines contribution as role played by somebody or something in causing a particular result (2005:3).
3. Stereotypes Stereotype is an oversimplified standardized image or idea held by one person or a group of people (2005:1414).
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies The first novel to review here is The Good Earth. Below, are the reviews of the novel which mostly talk about the male character. Susiyani in her thesis, The Influence of Other Characters Toward Wanglung’s Personality Development in Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth, writes that the only
character who undergoes some changes in his personality is the main male character Wanglung. The changes of his personality can be observed from the change of his habits and ideas.
When he was poor, only married to O-lan and had not met Lotus, he could eat the simple food that his wife cooked for him, but when he became rich he preferred expensive food to the simple food (a stalk of garlic that used to be his favorite menu) just because Lotus hated the smell. He also started to criticize O-lan for her unattractive and dirty appearance, and to pay much attention on the way he dressed himself up (2004:56-57).
Wanglung’s character development is the result of his interaction with the other people in the story and his overwhelming wealth. All of his wives play important roles in forming his personality. His wealth makes him realize that his status is equal to the rich ones, and therefore he wants to show off.
While Imelda in her thesis An Analysis On The Protagonist’s Character and
Its Development in Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth argues that Wanglung’s character
before and after he becomes rich are purely natural. His shyness, simplicity, independence, appreciation toward his outside looks, loyalty to his friends, and egotism, are called effeminate disposition, submissive disposition, autonomous disposition, orientation enjoyment, relationship enjoyment, and selfish or individualistic orientation (2000:63-64).
It shows that Wanglung’s characters from the beginning until the end of the story are typically Chinese. His characters are the characters that a Chinese man in the real world possesses. The accuracy of his characters also reveals the novelist’s deep understanding of Chinese people
Another researcher Indriyani talks about situational ironies found in the novel. The situational ironies arise from the different attitudes between Wanglung and his sons in viewing life. For Wanglung, wealth or prosperity means lands which become more and more each time, but for his sons lands mean nothing else except to be sold for money. From the different view of life above, she infers that there is a discrepancy of the Chinese family system viewed from the patriarchal line, concerning individual’s desire and attitudes (2002:50-51).
The different view of life between Wanglung and his sons might be caused also by what was happening in the country at the time and the different life style that they have. The fact that Wanglung sends his sons to school and revolution happening in China at that time might have something to do with the different attitudes in viewing life between Wanglung and his sons. In brief, it can not be denied that there is a clash of value concerning land between his sons and Wanglung.
Among those critics and researchers above, none of them has ever talked deeply about the woman named O-lan and her contributions to the family. Most of them only touch the male characters and the ironies arising from the male characters’ perspective toward lands.
The second novel that I want to study is The Mother, and the only researcher who ever criticized it is Suastika. She talks about the view of Chinese culture toward childbirth and abortion. Here is the review on her work
Suastika in her thesis entitled Childbirth and Abortion in Chinese Culture as
seen in Pearl S Buck’s the Mother claims that the main character who is the mother
herself favors the society’s perspective toward childbirth. She believes that a duty of a married woman is to deliver babies as many as possible and it is something that every woman should be proud of.
Giving birth is not only a pleasure for her, but has become a need to be done and done again. Giving birth to as many children as possible is one big goal in her life. She sees giving birth as her duty as a woman. She is really shocked with the leaving of her husband, not only because she is being left alone to survive three children and the old mother in-law, but also because his leaving means that she would never give birth to another child (2003:53). Concerning the abortion, she claims that it was not very common at that time since medical facilities supporting the practice was not available and there was always a chance that it would be a baby boy, which was regarded as a very precious gift coming from heaven. Even the poorest families would think twice before it was done because a baby boy would be a huge investment for the future. Therefore, method to kill a baby was through infanticide. Infanticide was usually done to baby girls since they were considered as a burden. There was no legal punishment for the crime at the time (2003:53).
Briefly, Suastika points out that the mother is happy with herself since she is able to fulfill her duty as a wife which is to produce children. Concerning abortion, Suastika infers that the practice is not popular because it is not supported by sufficient medical facilities. Abortion is only done to get rid of very unwanted fetus. My study will focus on the mother’s contribution to the family.
The researchers in the last novel entitled Imperial Woman mostly talk about how the life of its major figure which is Yehonala herself reflects the life of China’s last empress and her personality which in some ways reveals some feminist values. Below, are the reviews that I found on the novel.
