Respond to one of the following questions by commenting on this post. You may also feel free to respond to comments posted by your classmates!
-What’s the connection between the broad historical material about the Ming Dynasty that begins the story and the narrative about Du Tenth and Li Jia’s relationship that follows?
-What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
-How are courtesans represented in the story? Why do you think Feng Menglong chooses to depict them this way?
-Money plays a central role in the story. What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?
-Feng Menglong was interested in using literature to teach morality. What lesson is being imparted by this text?
In the story “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger”, money and love played two very important roles. Du Tenth and Master Li had different mentalities on both of these things. Master Li believed that he must win Tenth with 300 taels of silver or else he would lose the love of his life, while Tenth did anything to have Master Li by her side. She even offered to help him out with 150 taels of silver just for them to be together. At the end of the story, Master Li was so worried about getting the 1000 taels of silver from Sun Fu that he chose to leave Tenth behind and as a result she died. He put money over their great love.
The lesson Feng Menglong is teaching us in this text, is that true love has no value. Master Li, however, was unable to see that. When faced with the decision to either run away with the one he loved, or to regain his honor and fathers’ affection, he chose the latter. While Feng Menglong could have ended the story there, he ensures that Master Li is embarrassed. By embarrassing Master Li at the end of the story, Feng Menglong is emphasizing his point that true love has no value.
Feng Menglong presents courtesans as possessions in the story. Du Tenth, a courtesan, is used to make money and is sold as a good by her madam and again by her husband. The act of her changing hands through ownership takes the humanity out of her and symbolizes her as a figure that provides pleasure as she has done her whole life. Feng Menglong’s reasoning for depicting courtesans as objects rather than fleshed out characters could be to show the divide between the nobility and the commoners.
Li Jia is a weak, spineless, sentimental, and hypocritical person. After he had waste all his time and money at the pleasure district with Du Tenth he was gradually became a worthless person. He has no idea on how to solve the difficulties and always trying to escape from the realites. Even when Du Tenth’s madam making verbal attacks on him and he had no any response to that. Li Jia wants to marry Du Tenth but he has no conficence to convince his strict parents to accept her. He is unable to make a compromise between his lover and parents. Eventually, he gives up all the promises that he had made to Tenth by transferring her to Sun Fu. His behavior serves as a huge difference to the elite class where he had come from. Li Jia’s behavior at the end is a little bit suprise to me. Despite Li and Du Tenth loves each other and he even spend thousand taels on her. Li is very easily been affect by others’ opinions. He has no long-term plans to gurranteed Du’s life. Under the temptation of money he had lost all his conscious and cruelly betrayed Du. His weak personalities predestined that he can’t bring a happiness life to Du Tenth.
Without the money, Du Tenths would not run into Li Jia and they would not love each other at the first sight, because Li Jia spent numerous money on whoring in the pleasure district. Without the money, the courtesan Du Tenths were not able to get rid of the previous life in the brothel, furthermore, to pursue her dream to regain her liberty and her ideal love with her husband. In short of money, it is impossible for them to return back to Li Jia’s hometown start off their new life in the future. At the same time, the money led their love to the end as well as dissolved their fantastic future by the means of Sun Fu’s lecherous intentions. All in all, the money play a very crucial role in this story and Du tenth and Li Jia ‘s life. There is no doubt that the love makes the story start off and keep it goes on. In order to get the love, Du Tenths tried her best to shake off the life as a courtesan and longed for the future to follow by Li Jia. Meanwhile, the disappointed love ruined in Du Tenth’s life and that is why she got distressed and hopeless, hence, she sink the jewel box in anger and end up her precious life. Anyway, the love and money have ever got Du Tenth hope but destroyed her at last.
-What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
In the short story, Du Tenth Sink the Jewel Box in Anger, I would consider Li Jia as a person who was inconclusive and had no power over his actions/decisions. Jia originated from a family of immense prosperity, admiration, and education. On the other hand, his mistress, Du Mei, was a prostitute with not such great nobility. In the initiation of the short story, Jia sounded like he was in love with Du and nothing was able to stop their love for each other. But when it came to making decisions, that’s when things started to make a twist. The first example, is when his father would not give him money to buy Du from the courtesan house. Since he did not provide him with the money, Jia began to disdain her downright. It was as if his father made the decision for him. Another example, is that he didn’t even propose to Du, but Du proposed to him. During that time, it was very common that the man would propose to the woman. This made him seem weak, and not a man of nobility.
