Jade Peony Essay - Final Version

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English

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Jan 9, 2024

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The Jade Peony Essay Assignment- FINAL VERSION Topic: Poh-Poh is a central character in the novel. How are the other characters developed through Poh-Poh. Poh-Poh is one of the novel's main characters, and she serves as a catalyst for the growth of other "female" characters. Because of the era in which the narrative is set, female characters in The Jade Peony are considered as useless yet dependable second-class individuals. Characters portraying women are despised and held in low regard. And perhaps most importantly, the three female characters in the novel provide as important examples of the roles, position, and importance of women. The names of these women are Poh-Poh, Stepmother, and Jook-Liang. Despite their different ages, it is obvious that these three females' issues are related to their gender because they have all experienced horrifying maltreatment. Poh-Poh is a character that is seen as the eldest in the family, therefore making her more dominant even though she is a woman. Poh-Poh gets to experience life differently as a woman, once she is able to give birth to a male son, elevating her status because he was not a female. Her son was a man who made his family happy and valuable and who made his mother more valuable. Girls are not respected by the characters in the story, and an explanation is provided as to why, which is a sad but true truth. It states, “a beautiful girl-child from a poor family is even more useless than an ugly one from a rich family, unless you can sell either one for a jade bracelet or hard foreign currency. Then you can feed your worthy sons, give them educations, arrange marriages, make them proud men” (Choy 2013, p. 41). The quote indicates that men are the only ones who can elevate female status and that women generally have little value. In the story, Poh-Poh finds out what she was meant to do with her life, and her son at last treats her

with the respect she had yearned for her entire life. Additionally, this shows that the time period and culture in which the narrative is situated have a very clear gender imbalance. The first female character in the story, Jook-Liang, is viewed as useless by her family, especially by her grandmother Poh-Poh. Since the day Jook-Liang was born, Poh-Poh has treated her horribly and seen her as useless. This abuse is a result of the notion that Jook-Liang is a woman and that men are socially superior to women, and it ultimately contributes to the formation of her character through Poh-Poh. The fact that Poh-Poh permits Jook Liang's younger brother to address in a more loving manner instead of the other way around, makes the situation seem even more unfair. Poh-Poh gets to determine if Sekky may refer to Poh-Poh as "Grandmama," whereas Jook-Liang may refer to her as simply "Poh-Poh" (Choy 2013, p.148). In this remark, Jook-Liang is a woman, and Poh-Poh treats the other youngster better simply because he is a male. Poh-Poh does not believe in equality. People use this argument to support growing gender inequality because it makes it seem natural whether it occurs within a family or among close relatives. At one point in the narrative, Poh-Poh may be heard explicitly calling Jook-Liang useless and harming her mental state. Women play a significant part in this narrative, and Jook-Liang would have pursued her goals if Poh-Poh had been nicer and more accepting. When this doesn't happen, Jook-Liang starts to think that being a woman makes her unattractive and useless. In conclusion, sibling relationships are also impacted by the issue of unequal gender treatment. Sekky begins to feel jealous of Jook-Liang and begins to suspect that she is not truly his sister. "Liang was always envious of Grandmama, whom she called Poh-Poh, because I was the one the Old One had spent the most time caring for when I was a baby, and I was ailing," he adds. And I was a young boy" (Choy 2013, p.148). This reply reveals Sekky's attitude that he is better than his sister and that she is jealous of him. It's probable that Poh-Poh, a female role

model, is to blame for the inequality in the household and that's why Jook-Liang wants to enjoy the same benefits as her brother. The second female character in the narrative to experience mistreatment and lack of respect is the stepmother. Because she is the matriarch of the household, this suggests that Poh-Poh is primarily responsible for the development of the character. Stepmother is the father's second wife; because of her low position, Poh-Poh decided to call her "Stepmother." The stepmother is the second wife of the father. She is mistreated and has a poor social standing in the home. This is as a result of the fact that she married her father's second wife and moved to Canada after the death of his first wife. Even her own children, who are her own blood, do not address the stepmother as a mother, so she must struggle for the respect she is due. They refer to her as Stepmother instead, which is terrible to a mother since it makes it impossible for her to earn the respect of even her own children. This statistic dispels the myth that women are inferior and demonstrates how this may be the case in some households. This shows that although a servant girl can easily become a concubine, it is challenging for her to earn respect and succeed a first wife after doing so. This denigrates Stepmothers as well as women in general and draws attention to gender inequalities. Third Uncle states in the novel that, “Stepmother was a ranking considerably more respectable than "family servant," more honourable than "concubine," but never equivalent in honor or regard to the title of First Wife or Mother (Choy 2013, p. 147).” This statement exemplifies how women who marry second spouses are not appreciated and are not given favourable treatment by their families, including their own biological offspring. In conclusion, this book does a wonderful job of illuminating how women are treated in society. The female characters in the book deal with this issue and the gender-based unfairness that women experience. Stepmother, Jook-Liang, and Poh-Poh are the names of the characters.

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