Hartono in his thesis entitled Feminism Struggle as Seen Through Yehonala’s
Struggle In Buck’s Imperial Woman concludes that the nineteenth-century’s Chinese
society is a patriarchal society. Men are placed above women, not limited in their social lives. On the other hand, women are treated as the second sex, given limited space in their life because the customs tie them with gender biased rules. The unequal treatments are often received by Yehonala although she is the imperial concubine who later becomes the Empress of the western palace.
Men have higher position in the society and women are weaker than men Men can have many roles in society. They can get involved in many aspects of the society. Men are politically, economically, socially and culturally active. On the contrary women do not have the chances to do so. The only and later after they get married, their husbands’ household family. The ancient Chinese tradition and customs really underestimate women and consider them as subordinate to men in all aspects of life. Yehonala also experiences the same (2003:53).
Further, he writes that Yehonala’s struggle to release herself from the customs that discriminate women is clearly reflected in her personality which also reveals some feminism values. She is brave- she dares to speak her mind and to show everybody that although she is a woman, she is able to contribute something for women in general and for her country such as having the courage to struggle against the Chinese custom that discriminate women, to defend what she believes, to fight for women’s right, and to promote herself (2003:54).
Imperial woman uses the life of the Yehonala or Tzu Hsi, the last empress of
China as the subject of the story. Yehonala or Tzu Hsi was a real life figure, the last empress of the last dynasty in China which was the Qing Dynasty. She ruled China for about fifty years or a half a century. She was always thirsty for power. In fact, she was a very intelligent woman with sharp political views and ideas. However, sadly under her reign, the dynasty became more and more corrupt and finally met its end which marked the end of dynasties in China (www.royalty.nu/Asia/TzuHsi.html).
Day claims the novel as an account that offers the readers another way to look at the life of the last empress of China. Yehonala or Tzu Hsi is depicted as a woman of great compassion for her country. She reads many books to be politically sharp and to figure out the correct way to save the empire from the westerners and from the rebels.
A fictionalized and sympathetic account of the life of the last empress of China as the west dismembered China and revolution swept the country politics easy (www.kcmlin.org/chinese.htm). After reviewing all studies on The Good Earth, The Mother, and Imperial
Woman, I can conclude that all the researchers mentioned above, have never seen the
three novels as a question or a challenge to the Chinese stereotypes of women. The stereotypes have put women under the superiority of men and depicted women as worthless human beings. From the three novels selected it is clearly seen that the women are not empty-headed creatures. The woman named O-lan in the novel entitled The Good Earth is depicted as a strong character who has helped the family to keep on moving forward. She has never been looked at as a very influential figure whose strength has made the family survive from every problem it encounters. Most writers analyzing the novel are mostly talking about the characters in the way they reflect the real characters of Chinese people and the different view of lands in the male characters’ mind.
In the second novel, The Mother, the researcher talks about the view of Chinese people toward abortion and childbirth, how the major character which is the mother herself shares the same view toward childbirth and abortion with the Chinese custom. In the last novel, Imperial Woman, the researchers claim that Yehonala’s life matches the life of the very last empress of China and there are some feminism values in her personality.
In my own understanding toward the three novels, The Good Earth, The indeed women are born for great and meaningful things in life. Their lives are not only important for themselves but also for others’ lives. I believe that these novels speak other thing about women, which is that women are not weak as what the custom defines though the women stick themselves to the custom itself.
These three women, O-lan, The mother, and Yehonala, are women of importance, having such strong roles in raising and keeping the families and also the nation. Without their existence the family would have fallen apart and the nation would have collapsed easily. My analysis will reveal their detailed personalities, their contributions that will automatically question the Chinese stereotypes of women.
After we have seen the reviews on Buck’s selected novels The Good Earth,
Imperial Woman and The Mother, now it is time for us to know her background and
what critics have said about her. Below, are some studies that have been conducted by some critics toward the novelist, Pearl. S. Buck.
Peter Conn writes that Buck’s novels enrich the scope of western literature. She is the first American female writer who takes the Chinese cultures as the inspiration for most of her stories. By raising Chinese cultures in her novels, she gives readers fresh stories to read and to discuss. And by doing so, she introduces the American readers and also the world to the culture they might not know or even understand before. Readers can surely rely on her telling of the culture since she presents them in such an accurate way. The way she tells the public about the Chinese is so natural and not exaggerating.
