After the birth of A Dream of Red Mansions, its ideological and artistic strength immediately shocked the society at that time. People read it and talked about it. "Clap your hands" and "read gorgeous"; In order to evaluate the characters in the book, he was "stunned and waved his old fist"; There are also young readers who are moved by the love story in the book to "choke and cry until midnight." Therefore, there was a saying at that time that it was futile to read all the poems without talking about a dream of red mansions.
A Dream of Red Mansions has brought great influence to the society and aroused people's interest in its evaluation and research.
A Jia Baoyu
Commenting on the characters in A Dream of Red Mansions, Jia Baoyu, the leading actor, is the most important. As a figure throughout the book, the author Cao Xueqin devoted the most effort and the deepest trust to him. He became one of the most successful artistic models in the history of China's novels, and even everyone said that this image implied Cao Xueqin himself. But in my opinion, this typical image is by no means created by the author, but a perfect artistic image created by the author according to the same type of characters in real life and combined with his own imagination.
In the third time, Lin Daiyu returned to her old job in Jia Yucun, abandoned her father and went to Beijing. There were two "Xijiang Yue", which described Baoyu like this:
Looking for sadness and hatred for no reason sometimes seems crazy. Even if you are born with good skin, your stomach is rough. Poor and ignorant, stupid and afraid of reading articles. It is a slander to the world to behave in a remote and perverse way!
Being rich does not know happiness, but being poor is miserable. There is no hope of living up to the good times at home and abroad. The world is incompetent first, unparalleled in ancient and modern times. Send a message to wan ku and Gao Liang: don't affect this style!
Some readers, after reading these two "Xijiang Moon", have decided that Baoyu is a spell that only loves powder. But in fact, these two "Xijiang Yue" are based on the thoughts of feudal rulers, reflecting the "good intentions" of feudal parents in order to inherit the cause of the landlord class and hope that Baoyu will be promoted and made a fortune. It is through "Xijiang Moon" that the author combines praise and criticism, and comprehensively summarizes Baoyu's most outstanding bright spot-rebellious character.
It is said between the lines that he is "down and out, ignorant, afraid of reading articles, and his behavior is remote and perverse. It doesn't matter if the world slanders him!" In fact, that is to say, he refused to "attach importance to the way of Confucius and Mencius and commit himself to the way of economy", and did not want to take the road of life of reading, making friends with officialdom, observing etiquette and helping the world, but despised fame and fortune and hated the study of "official career economy". He even thinks that those Confucian works, such as Zhu Neo-Confucianism, are "caused by predecessors" and "fabricated". As for stereotyped writing, it is even more: "Later generations are lured by fame and fortune" and "living on the fame and fortune of Anyi". He criticized that Confucian Taoism, which regarded feudal rulers as gods, was worthless. Based on this idea, he would rather read novels such as The West Chamber and Du Danting, which were regarded as bad books by feudal moralists, than read four books, talk about stereotyped writing and listen to the "asshole words" of official career economy.
He has a strong hatred and contempt for secular men who study hard and become officials.
Not only that, in the thirty-second episode of A Dream of Red Mansions, Shi Xiangyun advised him: "We should often meet these officials and butchers, and talk about some knowledge of official career economy so that we can communicate with the world in the future." Baoyu was very uncomfortable when he heard this. He quickly said, "Miss, please sit in another sister's room. I have carefully polluted your knowledge of economics here. "
Jia Baoyu's rebellious spirit is not only manifested in his resolute refusal to take the road of feudal life, but also in his bold challenge to the feudal traditional concept of "men are superior to women". Of course, in his character, the most impressive thing is his hatred and contempt for secular men and his special love and respect for girls. The second time, he published his original unconventional opinion: "It turns out that people are born the spirit of all things, and all the beautiful scenery of mountains, rivers, the sun and the moon is only for daughters, and the man with a beard is just scum." "Daughters are made of water and men are made of mud. I feel refreshed when I see my daughter, and I feel smelly when I see a man. " Later, with the growth of Baoyu, his thought became more and more mature, and he found that the "daughter" was constantly changing, so he had the view that the daughter changed from a "priceless pearl" before marriage to a "dead pearl" after marriage and finally became a "fisheye". This shows that he gradually realized that girls were the most oppressed in feudal society. So he showed unusual gentleness and consideration to his daughter in action.