In all truthfulness, I was not surprised that Jia acted the way he did. During that era, it was an obligation for families of nobility to stay noble. By marrying a prostitute, that would have ruined the family tree and the future of the family’s wealth and prestige. That might have been the reason why Jia acted in the way he did. So his inconclusiveness was not only do to him, but was also due to exerting the effort to please his father and keep nobility/prestige in the family.
Li Jia, in Feng Menglong’s “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” can be characterized as an irresponsible and privileged individual. Master Li takes no control over his life and has everything handed to him. From the beginning of the story, we can see Li Jai’s inability to provide for himself and the use of his privilege to get through life. Li Jia’s father pays for him to get in the imperial academy, which used to be based on a series of exams you had to pass. That is the first time we see Li Jia pass down his responsibility of actually studying and preparing for the exams, to his father that just pays for his sons position. Next, we see him pass down his responsibility of acquiring 300 taels of silver to Du Tenth putting up half and Lui Yuchun getting him the rest of the 150. And at the end, he even relives himself of his responsibility of facing his father with his new wife to Sun Fu and exchanges Du Tenth for 1,000 taels of silver. We see how his inability to provide and take responsibility for himself, ultimately leads to his downfall and the destruction of his relationship.
What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
Li Jia is a product of his environment. Coming from some wealth he does not understand true key values in life. From the beginning to the end of the story Li Jia gradually showed his true colors as situations occurred. What first hinted to me that Li Jia is not a fully developed individual was his “fairytale” mindset. He was visiting a whore house and falling in love with a prostitute who was just providing a service which showed he could not understand there is a firm line between business and pleasure. As the story progressed I realized that Li Jia has no real character and is not passionate but dispassionate. For example, when the deal was set and Li Jia goal was to find 300 taels to buy Li Jia, he did not work for any of the money.
His behavior does not come to as a surprise to me at the end because of Li Jia’s ability habit of faltering and being influenced. I believe Li Jia roots (his father) kept him grounded and did not give independence is the reason why he is such a leaf in the wind.
Feng Menglong uses the broad historical material introduced at the beginning of “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” as a way to establish the mindset of the characters in the narrative. He provides his audience with a panoramic view of the setting that his protagonists are a part of in order to give a reason for his characters’ actions and behaviors. Menglong explains how in this period of time in China, wealthy families were able to buy their children’s’ way into the imperial academy, thus allowing for a “nice little prospect for career advancement” (pg. 500). Meaning that these individuals were exempt from the “ordinary licentiates’ exam” and found themselves enjoying the advantages of having bought their “academy scholar status” (pg. 500). The narrator tells us that Li Jia is one of these wealthy young men who refused to work for their entry into the academy and preferred to be handed their way into upward social mobility. Du Tenth comes from the opposite side of the socioeconomic spectrum of this setting. As a girl who is said to have “lost her maidenhead at the age of thirteen” and works as a prostitute at a pleasure house, we are to assume that Du Tenth has not received the same level of education or opportunities for upward social mobility as Li Jia. Instead, we see both of these characters as opposite sides of the same coin. Li Jia comes the privileged side of 17th Century China and has everything handed to him, whereas Du Tenth hails from the whorehouses of the pleasure district and has used her body as means for income for years. The miniature history lesson given at the beginning of the story brings many of the intentions of the characters into light. Since we know that in this story’s society, the elite are given privileges due to their wealth that the poor cannot receive, Li Jia’s inability to find the money is not surprising since he probably has not worked a day in his life. This is juxtaposed by Du Tenth perseverance in trying to get out of prostitution in order to be free with Li Jia. The author uses the historical material at the beginning of this story as a way for us to understand the how’s and why’s of Li Jia and Du Tenth’s actions.
What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
Li Jia was someone who was spoon fed throughout his life. His father helping him get into the academy and paying for everything proved that. He became incapable of doing anything for himself, which is why he couldn’t come up with the money to free Du Tenth. He is the type of person who can not be loyal to anyone including himself. He is stuck choosing between love or his father. Since his father spoon fed him Li Jia was not able to make decisions for himself or own up to his own actions which is why Du Tenth ultimately suffered. The ending did not come as a surprise to me because when Li Jia did not put effort into trying to free Du Tenth it showed that he doesn’t put effort into anything he does. He did not even hesitate nor did he feel any shame in taking the money from Du Tenth.
