great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

Both Du Tenth from “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” and the narrator of “Life of a Sensuous Woman” are prostitutes who have had significant effects on the lives of men. Both women are seen as independent but they are different when it comes to their views on love. Du Tenth falls in love with Li Jia and shows him great sincerity and devotion as seen here, “Truly, affection as deep as unfathomed sea; loyalty as heavy as mountains, but higher” (501). Li Jia ended up betraying her in the end by trading her for some money and Du Tenth is heartbroken over this and remarks, “You have abandoned me at mid journey and betrayed my earnest heart” (516). The narrator is different from Du Tenth in that she isn’t interested in love but rather lust and she can’t seem to satisfy her sexual needs so in the end she has slept with more than 10,000 men. The narrator is simply chasing after sexual pleasure and money and her way of thinking prevented her from finding true love. A clear similarity between the two characters is that money ruined both characters’ ability find meaningful love in their lives.