As a masterpiece that reveals the secret history of the nation, "White Deer Plain" reflects the national style of old China from the end of the Qing Dynasty to the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The experiences of women in it can be seen as an understanding of the social status of women in that period. windows.

As half of society, women were only dependent on men and had no independent status of their own in the patriarchal society of the "White Deer Plain" era. It is no exaggeration to be as humble as dust. Let’s take a look at the humble status of women from the experiences of women in the novel:

Women are just paper for windows. When it is torn, it is peeled off and a new layer is put on it

The novel begins with Bai Jiaxuan marrying seven wives. The first sentence at the beginning of the novel: "What Bai Jiaxuan later prided himself on was that he had married seven women in his life."

In the strange atmosphere of marrying one woman to another, Bai Jiaxuan himself felt discouraged and frustrated. Feel inferior. When Bai Jiaxuan was about to marry the fifth woman, Bai Jiaxuan's father, old man Bai Bingde, suddenly fell ill. Before his death, old man Bingde told Bai Jiaxuan that he should marry the woman in the fifth house who was already engaged and not be affected by his own funeral, because " There are three kinds of unfilial piety, the greatest of which is not having offspring.” It can be seen that in the eyes of patriarch Bai Bingde, the role of the group of women Bai Jiaxuan married is to provide men with tools to carry on the family line.

After the death of the fifth woman, the family’s finances for marrying a woman were a little tight, and Bai Jiaxuan was also discouraged. Bai Zhao, the mother of Bai Jiaxuan, who was also a woman, said a "famous quote":< /p>

"Don't put on that dejected attitude! Women are just paper for windows. When they are torn, they are peeled off and then a new layer is put on them. If five of them die, I will marry you five more. . It is better to spend all the family property than to have children and lose the incense to others.

It can be seen that Bai Zhao, who is also a woman, also believes that a woman's status is like "paper covering the windows." , torn, torn off, and then put on a new layer, one can imagine the low status.

Bai Jiaxuan himself was still alive and kicking when he got married, whether he was beautiful or dignified. He also had a superficial impression of the six women who died in less than a year. He had never felt sad about the loss of the lives of these flower-like women. The only thing that he could deeply remember was their different behaviors on the kang. The women's feelings towards him Words are just tools to carry on the family line. If the tool is broken, throw it away and replace it. This is the fate of women in that era.

Women are just clothes, a tool to express lust and carry on the family line. They have no independent personality.

There are two types of women in the novel.

One type is those who have no self-awareness and adhere to women’s ethics. These people are women. Bai Jiaxuan's wife Wu Xiancao, mother Bai Zhaoshi and sister Zhu Baishi, etc. Take Wu Xiancao as an example:

It was his father who decided to marry Bai Jiaxuan, Xiancao had no complaints and took it for granted.

On their wedding night, she saw her husband's helplessness and heard his gentle words. She bravely and without hesitation broke through the taboo and said, "Even if I get up and die tomorrow morning, I will be willing to do so" in her heart. , it is one's responsibility to make her husband happy, even if she pays her life for it, she has no regrets.

What's more important is that Wu Xiancao has completed her life by giving birth to several lively and healthy children for the Bai family. (If the grass jelly is infertile, what will be the consequences?)

The process of giving birth to Bai Ling was performed by one person, and her husband personally boiled a bowl of water and gave it to her. She was so moved by the treatment that she could drink it in her mouth. She regarded herself as a production machine, which is the status of a woman in the family - a tool for propagating seeds.

Xiao'e was infected by the grass jelly. When she was about to die from the plague, her husband stopped crying twice, which moved her very much, and she felt that she could accept this disaster for her husband, and it was very calm and peaceful to die for her husband.

This is. The examples of good women praised by the society at that time: they were centered around men, gave birth to children, did housework, and died for men. They were the mainstream of society.

2. People with a little bit of self-awareness. They went against the mainstream consciousness for their own sake, and they all died miserably.

The most representative of these people is Tian Xiao'e.

Tian Xiao'e. She was originally from a scholar's family, but as a daughter, she was sold to Guo Juren's family as a concubine, and became the sex slave and health tool of the old man Guo Juren.

If Xiao'e accepts this arrangement, no one will talk about it. However, Xiao'e didn't want to accept such a hard-working arrangement, so society hit her one after another until she was stabbed to death by Lu San.

Xiao'e's repressed youthful desires rebelled after meeting Hei Wa. Her desire to pursue a normal life as a normal person was inconsistent with that society, so she became a "slut" in people's eyes. ", "bad guy", was driven out of the village by Bai Jiaxuan and lived in a cave outside the village.

Even so, Xiao'e still has a strong desire for a good life. She and Heiwa lived their hard lives through hard work, without harming anyone or complaining about anyone. But after Hei Wa left because of the farmers' meeting, she was designed by Lu Zilin to kill Gou Sheng and became Lu Zilin's mistress. She also seduced Bai Xiaowen, causing Bai Xiaowen to be ruined and degenerate to the end.

These seemingly Xiao'e's faults are actually caused by the low status of Xiao'e, a weak woman in society. Women cannot have their own status and can only exist dependent on men.

Later Xiao'e died under the banner of her own male Lu San. She "penetrated" and "possessed" Lu San, and through Lu San's mouth, she treated this unfair woman. The society made a complaint

: "Who did I offend when I arrived in Bailu Village? I didn't steal a piece of cotton from others, steal a handful of wheat straw from others, or scold an elder. I have never pushed or poked a baby. Why can’t Bailu Village tolerate me? I’m not good, I’m not clean,... Damn, you are so cruel..."

The other one is Lu Zhaopeng's wife, Lu Zilin's daughter-in-law, Mr. Leng's daughter, a woman who doesn't even have a name. After she was innocently subjected to the experience of being a widow in a sexless marriage, she developed a desire for a normal married life deep in her heart. As a result, she became a "sexy madman". In order to cover up her ugly appearance, she was poisoned to mute by her biological father, Mr. Leng. Lose your life in loneliness.

The reasons for the low status of women in the old society

As hinted at the beginning of the novel, in a society with feudal etiquette, the contempt of women by feudal etiquette thought led to the low status of women.

It is a characteristic of a patriarchal society to regard women as a tool for men to satisfy their lust and as a tool for men to carry on their family lineage. In the novel, the common experiences of these different women are: underground status, no independent personality, and humbled in the dust.