“Everybody called her Hsiang Lin’s Wife. They did not ask her her own name; but since she was introduced by someone from Wei Village who said she was a neighbour, presumably her name was also Wei. She was not very talkative, only answering when other people spoke to her, and her answers were brief.”
In Chinese culture, many of the choices we make in life are based on whether it will be helpful to us in our afterlife. My parents always taught me old Chinese sayings/lessons. For an example, they have always taught me when I was young that the amount of food I leave on my plate today is how much “garbage/trash” I’ll have to consume in my afterlife. This was said by people in the villages they grew up in. Chinese idelas and beliefs are important in our culture. I could relate to the wife in the story since I understand the reasons for the way she acts. Divorce is looked down upon in Chinese culture. Couples stay together even if they do not love each other for the sake of their children. Some even stay married for the money.
It is easy to feel like a outcast when your beliefs and values are different from society’s. It is hard for her to reject her ideals and go against society’s norms, especially as a women. In her culture, men are dominant. Her name is never mentioned in the story and only referred to as Hsiang Lin’s wife. The women was known by the man’s wife and not her own person. Females were not important in society. It is common for Chinese households to have a working male and a stay at home mother. The male was the breadwinner that put dinner on the table. It is hard for the woman in the family to exert agency. Therefore, they stay quiet and go along with what society wants them to do. I believe that this cultural norm should be changed especially as the world is changing today. Women have more rights and just as many opportunities as men. Chinese beliefs should transition over to more western beliefs.
I think this story shows an important aspect in every culture. There are certain beliefs and values that are negative and demeaning of the people in it. I believe that the view that divorced and widowed women are “unclean” should be exterminated. They see it as bad luck but in today’s society, a divorce means that the two simply do not work out. A widowed woman could not prevent the death of her husband. I agree that some of these beliefs do not have a place in today’s modern society.