In their relationship, Money played an essential part. From the moment they fell in love with each other and decided to be together. Du Tenth’s Madam asked to pay the price in exchange for Du Tenth which after a lot of difficulties, with the help of his friend and Du Tenth herself Li Jia finally arranged the money. And when there was no other problem after they were together, again Li Jia’s greed towards money broke their relation apart. If they were not short of money and they could get everything the way they wanted then things might have been different which would have made their bond stronger.
Lia ji is a dependent man. Since the beginning it is clear that he only obtains things through the power of money. The fact that he ends up selling Du tenth was foreshadowed by his security in financial stability. Being convinced that wedding Du tenth would anger his father and bring shame on the family name he quickly sell Du Tenth because upsetting his father means his financial ties would be severed leaving him on his own. Which as we see does not work out well since he depletes his source of income quickly and can not raise enough money for himself, even when it is for something he wants.
What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
From the beginning of the story it is quite evident that Li Jia is an irresponsible, immature man who takes the easy route as he bought his way into scholar status. He is also a naive young man who fell in love with the first woman he came in contact with out of lust. He also exhibits immature behavior as a result of his careless spending habits, as well as he is incapable of making any rational decisions as shown at the end of the text. His behavior at the end of the story does not come as a surprise when he accepts the money from Sun Fu in exchange for Du Tenth because he exhibited himself as a gullible person throughout the story, and always failed to stand up for himself whenever he found himself having to make any tough decisions.
Money is a reoccurring theme when reading Feng Menglong’s, “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger”. It is the key to Du’s freedom not only from the madam but from her life in general. It is what makes this story progress on. Du had the money to free herself but that isn’t how a prostitution house works. Someone has to buy her freedom and even when she does meet a person who is even remotely capable of buying her freedom she will still be owned. Just because she isn’t owned by the madam anymore she still was bought by someone else. Technically she will never be free unless she goes out on her own.
Money also plays another role when it comes to Li Jia because he didn’t have to put in any work to get Du Tenth and that ties into the beginning of the story relating to his past. His father bought him the spot in the academy for him to go to school. And in order to get Du Tenth he had someone else raise the money to buy Du from the madam. So money was the key in Li’s life so he didn’t have to work for really anything everything was already handed to him.
-Money plays a central role in the story. What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?
I think this story shows how money affects the values of people brought up in different social classes. Li Jia, who was brought up with money, can still love a person but his attachment to money puts him less in touch with his feelings. Li does love Du Tenth, but he wouldn’t let that love for her get in the way of his love for money. Du Tenth on the other hand grew up with nothing, so her values do not revolve around money like Li’s. Growing up without an attachment to money Du Tenth’s values were based more on her fantasies of love and romance. These fantasies allowed her to overlook the role of money in matters of the heart, even when Li cannot earn money on his own. Li is willing to love Du Tenth, and allow her to come between him and money temporarily, but he will never be able to love a woman as deeply as he loves money. This difference in upbringings ultimately causes the destruction of the tragic love story between Li Jia and Du Tenth.
The importance of money in society and relationships plays a central role in this story,telling us that there exists a relationship between money and love.
If money is weighed more than love,there are going to be some negative consequences,,clearly expressed in the narrative of the story with the downfall of Li Jias and Du Tenth’s love relationship at the end.By that ending,it is concluded and emphasized the fact that money should not play such a major role in our society,and influencing on it with such big power. It should definitely not affect a romantic relationship ,getting in between and breaking the love,because love is the one that brings true happiness ,as opposed to money.
Finally,putting love before money leads to fatality of a relationship.
Q: What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
A: Li Jia is an individual who did not learn what the true values in life are meant to be. He was raised in a wealthy family and therefore did not understand these values. Additionally, Li Jia is one who is irresponsible and always tries to find the easy way out of any situation, including making his way to become a scholar. For example, when Li Jia was asked to get the 300 taels to free Du Tenth from the brothel, he did not come up with the money himself.
His behavior at the end of the story did not come as a surprise to me because him betraying Du Tenth like that was expected. Li Jia strictly obeys his father when it came down to the situation, simply because he is used to being told what to do.
