Although Baochai also has the innocence and liveliness of a girl, she strictly abides by feudal ethics: "She doesn't talk much", "She plays the fool" and "If she doesn't do her own thing, she doesn't open her mouth and shakes her head when she asks questions".
In fact, she is "worldly" and "worldly". In addition, her appearance of "no red lips, no green eyebrows, face like a silver basin and eyes like water apricots" and her diligence in "Female Red" have completely reached the standards of "morality, tolerance, words and deeds" required by feudal families and become a "My Fair Lady" suitable for IKEA.
Baochai embodies the moral and educational standards required of women in feudal society for thousands of years.
Baochai also has love, but she controls love and rationally obeys "parents' orders". Baochai also has ideals, hoping that the "good wind" will soar to the top. Such a woman, who should have enjoyed the splendor of feudal society, was tied up with her "golden lock" and "Baoyu" by "family interests" and made a cold "golden marriage".
Superstition of "good or bad marriage" can make Baoyu and Daiyu fail in the struggle to realize their "wood-stone alliance" formed by "love", but it can't eliminate the great trauma of Baoyu's loss of his true spiritual partner, nor can it reconcile the opposition and conflict between him and Baochai.
[lifelong mistake] Song imitated Jia Baoyu's tone of praise for Xue Baochai:
All roads are good marriages. I have only seen the alliance before Mushi. Facing the sky, the nobles in the mountains are crystal clear with snow; I will never forget the lonely forest in the world. Sighing about the world is a fly in the ointment. Even in the case of Qi Mei, its significance is hardly flat.
Baoyu finally gave up the cliff and became a monk because he was uneasy. Baochai became a victim of feudal ethics and marriage system. The love and marriage tragedy of Bao, Dai and Chai declared to the world: "Any marriage that is not based on gender equality and the real free consent of husband and wife is immoral." (English)
Xue Baochai is a special tragic figure.
It stands to reason that she is a model of a feudal lady, with good virtue, good looks and outstanding intelligence. But her philosophy of "being still" and "being quiet and easy-going" also makes her have no conflict with such an environment and society. On the contrary, she has the opportunity to "send me to Qingyun by good wind".
Although the so-called "marriage of gold and jade" is a monk's arrangement, it actually reflects the choice made by Jia Fu, a "China calligraphy and poetry family", in order to force Baoyu to join the "proper career" and make some progress in his studies in order to inherit his ancestral career.
Calling Xue Baochai "snow in the mountains" is a homonym of "snow" and "Xue", which is used to describe her indifference and detachment. The book also uses metaphors such as "cold fragrant pill", "cold beauty" and "heartless and moving" many times to emphasize this feature of her personality.
When we read such shocking chapters as Jin Chuaner's suicide by throwing herself into a well, You Sanjie's suicide, and Liu Xianglian's becoming a monk and copying the Grand View Garden, it is not difficult to find that she is unusually calm and even cold.
It's not that she doesn't have feelings for Jia Baoyu, but their attitudes towards life are quite different from their ideals in life.
Therefore, for Baoyu and Baochai, "a golden marriage" is just a cup of bitter wine without love. Although Xue Baochai may be a woman, like the legendary Meng Guang, "Qi Mei" is almost perfect; But Jia Baoyu still can't forget Lin Daiyu who died of grief; And Xue Baochai can't help but regret for life in loneliness and coldness.
Xue Baochai's tragedy hardly arouses people's sympathy, but it has its own thought-provoking characteristics.
The whole feudal society is like an open maw, and even the people who supported it were swallowed up.
Baochai is a typical figure who abides by feudal dogma and morality and conforms to feudal orthodoxy. Even Aunt Zhao praised her in Jia's family. When the old lady chose her grandson and daughter-in-law, she finally made a rebellious decision: "Only Baoyu is the best." In order to celebrate the wedding, the Jia family wanted to simplify the marriage. Baochai "bowed her head first and then shed tears."
We know that she is not heartless to Baoyu, but the grief and death of Jia family, Baoyu's loss of jade and all kinds of ominous signs all make her feel that she is not so happy. She married a husband who didn't care about her at all. She was so sick and stupid that she couldn't even sit up and didn't drink soup.
We might as well imagine for Baochai that it was an disillusioned tragedy from entering Beijing to marrying Baoyu. Unexpectedly, Baoyu gave up on the cliff again. When Jia Lan came back from the examination room and told her that "my second uncle had lost it", I saw Baochai "staring at her for nothing", and the ruthless reality gave her another blow.
Baoyu was very sad and wept bitterly. She looked into Mrs. Wang's eyes and said, "Baochai cried, but she was so dignified and didn't leave at all. It's rare to persuade me!"
Baochai, who was graceful and well-understood, finally came to the conclusion: "Baoyu was a strange man, and he had his own reasons before he died, so he had nothing to complain about." Sadly, feudal ethics can make a person bow to such a point!
Baochai was really eaten, but she showed the spirit of martyrdom, obeyed and faced the tragic ending calmly.