Dream of
the Red Chamber is more than a fictional work. It is a historical piece
that provides readers with an understanding of the traditional culture in 18th
century China: its social structure, its art, its architecture, its religious
practices, its sciences, and its cultural beliefs. While the novel gives a
general insight of Chinese culture, it also looks into the sociocultural aspects
and values, specifically the Chinese aristocratic life of the Chia family. The richness of the Chinese
literary tradition, for instance, is portrayed in the novel through Pao Yu’s
general fondness for poetry, riddles, drama, and classical books. Also, with
the garden of Takuanyuan – ideally representing
the space with which Chinese arts and aesthetics are materialized – the novel
provides a glimpse of the characters’ activities during their leisure time such
as reading novels, “playing chess or musical instruments”, “painting or
composing verses”, writing scrolls, and “taking a hand at embroidery” (145). Aside from this, day to day activities in an aristocratic household are also
depicted in their food preparation, tea ceremony, dining manners, medical prescription
and treatment, witchcraft practices, funeral ceremonies, and amusements in the
family.
Dream of
the Red Chamber is more than a love piece. It is a work which aspires to
explore female characters and their destinies in a highly patriarchal Chinese
society. As men in the novel are observably on the periphery because of their
duties for the state, the lives of women are highlighted through an exploration
of their psychology and personality: for instance, the frail character of Black
Jade, the controlling nature of Phoenix, the power and influence of the
Matriarch, the submissiveness of Madam Hsing, and the defiant character of
Faith, the maid who refuses marriage. Here, we see the work as an important
insight into early Chinese feminism, portrayed generally through Pao Yu’s
fondness and high regard for women whom he compares to “water with clear
minds”, in contrast to men who he thinks are “made of mud or unformed clay”. From
the novel, we are also made aware of the social hierarchy, roles, and status of
these women in the Chia household:
from the primary wives to concubines; from chief maids to bondservants. While
these young female figures are exalted through their character, it is implied
that their inevitable destinies – to later be framed and forced into marriage –
represent the tragedy of their existence as female beings.
Dream of
the Red Chamber is more than a socio-realistic novel. It is a work that explores
the metaphysical and dualistic aspect of existence: between the real and
unreal, between illusion and reality, and between truth and appearance. The
novel, as it can be recalled, starts with the story of a stone, which was
abandoned by a goddess and who later sought help from a monk and a Taoist priest
to bring it to the Red Dust. Here the transfiguration and reincarnation of Pao
Yu from a stone and Black Jade from a flower represents the Chinese belief in
“predestination” or fate. Indeed, theirs is a story of love which, from the onset,
already spells catastrophe based on their dreams that blur between the
fantastic and reality. On one hand, for instance, Black Jade’s dream of Pao Yu cutting
out his heart and showing it to her implies tragedy and sacrifice; while on the
other, Pao Yu’s disbelief that he actually married Precious Virtue appears to
him as though everything is only a dream. Indeed, these star crossed lovers –
mutually sick because their soul shares a common grief – are to me, reminiscent
of lovers who, to borrow from John Keats, “can never, never kiss”, whether here
on Red Dust or back to the mystical heaven.
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