Moreover, the sample Baoyu extremely despises the pecking order, and there are other feudal hierarchies. Jia Huan is not only his brother, but also a monk. "All brothers are afraid of big brother" and "set an example for children" are his family rules, but Baoyu is "don't be afraid of me", so Jia Huan and his family are not very afraid of him, and even want to kill him and Xifeng if they push their luck. Even though Jia Huan deliberately scalded himself with hot wax oil, he was still covering for Jia Huan. He also had no distinction between master and slave, which directly destroyed the feudal order. Yan Ming also nothing important matter, everyone around to play for a while, "tear fan daughter laugh" turned Qingwen into a smile. Jinchuan was humiliated and died, and Baoyu never forgot it. Ignoring such an important event as celebrating Xi Feng's birthday, he secretly went to a deserted place in the suburbs to weep and pay homage.
Moreover, even the love and marriage pursued by Baoyu is based on this rebellious thought. He has made the idea of pursuing marriage autonomy and personality liberation clear to the world. He shouted in his dream, "How can you believe what monks and Taoists say?" What' golden jade and good marriage'? I said' marriage of wood and stone' ". He even held xiren's hand and poured out all his feelings for Daiyu.
So some people say that Jia Baoyu's image embodies the original thought of democracy and equality. But after all, his thoughts are still a little narrow. For example, he dared not completely break with the feudal system; He never dared to have a direct conflict with feudal parents, and the confrontation was relatively negative; When he was struggling to find a way out, he had an illusory idea of dying and "turned to ashes."
Erlin Daiyu
Lin Daiyu's influence on readers' minds is similar to Jia Baoyu's. She is another rebel of the feudal aristocracy carefully shaped by the author. Every time I finish reading a dream of red mansions, she can make me think deeply. She used her sensitivity and doubt, her resistance, her pain and tears, and even her love to resist the oppression of the ruling class. But at the same time, she has many weaknesses.
Because of Lin Daiyu's family background and birth, she is a noble group at the most fundamental point. After Tanchun finished cooking, Daiyu commented, "This is better. Our house is too expensive. Although I don't take care of things, I always take care of them when I am free. I pay more and get less. If I don't save money now, I will lose my hand. " O sixty-two) It can be seen that she belongs to the aristocratic class and is extremely concerned about the fate of the Jia family that is closely related to her. Xiang Yun was very angry when she told others that the actor who played Xiao Dan looked like Lin Daiyu. Daiyu sneered. "... I used to make fun of you, treat me as a player, and make fun of everyone! This is not only because she is a "little girl", but more importantly, she has drawn a deep gap between herself and people with low social status, such as actresses. So I think it's an insult to compare myself with such a person. Here, her sense of class superiority is outstanding.
On the other hand, although there are rebellious factors in her character, it does not mean that she is blindly fighting against the feudal class. When Baoyu's rebellious thoughts clashed with feudal traditional ideas, and the contradiction was the most intense-when Baoyu was beaten, Daiyu advised Baoyu: "You can change from now on!" (34) What is Daiyu's idea of persuading Baoyu here? Also, she occasionally said two sentences of "Peony Pavilion" and "The West Chamber", which was heard by Baochai, who told her a long section of feudalism. Not only did Daiyu have no antipathy to this, but she became very close to Baochai from then on. So what kind of ideas does Daiyu rely on to give Baochai advice here? Obviously, in Daiyu's character, feudal traditional ideas and rebellious factors coexist.
Lin Daiyu's personality is closely related to the environment in which she grew up. As she was born in a noble family and was loved by her parents since childhood, it is not surprising that she developed the character of a noble lady. However, the most prominent point in her character is her rebellion against feudal ethics.
