The Perspective of Chinese Women Writers - Essay Example

The Perspective of Chinese Women Writers Writers have varied styles in expressing what they feel and what they think. This paper will tackle the perspective of Chinese women writers by exploring their works. The chosen stories which will be discussed in this paper in lieu of the topic are “Bizhu's Choice” by Chen Ruoxi and “Octday” by Tie Ning. Bizhu's Choice This story is written by Chen Ruoxi and translated in English by Christopher Lupke. This paper will explore this story in order to unleash what it is all about. What is the subject matter that Bizhu brought up in the story? Bizhu opened up the topic regarding divorce at the seventy-sixth birthday banquet of Han Weizhong and this move caused a stir among all the relatives and friends of the celebrant (Chen 29). Varied reactions were elicited when this topic was brought up by Bizhu. Chef, the one who had just bought the Hunan Cafe, deemed that she was just trying to loosen up the atmosphere a bit and just uttered a joke with the best of intentions (Chen 29). On the contrary, one of Han Weizhong's soldiers just chimed in and inquired all about divorce (Chen 29). The daughter of Han Weizhong and Bizhu was not delighted on how the joke was going too far so she stopped her and stressed that the marriage of her parents was rare for they will be having their thirty-fifth birthday next year and other couples are even having difficulty to stay together for that long; she even mentioned that her brothers are even coming home for the United States to celebrate the upcoming event (Chen 29). What was the predicament that confronted Bizhu in the past? Bizhu's husband named Han Weizhong had a first wife and children in mainland China (Chen 30-31). What was the reason why Bizhu did not ask for divorce when she discovered Han Weizhong's secret? Divorce would split the family apart and will interrupt the education of the children; during that time, their sons Dawei was in college and Xiaowei was in high school while their daughter was in junior high (Chen 30). What did Han Weizhong say to Bizhu when he was asking for her forgiveness during that time? Han Weizhong begged for Bizhu to forgive him and vowed that: “I consider my Taiwan family as my true family and won't divide my heart, or may I be struck by lightning” (Chen 31). What were the changes in Han Weizhong that Bizhu noticed before she opened up the topic regarding divorce? Han Weizhong was constantly talking about his hometown which he did not do before; moreover, he was continuously connecting with relatives from his hometown especially his grandson through travel visits and phone calls (Chen 32-33). In addition, he was now eager to sleep in separate beds compared to before that he was unease with the idea of sleeping without Bizhu by his side (Chen 33). What is the reason that convinced Dawei to support his parents' divorce? Bizhu highlighted that Han Weizhong is longing to be back in his hometown with the way he is acting and implying; she even pointed out whether he wants his father to be labeled as a bigamist for the rest of his life (Chen 35). Who is the main reason why Bizhu does not want to immigrate to the U.S.? Bizhu did not wish to leave Taiwan because she was thinking of Zhong Tianyou (Chen 35). Tianyou was Bizhu's childhood friend and they were childhood sweethearts (Chen 36). Tianyou expressed his unaltered feelings toward her and expressed that he will get a divorce to marry her (Chen 38-39). What was Bizhu's choice at the end of the story? Although Tianyou mentioned to Bizhu that his wife will be giving him the divorce and asked her to marry him, Bizhu did not want for him to get a divorce instead she just wants his love (Chen 40). When Bizhu's daughter asked her why she refused the marriage offer, Bizhu replied: “Marriage is a shell; feelings are the only reality; and at this age, my freedom is more important than feelings” (Chen 40). Octday Octday is another story which will be tackled in this paper; this story was written by Tie Ning. What is the reason why Zhu Xiaofen is happy after all these years? Zhu Xiaofen who is thirty-four years old feels happy because she is now divorced (Tie 49). What was the reward that Zhu Xiaofen was bestowed with for loving her work so much? Zhu Xiaofen manifested her love and devotion for her work and because of her hard work she was promoted as Associate Senior Editor (Tie 50). What was the reaction of Zhu Xiaofen's colleagues at work? The colleagues of Zhu Xiaofen pitied her for undergoing the divorce process; moreover, they despise the husband of Zhu Xiaofen for giving it all up despite the fact that they have a ten month old baby (Tie 51-52). Who is Yu Zhen? What is her reaction when she saw Zhu Xiaofen? Yu Zhen and Zhu Xiaofen were college classmates and they had not seen each other since they parted ways due to their work; when Yu Zhen went to see Zhu Xaiofen, she expressed her observations regarding her physical appearance and how she should perform some improvements like with her hair and her skin (Tie 53-54). What was the usual reaction of people around Zhu Xiaofen that makes her feel dizzy? Everybody around Zhu Xiaofen was showing her with special warmth and concern; all the comforting of people around her makes her dizzy (Tie 57). What was the conclusion of the woman from the research center who was going to interview Zhu Xiaofen? The woman from the research center stressed that according to a research, men often claimed that it is the woman who initiates a divorce in order to preserve her sense of self-respect (Tie 61). She asked Zhu Xiaofen why she could not admit that her husband does not want her anymore, she even pointed out that the Women's Federation stands up for women like her (Tie 61). Furthermore, she concluded that Zhu Xiaofen just goes to jump rope to hide her depression (Tie 61). What was Zhu Xiaofen's realization in the end? Zhu Xiaofen realized that she made up Octday to have a time for her self; she admitted that there was no such thing as an Octday and Monday has to come after Day Seven and Day Seven was called Sunday, the day of rest (Tie 62). Conclusion The two stories both tackled the issue regarding divorce. Divorce was a pressing matter even at contemporary times for many it means that the members of the family had to keep up with the thought of a failed marriage and that the couple cannot endure to keep the relationship any longer. Divorce is often viewed as a tragic process often affecting not only the couple or their children but also the people around them. However, in the stories explored, divorce was the key to escape from a relationship that the main characters can no longer abide to. The concept of a new woman is then portrayed in the two stories for it presented women who are unafraid to face the consequences of their decisions. The image of a woman is often described as someone who is fragile and weak but in the stories, the readers can see the new woman who is continuously confronting the challenges and predicaments amidst her. The new women also value their freedom with the right intentions of having so; they had continue to sacrifice their own happiness for the benefit of those dear to them though when the right opportunity comes, they certainly came out of their shells despite what other people would say and think of them just to stand for what they believe in. Works Cited: Chen, R. “Bizhu's Choice”. 29-40. Print. Tie, N. “Octday”. 49-62. Print. Read More