Buck's fiction broke new ground in subject matter, especially in her representations of Asia, and above all in her portraits of Asian women. In 1992, I attended a conference at which the Chinese-American writer, Maxine Hong Kingston, saluted Buck for making Asian voices heard, for the first time, in Western literature. By representing Chinese characters with "such empathy and compassion," Kingston said, Buck "was translating my parents to me and she was giving me our
( ancestry and our habitation www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/Buck).
Buck’s stories of China were based on her own observation, and experience and interaction with the Chinese for years as a missionary daughter. She has lived in China since she was three months old. She grew up bilingual, speaking and reading both English and Chinese. It is no wonder that she can write about the culture and the people in such an accurate and natural way because she is very familiar with them.
I think Kingston might salute Buck for her ability to describe the culture which is not hers in such an accurate way. Buck is an Anglo-Saxon woman who came and lived in China for years and was so inspired by the culture that she wrote most of her novels based on it, while Kingston is a Chinese-American writer who grew up in America and was not really familiar to her Chinese culture. Therefore, reading Buck’s novel was a way for her to understand her parents’ culture.
Buck does not separate her Chinese characters from the real ones. She lets them come as the way they are. She does not color them too much with her feeling or ideas.
When I wrote in China of Chinese things about Chinese, I used the Chinese tongue. The consequence is that when writing about Chinese people, the story spins itself in my mind entirely in the Chinese idioms, and I literary translate as I go (Gunton,1981:78).
Many Chinese really love her writings. They welcome her writings. They love to read those literary works of hers for her portrayal of their civilization is vivid and honest. She never isolates the characters from their own culture.
The Chinese themselves are in general eager to praise her work, many of them say that no native writer has painted a more accurate picture of their country (Cowley in Medelson and Bryfonski,1977:34). However, the Chinese protest her for writing about pornography. They do not like her telling about sexuality since in Chinese minds sex is a taboo thing. It should not be mentioned or even discussed publicly.
Why do Chinese resent her writings? The reason I think, is one seldom stated….she violated some basic taboos, ancient and modern: about sex and childbirth. It was this, also, which helped make her a best seller in the west where she was among the first popular novelist to describe in detail childbirth and menstruation (Cowley in Medelson and Bryfonski, 1977:34).
In the book Masterpiece of World Literature Magill says; Buck’s feeling for the fundamental truths of life transcended in any perceived notions that the reading public may have had about China and portrayed her people as understandable human being who struggled for happiness and success like anyone else (1989:336) .
Buck presents the Chinese people just like any other men in the world who fight for their life to reach happiness. Through the life of the characters, she might have washed away any suspicion that the world has about the Chinese. She depicts the characters as regular or normal people which can be found in any part of the world.
The critics above mostly congratulate her for her accurate depiction of the Chinese themselves are pleased to read her novels. She highlights almost every essence of China, the people, the custom and even the sexuality which is a very taboo thing to talk among Chinese.
Buck presents O-lan, the mother, and Yehonala just like the real Chinese women living in China under the same dynasty, but there is something about them that she wants to reveal that will question the discrimination toward women provoked by the conservative custom. She portrays them as strong people having such important roles not only in family but also in the higher level which is nation.
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Theory of Character and Characterization.
Character is one of the most prominent elements in novels. Without characters there will be no stories to write. Character is the element that will make a story lifelike for readers.
Abrams (1981:20) defines characters as the people living inside a dramatic or a narrative work, which readers understand to be given some moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in their conversations and action. Through their dialogue and action readers will know what kind of person a character is, where he or she comes from, and etc. Furthermore, Abrams explains that a character may remain stable in their outlooks and dispositions from the beginning until the end of the story, or they may undergo some radical changes.
Forster divides characters into two types, namely, round and flat characters. Round characters are usually the major figure in a story. They have many realistic traits and are relatively fully developed by the author. In other words, round characters are dynamic. Their moral qualities might change throughout the story. On the other hand, flat characters are often minor characters. Their moral qualities or personalities will stay the same from the beginning until the end of the story.