Lin Daiyu was born in the "aristocratic family" of the hereditary marquis. Because she lives in the south where her thoughts are new and her environment is relatively open, and her parents love her, she is educated as a boy, which makes her more open-minded and talented. After her parents died young, she lived in Jiafu, where hatred, fighting, competition and fraud occurred every day. "360 days a year, the wind and the sword press each other", "the whole family is like a black-eyed chicken, I wish you ate me, and I ate you". In such a sinister environment, Daiyu can't get any joy and happiness. But at the same time, the sinister environment also cultivated her rebellious character. She will never learn Xue Baochai's tact, nor will she learn to please the feudal rulers. There is no sand in her eyes, but there is no room for sharp flowers in her heart. Ignoring the existence of "gentle and honest" feudal norms. She used the words "worse than a knife" to expose and ridicule the darkness and ugliness of aristocratic families. We often say that Daiyu is willful, suspicious, sensitive and narrow-minded. But in fact, we should see that she resisted the shackles of feudal ethics in her own unique way.
In addition, Lin Daiyu also directly resisted feudal ethics. Guo Baochai once solemnly preached to her the feudal creed that "a woman without talent is virtue", but she didn't take it to heart at all. She is so talented that she doesn't want to write poems or write poems. Moreover, she also has the same hobby as Baoyu, and likes reading such "dynamic" and "miscellaneous" books as The West Chamber and Peony Pavilion. She despised the vulgarity of feudal ethics, cursed the hypocrisy of stereotyped writing, never advised Baoyu to be an official, and never used "bullshit" such as "official career economy" to persuade Baoyu, so she won Baoyu's respect and was regarded as a "confidant" by Baoyu. Their * * * connection has also become the same foundation of their love.
But sadly, the love between Bao Daiyu is doomed to be a tragedy. The stubborn feudal ethics does not allow the love between them to exist. So she disliked her sick body and small family and warned them of their love again and again. From "Good Marriage" to "Hui Zijuan's Love Talk" and then to "The Death of Qingwen". Finally, it reached the stage of love destruction in Cha Daguan Garden. In this disaster, Si Qi, Fang Guan and others are all victims. Even Qingwen, whose eyebrows are like sister Lin's, was forced out of the Grand View Garden when she was seriously ill, and finally she bowed down and died. The feudal forces here completely abandoned the signal of Daiyu. Since then, Daiyu's condition has gone from bad to worse, even seriously ill. The beautiful ideal was finally destroyed. Daiyu won love, but not a happy marriage.
Lin Daiyu's artistic image is deeply rooted in people's hearts, touching readers and making people feel sympathy. But this image is also vivid. Her complex personality, obvious weakness, and distinctive personality of daring to resist and pursue love constitute a living individual. Let us feel that she is someone we know well and someone we love deeply. Xue Baochai
After talking about Baochai, it is natural to say Baochai. The evaluation of Baochai has been mixed for a long time. For this kind of character, we can't completely deny it, and we can't completely affirm it. Although she is the guardian of feudal ethics and an accomplice of feudal forces, at the same time, she is also one of the millions of people who are oppressed and poisoned by feudal forces. So when describing this character, the author is both sympathetic and critical.
The author sympathizes with her, and she is also a "person with life but no happiness" in "Misfortune Division". The author also praised her, her talent and her appearance are obvious to all. She is well-read, versatile, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, poetry and songs, omniscient, local conditions and customs, and has a varied life. Even medical theory. Baochai also knows a thing or two. So Baoyu often admires. Her artistic attainments are profound and she is famous in the Grand View Garden. Poetry is smart and often takes the lead, comparable to Daiyu. As for her charm of "more charming and romantic than Daiyu", Baoyu often envies her. Indeed, Xue Baochai is a girl with both talents and looks.
But the more the author exaggerates and praises her talent, the better people can criticize her feudal morality. But at the same time, the author didn't write her as a clown, but achieved the goal of criticizing the feudal system by criticizing Baochai. There are praises in the derogatory, and there are derogatory in the praise, but they basically hold a negative attitude. I think this is the author's attitude towards Xue Baochai.
In A Dream of Red Mansions, Baochai rarely preaches and maintains feudal ethics directly, but reflects her true personality through her words and deeds in daily life.
In life, Baochai doesn't show her true feelings like Daiyu, but often hides her heart. On the surface, she is "keeping up with the times", "playing dumb and clumsy" and "not saying much", and her every move seems to be "dignified and virtuous", which is completely in line with the feudal "lady" demeanor. But in fact, what she is looking forward to is "the good wind will send me to Qingyun with its strength." Behind the gentle and honest instrument model is the ambition of "wanting to repay Bai Di". She is sophisticated and sincere. Although "I stayed in Jiafu for several years" seems to be silent and complacent, in fact, I am "observing carefully", so even in Guo Rongfu's complex and contradictory environment, I live in harmony like a duck to water. Even Aunt Zhao, who is very jealous, praised her: "generous" and "capable of being a man".
