However, its special grammar of "the truth is hidden and the village tells lies" has opened the eyes of later readers to the meaning of A Dream of Red Mansions and generated speculation. So, what does Cao Xueqin want to express through A Dream of Red Mansions?
The first is the universal law. A Dream of Red Mansions takes Jia Baoyu, the son of a rich family, as the perspective, and takes the love entanglements of Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai as the main line, reflecting the process of Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue from prosperity to decline. The so-called "happiness begets sorrow, people remain the same, but in the end it is just a dream, and everything is empty".
In the thirteenth round, Qin Keqing repeatedly mentioned this point in Xi's dream. "As the saying goes,' when the moon is full, it will lose money, and when the water is full, it will overflow', and' if you climb high, you will fall hard',' if you come late, you will be honored and humiliated from ancient times to the present'. Mencius, a great thinker and educator, warned all sentient beings thousands of years ago that "born in sorrow, died in happiness".
The descendants of the official rich family, represented by the Jia family, lie on the credit book earned by their ancestors, stay in the comfort zone built by their predecessors, do nothing, don't make progress, act rashly, have no sense of hardship in their hearts, enjoy themselves blindly, and finally sit on empty mountains and fall apart.
No matter at any time, a country, a nation, a family and a person must be prepared for danger in times of peace, so as not to be completely defeated by the water under the bridge.
The second is the morbidness of society. A Dream of Red Mansions was written at the end of feudal society in China in the 8th century. At that time, the Qing government closed its doors to the outside world, and the whole country was immersed in the dream of Kangxi, Kangxi and Qianlong, and went to China.
This period seems peaceful on the surface, but various social contradictions in the bones are intensifying, and the whole dynasty has reached a turning point from prosperity to decline. For example, the extravagance and waste of the upper class, Jia Fu "repaired the seawall, only prepared to pick up the coachman once, and spent all his money like dripping into the sea"; The Zhen family in Jiangnan took the bus four times. "Don't say that silver has become mud, because it is all in the world, and there is nothing that is not piled in the sea. The word' sinful' cannot be ignored. "
These huge costs, which one is not from grandma Liu's blood and sweat! ? Although they work hard all day, they are still struggling in the hardships of "it will get cold and the things at home for the winter have not been done yet", which is in stark contrast to the luxury of the rich and powerful people who get something for nothing and enjoy it.
For example, perverting the law, such as Jia Yucun, an official, Xue Pan and Feng Yuan arguing for Xiangling, Zhang Caifu and Zhang Hua's engagement dispute, You Erjie and Zhang Hua's engagement dispute, and so on. Which crooked law has no blood and tears that directly or indirectly kill people! ?
For example, the tragic fate of women, Qin Keqing, who died prematurely after being humiliated, Jin Chuaner, who was beaten and scolded, Qingwen, who died of loneliness and illness, Yingchun, who was "about to be eaten by Zhongshan Wolf" after 1980, and so on, the maw of feudal ethics, I don't know how many young lives as beautiful as flowers and pure jade were swallowed up! The end of this terminal illness is doomed not to last long.
The third is the multifaceted nature of human nature. In a narrow sense, human nature refers to the part of human nature that distinguishes people from other animals. Everyone has secular desires, so human nature is not a single expression. In different times, different backgrounds and different moods, the same person will show different human nature.
Cao Xueqin's portrayal of human nature in A Dream of Red Mansions is different from previous novels, and it is full of Pan An, Zi Jian, Xi Zi and Wen Jun, with a total of thousands of books. The bad guys are pustules from head to toe, and the good guys are gentle and virtuous from the inside out.
For example, Baoyu, although he cared for the girls, drove away the innocent Xue Qian because of a cup of tea. When Jin Chuaner and Qingwen were expelled, he chose to escape.
For example, Lin Daiyu, who is pure and arrogant, is also quick-talking to Zhou Ruijia, Li Mammy and others. For example, Xue Baochai, who keeps up with the times, overheard Xiaohong and Zhui Er's whispers and was afraid of getting into trouble, "framing" Lin Daiyu; Xue Pan was a bully at ordinary times, and became a "warm man" at a critical time. "He is afraid that Aunt Xue will be crushed, that Xue Baochai will be seen, and that Xiangling will be humiliated."
For example, Neil is usually an alcoholic and a gangster. After Jia Yun refused to borrow money from his uncle, Neil, who had nothing to do with Jia Yun, generously funded Liang Yin, enabling Jia Yun to take over the project of the Grand View Garden.
In Forty-three Chapters, Zhi Yanzhai once said: ... The so-called people have their own aspirations, and this shore is reasonable. In unofficial history, I hate the latest. Evil is pervasive and beauty is pervasive. Why not be so reasonable? !
Everything contains two aspects, both good and evil; There are beauty and ugliness. This feature runs through the shaping of human nature in the novel A Dream of Red Mansions. Each character is not a stereotyped zombie, but an angular, flesh-and-blood and lifelike artistic life, which is also an important reason why it can travel through the ages and make the world flock to it.
The fourth is the chastity of love. A Dream of Red Mansions is a novel based on the love entanglement between "the alliance of wood and stone" and "the marriage of gold and jade", among which there are certainly many love stories.
The love between men and women has the characteristics of specificity, exclusiveness and dependence. "I want to know you and live a long life." There is no mausoleum in the mountains, the river is exhausted, there is Lei Zhen in winter, and there is rain and snow in summer. Only when heaven and earth are in harmony can we dare to be with you! " .
Daiyu shed all her tears (in the willow), and Baoyu "fulfilled" his promise, "If you die, I will become a monk"; Zhang Jinge, who knew righteousness and was affectionate, hanged himself. The son of the garrison who was engaged to her was infatuated with his fiancee, and soon he jumped into the river and died, and staged the sad story of "exploring the Qingshui River" in A Dream of Red Mansions.
You Sanjie was mistaken for "impurity" by Liu Xianglian, and went to the door to break off her marriage. Angry and pouting, she pitifully "fell peach blossoms all over the floor, and Yushan was hard to help again"; Si Qi's love affair with his cousin Pan Youan was exposed, and he was kicked out of the Grand View Garden. His mother still refused to allow him to marry Pan Youan, and Siqi hit the wall and died.