I believe that the lesson being taught in this lesson is that just because one person has power and money doesnt mean they will ever find out what love is. It shows how Du Tenth regardless of being a prostitute still knew more about love than Li Jia ever could. Li Jia put money before love and was ready to exchange Du Tenth for money just so he didnt have to introduce her to his father. On the other hand Du Tenth, a prostitute with no other way to make money, saved her money after years of selling her body and was just simply looking for a lover. It shows that it really doesnt matter what social class you are in but the people around you and how to react to them.
-What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
We learn from the start of the story that Li Jia is naive of how lucky he is. An example of how lucky he is in life is how his father was able to pay for his son to attend the Royal Academy. He is also a very inexperienced man and fell in love like teenagers first live. Which means we learn that Li Jia is dependent on his father for financial support, added with his naiveté Li Jia all of a sudden becomes extremely gullible if people figure out how to push his bottoms. This shortfall eventually becomes his downfall when his inability to take responsibility an stand his own ground against others leads him to lose his love.
Money plays a central role in the story. What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?
The short story seems to say a lot about money, particularly in relation to love. One thing that can be pointed out is that these two are very strong driving forces in most of our lives. To be more accurate, both forces actually come down to the love of something; love for another versus love for money. It is not money itself that harms, but loving it that can prove to be fatal. Some consider it to be the root of all evil. Thus, it is very important for us to examine a persons heart and see what it is that they place most value in in this life. Knowing this will help us predict the type of person they will turn out to be, the way they will go about making decisions, and ultimately if they will be willing to sacrifice other things for the sake of that which they love. Pleasant it is if this thing of value over all other things is their lover or family perhaps, whom many would consider to be the most important things in the work, priceless and irreplaceable. Dangerous it is however, when this object of treasure in ones heart is money! There will come a time when these to forces have an mutual encounter and conflict in a persons heart and a decision must be made, choosing one at the expense of the other. Which of the two holds more value in this persons heart? Money ( things shallow and materialistic) or unconditional love of another person? This is something we must ask ourselves, as our hearts are at stake when pursuing a relationship with another person.
It is interesting to note in this short story that the upbringing of both Du Tenth and Li Gia determined what they placed value in, and thus guided their mentality and decision making. Du Tenth had been void of not sex, but true love her whole life, and thus valued love tremendously, hoping to one day escape her sad existence by means of having a price paid for her, they key factor here being not the money, but being redeemed out of this love for her. Money to her came to be merely something she received in exchange for sex. As far as she was concerned, when she thought of money, what probably came to mind was the fact that she herself, being a human being, had been placed a monetary value, taking away her dignity. It in no way represented anything pleasant. So much so that her most dear possession contained not money, but pearls, sapphires, and rare treasures. She valued the desire to love and be loved by another man more than anything.
Jia on the other hand, placed tremendous value in money and all it can “buy.” He was a spineless, naive, and inept in finances and relationships. We can argue that he was not truly in love, but he knew that Du Tenth sincerely came to love him (the end of the story speaks of her sincere devotion). This suffices for a man to show character and demonstrate his true intentions before sweeping a woman off her feet with more mundane desires such as mere desire for sex and affection. Master Li revealed that his temptations and lust for money were beyond what he felt for Du Tenth, having practically given her up, and any love that existed between them, for 1,000 taels of silver.
We must note that Du Tenth did however make a mistake by giving Master Li a chance over and over again, knowing that he was an undisciplined man nor possessed what it took to deserve her love. He was given the opportunity by Tenth’s madame to buy her out, for a very reasonable sum of money, but he was so used to being handed everything on a silver spoon, that he did not even have the ability to fight for once for something important. He would have demonstrated to Du Tenth his devotion if he had managed to come up with the money. Having failed this test should have been an signal for Du Tenth that this man did not deserve her love, rather sought after something else. Perhaps all he wanted was money to engage in endless pleasure, having used Du Tenth solely for this purpose. Had he loved her, he would not have letter go and ruined he life. Here we see the love for money that ended up costing Master Li this relationship and Du Tenth her life. Du Tenth believed she had finally found somebody that loved her, and not because in her master Li only saw a means to spend his money on and find pleasure. Even if this relationship HAD been founded on mutual love for one another, it was doomed to fail because one of the two had a GREATER love for money. This was yet another downfall to what seemed was going to be a wonderful love story.