There are many ways for authors to shape their characters so that they exist lifelike. Murphy (1972: 161-170) proposes some ways that authors may take to shape the characters like the following.
a. Personal description. An author describes characters through their appearance. Authors may describe the clothes, the skin, the face, the body, and etc of characters.
b. What other characters say and think about a certain character. Here, authors describe characters using the opinion of other characters. However, readers should not believe whatever they say since what they say might only be based on things like suspicion or jealousy.
c. Speech. Authors give clues about the character’s personalities through what they say about themselves, others, and etc.
d. Reactions. Authors can also give readers clues to identify the characters’ character e. Direct comment. Authors explain the characters directly. They might directly tell readers that a character is sensitive, spoilt, and so on.
f. Past life By letting the reader learn something about a person’s past life author can give readers clues to events that have helped to shape a person’s personalities. Author can do this by giving direct comment, or through the person’s thought, his conversations or through the medium of another person.
g. Mannerism Authors can give readers clues about a person’s personalities by describing his or her mannerism, habit or idiosyncrasies.
h. Conversation of others Author gives us clues to a person’s character through the conversation of other people and the things they say about him or her.
2. Theory on Contribution.
According to Kalish, personality refers to the total individual and includes needs, motives, methods of adjusting, temperament qualities, self-concepts, role- behavior, attitudes, values, and abilities (1973:52). In personalities we can not only merely find the moral qualities of a person but also the power of someone to do or to give something which we usually refer as ability.
In relation to contribution, it can be referred that the ability of someone role played by something or someone in causing a particular result (2005:3). Therefore, taking for granted, we can conclude that the word “role” refers to personality.
3. Theory on Stereotype
Stereotypes are generalizations, or assumptions, that people make about the characteristics of all members of a group, based on an image (often wrong) about what people in that group are like. For example, one study of stereotypes revealed that Americans are generally considered to be friendly, generous, and tolerant, but also arrogant, impatient, and domineering. Asians, on the other hand, were expected to be shrewd and alert, but reserved. Clearly, not all Americans are friendly and generous; and not all Asians are shrewd (www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/stereoty/htm).
Since the topic is to question the Chinese stereotypes of women, it is better to reveal a brief review on Chinese stereotypes of women.
The traditional role of women in Chinese society was one of subservience and humility. Chinese folklore is peppered with such phrases as “girls are maggots in the rice,” “it is more profitable to raise geese than daughters.” Females were considered dispensable; it was the birth of a son that was cause for celebration. Chinese girls were more likely than boys to suffer infanticide in poor families. An early marriage which had been arranged by the female’s parents made a girl’s stay in her parents house short-lived. There was the attitude that nothing need to be done to enrich the residence with her husband’s parents. A daughter was referred to as an outsider because she would no longer bring any economic benefit to the family (www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1984/4/84.04.03.x.html - 28k).
th C. Review on Chinese Society in the 19 Century.
1. The Family life
A small Chinese family may consist of a man, his wife, their unmarried children and sometimes dependent relatives. Descent was always patrilineal in China for centuries. Male offsprings were very desired to carry on the family name, and when the fathers died their male offspring would inherit the fathers’ belongings or wealth automatically. Residence was also patrilocal; daughters had to leave their fathers’ homes and families to live with their husbands’ families.
The most important relationship within a family was the relationship between father and son. The life and death of his offsprings were said to lie in the father’s hand. The son was obliged to obey what his father said and supported his parents when they became old, while the father should find his son a wife. When the parents died, the son’s duties were to mourn and worship them. The father-son relationship was one of authority-submission. A son would never attained equal adult status during the father’s lifetime. The gap between generations was never bridged regardless of the age or maturity of the son (Hu, 1960:159-160).
The relationship between a husband and his wife was not as reciprocal as the relationship between father and son. A son after his father’s death would not only husband’s lifetime, should submit to him, and after his death to her eldest son. A husband was allowed to beat his wife, but the wife should never put her hands against him. She might return to her family, but most of the time she would not be welcomed (1960:160).
The relationship between mother and son was quite special since the status of the mother depends on her producing a male offspring. The number one duty of a wife was to beget sons to continue the family line and by producing sons she automatically secured her position in her husband’s family.
A wife’s first duty, the reason for her introduction into the family was to produce sons to continue the male line and her position in her husband’s family was unenviable before this duty had been fulfilled. but the birth of her first son, which insured the continuity of her husband’s family, immediately made her position more secure. A woman naturally felt more warmth for this son whose arrival had improved her status (1960:160). The father and daughter relationship was less formally defined. A girl should not have much contact with her father. She was only a temporary member of the family since she will be leaving the family once she got married. Mother and daughter relationship was much closer. The principle of sex segregation insured that they had more contact with each other. Before a girl was married, she always remained with her mother and was trained to do household tasks.