When Love Surpasses Confucian Rules
In Shen Fu's, "Six Records from a Floating Life" he writes an autobiography of his life, everything from the love affair with his wife to the trials and tribulations that he experienced throughout his time. He writes in a very candid style not particularly seen in that period of Chinese Literature. Throughout the first half of the book he describes the relationship that he has with his wife and eventually her death, which changes him forever. However, regardless of how much love he had for his wife, her actions according to the timeframe, could be looked at in both a positive and negative fashion. The topic of my essay will focus on Yun's actions and how she appears to obey some Confucian rules and at the same time defies others. During the, first three chapters of the story, Shen Fu cites situations in which conflict arises due to some of her actions, whether they are intentional or misconstrued as disrespect. In this essay I will provide examples of rules that Yun seems to !value and others that she seems to defy. In the first part of the essay I will show some of the rules that she appears to value, following instances when she does not value Confucian rules.
On the surface, Yun appears to lack respect for her in-laws, which is mostly a misunderstanding between Yun and Fu's parents; however, by analyzing her actions it can be seen that all of her disrespectful actions were the actions of a woman with good intentions. By doing this he showed the ultimate measure of his displeasure with Yun by banishing his son and his family. Another Confucian rule that Yun does not follow is that of "Ritual Decorum. " She defies this rule by the close relationship that she and Fu share. Yun's love for her husband was enviable and should be something that everyone should strive for and someday experience. Although, this seems to be an insignificant issue it preludes to the devotion and love that she will show him in the coming years after their marriage. She gets up to start the household work, even after Fu beckons her to stay in bed with him. This is seen in her first encounter with him when she hides away the bowl of Congee and saves it for him later on in the evening (Shen, 711). This is seen in the story by the way they both spent their time and show their affections towards one another. She tells her husband that she does not want to be thought of as lazy and continues to dress, to do the household chores. By openly displaying their affections without concern for what is proper she boldly shows that she does not feel that proper etiquette is that important. Her devotion to her husband and family is seen when she is contracted by a family friend to embroider a Buddhist sutra even though she is very ill (Shen, 731). Another Confucian ideal that Yun seemed to value is that of "Learning How to Work/Rising Early [to begin household work]" or what these two ideas embody, not being lazy. Additionally, Fu talks about the fact that on several occasions Yun got drunk, which is a sign that she did not follow proper etiquette. " From the beginning of their relationship Yun attempts to make her husband happy.
Common topics in this essay:
Shen Fu,
Yun Fu's,
Fu Yun,
Parents-in-law Rouzhao,
Regardless Yun,
Ritual Decorum,
Literature Throughout,
Learning Work/Rising,
Song Ruozhao,
Additionally Fu,
confucian rules,
yun's actions,
yun appears,
confucian rule yun,
confucian rule,
rule yun,
appears value,
marriage yun,
confucian wife,
yun value,
proper etiquette,
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Acceptance Essays