"Being a man" is indeed Xue Baochai's character, and her "gentle and honest" exposed characteristics make her praised by everyone. Baochai's principles of "being a man" and "it's none of her business, not opening her mouth and shaking her head without knowing it" made her turn a deaf ear to everything, pretending not to see it, but knowing it in her heart, just like Daiyu. This made those feudal lords who did something shameful on weekdays praise her as a "man." Baochai's "knowing people and being good at her duties" is not only reflected in her wooing of the supreme ruler of the feudal class, but also in her selling of the oppressed of the lower classes of the feudal class. Jia mu gave her a birthday and invited her to play, so she said it according to Jia mu's usual preferences. He also said that the sweet and rotten food that Jia Mu liked was his favorite food. As a result, after Mrs. Wang was forced to die, she and the hitter heard the news, and even the hitter who had always been a slave did not cry. However, the ruthlessness of the exploiting class made her feel "strange", so she quickly left the hitter and came to Mrs. Wang to comfort her. Blame everything on Jin Chuaner's "confusion". She also said, "But if you give her a few taels of silver, you will do your duty as a master and servant." In order to win over her future mother-in-law, Mrs. Wang, Baochai showed great generosity and said that she was not afraid to give her clothes to a dead slave. She immediately went home and took some clothes. For the oppressed rulers of the lower feudal class, Baochai concealed the fact that she lived in clothes in order to punish and maintain the status of the feudal ruling class. She also managed to win over Daiyu and sent her bird's nest and sugar tablets for treatment. Even aunt Zhao, a disgusting woman, sometimes has to send a gift from Baochai, which makes her flattered. When I met her talking about career economy in front of Baoyu, Baoyu, who was annoyed, gave her a marching order in person. In order to be a "good man", Baochai couldn't get angry, so she had to bury her efforts in her heart and laugh it off, which made Aron admire her reputation as a "good man" again. Baochai not only knows how to be a man, but also often uses the opportunity of being a man to show her talents. Shi Xiangyun wanted to set up a poetry club, but without money, Baochai took the opportunity to set up a poetry club for her. Baochai asked Xiangyun to bring something from home to invite everyone, but when she went out, she called a woman and said, "After dinner tomorrow, invite the old lady and aunt to enjoy osmanthus." On the surface, Baochai, who knows how to be a man, has helped the poor, weak and orphaned girls a lot, but in fact it is a blow to another "golden marriage". She invited everyone on the pretext that she was actually trying to please the parents of feudal rule. She is careful everywhere, and everything is arranged to please her grandmother. This shows how Baochai, who can be a man, can be a man.
Another main character feature of Baochai is hypocrisy. Although she said that the "golden wedding" mentioned by monks and Taoists was nonsense and that it was boring to wear a golden lock, it was not the case. Baoyu went to see the sick Baochai. Baochai took his jade and "looked at it twice". Then he scolded Yinger, the maid, for not pouring tea, which caused Yinger to laugh and say that "the words on the collar are a pair with the girl", which just achieved the purpose of attracting Baoyu's attention. Then I will take out the boring golden lock from the red coat inside. The same is true of Xue Baochai leading a string of red musk deer in the street. Originally, she didn't like pollen, dressed simply and didn't like dressing up the most. But the golden lock is for jade, and the musk deer string was given to her and Baoyu by Yuan Chun alone, which is a predestined marriage. So it can be proved that only she is worthy of Baoyu. The hypocritical "capable" Baochai is like this, covering up as a "lady" and using her hidden scheming to hint and please Jia's parents.
But in terms of its social status and high evaluation in people's minds, Baochai's "being a man" is successful. Maybe we can get some enlightenment from it. In today's complex and changeable society, I'm afraid I have to learn a few tricks from Baochai if I want to deal with it calmly. But there are gains and losses, and maybe you will publicize your true nature. But I think, as long as we get rid of its dross, take its essence and learn only its good side, it may be very helpful to us.