He Desire to Change the Subservient Role of Women Essay Example

on surface. In addition, her husband's families take her in but she never drops the idea to be like a coed, "One day, word spread that the coeds were back again.

When Xiaoxiaoheard this, she eyes stared out unseeing, as if in a daze, her gaze fixed on the astern horizon for some time" (Shen 93). She bent on Joining the coeds on their way to the big city in search of freedom, unfortunately she is discovered. I guess Xiaoxiao does not have any ideas about having education in the city; she Just has to get away from village. However, from her grandpa's description on coed, she is interested in coed's life and she thinks if she becomes a member of coed, she has holidays and does not need to do farm works. Zhenzhen is different.

Although she is from village too, she has live in Japan many years.

So she knows she goes to city because she wants a bright future and escape the sad village then to be educated in order to get a Job with other communists, "What I do feel is that after I go to [Yan'an], I'll be in a new situation. I will be in a new situation. I will be able to start life fresh" (Ding 146). Their movements illustrate that new Chinese women are changing people's views and have sense of education is more and more important. Life in city is realistic and bright for them.

Gender roles is very similar between "Xiaoxiao" and "When I Was in Xia Village", hey both present that women stand subservient role in society. Starting from Xiaoxiao's marriage, her marriage is

arranged by her uncle when she is only twelve. People at that time set this tradition because they think girl is useless because daughters will be others' sooner or later, so it is better to send her earlier to save familys food. To the bride's family, accept a girl into their family is not only a way to take care of children, but also add a worker to help farming as a free labor.

That's why to be contrast with other female students in town, Xiaoxiao is adulterer.

To punish Xiaoxiao's cheating on her husband and families, Xiaoxiao is arranged to wait for her second marriage but no one come. Nevertheless, Xiaoxiao is lucky that her child turns out is a boy; she does not have to be married off after all. This tradition does not change after Xiaoxiao, then her son who is ten-year-old and have his wedding ceremony. Women in tradition could not hold any position of power.

In the other story, people in Xia village are uneducated, so when Zhenzhen came back from Japan, they laughed at her and think she is dirty. Women have physical disadvantage than man, therefore, chastity becomes extremely crucial especially at that time.

People in the village can not understand her grievance, this is one of the reason why Zhenzhen wants to go to [Xi'an] where most people are educated, at least not so care about her background. No matter from which aspect, Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen seems like a tool in men ruled the world. Xiaoxiao is portrayed as "object" sold from a place to another.

She could not have her own happiness because she belongs to

her husband's family. Zhenzhen looks like more freedom than Xiaoxiao physically, but in fact, she is slaved by internal. Something she cannot shake off is her hatred and interiority, ".

.. in a very calm voice, she said, 'l can't say that I hate him. I Just feel now that I'm someone who's diseased. It's a fact that I was abused by a large number of Jap devils. I don't remember that exact number.

In any case, I'm unclean, and with such a black mark I don't expect any good fortune to come my way... " (Ding 146).

Zhenzhen is used to her reputation and body to help Chinese government but at the end, she could not get ny sympathy. These things always happened to women, but not men. In conclusion, Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen are two uneducated women living in old Chinese society where unbalanced gender roles and old traditions exist. They both from village and dream to move to city meanwhile they have "sins" could not be excused. Through their different experience, they have similarities that they both independent-minded to change their lives to take education in big city.

The ending of stories are different that Zhenzhen's regardless of objection enable her goes to city s she wants, but Xiaoxiao still stays in village and keeps her original life.

In old Chinese society, woman is absolutely not profitable than men. So people use women like a functional object to help working or take care of family. I think women are living a hard life and very powerless in society. Even thought they want to take education to change their lives, reality makes them difficult.

However,

women play many different roles which cannot be ignored. The authors express their thought and show the current situation through these good works.