To crown a text as “great works”, we ought to define the term first. In my perspective, for a text to be considered as “great works” it should be capable of conveying an abstract idea through simple understandable terms. Also, the text should resonate with its readers, despite the passage of time and space. To me, Feng Menglong’s “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” is most befitting of this title.
Feng Menglong’s “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger”, narrates a tale of tragedy that stems from the absence of morally. Being born with a silver spoon, the protagonist Li Jia fails to acknowledge the importance of morally. He squandered his wealth like it’s pebbles on the streets and weep when it’s all gone, his love for the courtesan only resulted in the tragic end for both. Unable to face his father for marrying a courtesan, Li Jia fell into a plot devised by Sun Fu, son of a wealthy merchant. In response to Li Jia’s betrayal, Du Tenth utter “I regret that you lack eyes in your head to see it. Born in an ill-fated hour, I fell into the bonds of a shameful life” (516). Du Tenth wasn’t fortunate like Li Jia, she was born into a life of prostitution. Despite having her pride stripped from her at birth, she never yields to the many hardships and eventually redeems herself while amassing a massive fortune. Feng Menglong portrays the absence of morally, for Li Jia is unable to differentiate what’s right and wrong himself, ultimately resulting in this tragedy.
