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Assignment: Analyze the beauty and tragedy of Vietnamese women under the feudal system as depicted in the text 'The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xuong'
Analysis of the beauty and tragedy of Vietnamese women through 'The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xuong'
1. Analysis of the beauty and tragedy of Vietnamese women through 'The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xuong', model 2:
'Her body is both fair and plump,
Seven parts floating, three parts sinking in the water.
Even though harshly treated, her heart remains pure,
She steadfastly holds onto her integrity.'
The richly imagery and meaning in 'Floating Rice Cake' by Ho Xuan Huong partly summarizes the tragic, unfortunate life of women in ancient feudal society, but despite being oppressed, suffering unfairly in life, they still maintain their purity, loyalty, and noble qualities. Through the character of Vu Nuong in 'The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xuong' by Nguyen Du, we will understand more about the beauty and tragedy of Vietnamese women under the cruel, unjust feudal regime.
Firstly, the pen filled with human spirit of Nguyen Du has depicted the image of the commoner woman Vu Nuong (also known as Vu Thi Thiet) as an exemplary woman in the family, responsible, and meticulous. Although born into the commoner class, she has a 'gentle and refined' nature, with 'good manners' and a clever way of 'respecting superiors and yielding to inferiors,' harmoniously. In married life, she always 'maintains etiquette,' even though her husband has a suspicious nature 'towards his wife, often excessively cautious,' or jealous but she always compromises, maintains the standard of a good wife so the family is always peaceful, happy, 'never once have husband and wife quarreled.' In the moment of bidding farewell to her husband leaving for battle, Vu Nuong only instructs, wishes her husband to return in peace without desiring glory, wealth: 'You go on this trip, I dare not hope to wear the seal of nobility, wear silk clothing returning to our hometown, I only ask for the day you return to bring back with you two words: peace and tranquility, that's enough.' She also expresses sympathy, concern for her husband having to endure hardships in the battlefield full of dangers and the longing, yearning nights of the wife waiting at home: 'Looking at the moon shining over the old town, repairing warm clothing, sending off the distant expedition, watching the willows swaying in the desolate field, my heart is restless, pitying the people in the wild! Even if there were a thousand letters, I am afraid there will be no fluttering rose petals.' Vu Nuong's words show that she is both educated and a virtuous wife, rich in affection and love.
When separated from her husband, she had to live in loneliness, sadness, eagerly awaiting news from him at the battlefield, but she still maintained the integrity of marriage, kept her pure heart, loyalty, love to the utmost, missing her husband: 'every time I see butterflies fluttering in the garden, clouds covering the mountains, then the sadness in the corner of the sky cannot be prevented.' Even later, when faced with misunderstanding, her steadfast heart was still preserved absolutely: 'Three years apart, maintaining purity without a flaw. Rouge and powder have long lost their allure, the willow-lined alley has yet to bear a trace...'
Not only a steadfast, loyal, exemplary woman, Vu Nuong is also a woman who always fulfills her filial duty to her mother-in-law and is a mother who loves her child wholeheartedly. When her husband is away, Vu Nuong wholeheartedly takes care of her elderly mother when she is sick 'using all kinds of medicinal herbs to worship the Buddha and using sweet words to wisely advise,' worrying meticulously when her mother-in-law passes away 'deeply pitying, performing funeral rites and worshipping, caring as if for her own biological parents.' She also manages alone when giving birth, raising her child to be wise and dedicating all her love to her son Dan. In order for the child to always remember his father and also as a way to compensate for the lack of paternal affection, Vu Nuong came up with the idea 'every night she only spoke to the shadow on the wall telling the child that it was his father.' This demonstrates her boundless maternal love as well as her loyalty, inseparability, though two yet one, in the bond of husband and wife.
She also devoted herself to the happiness of the family, even when wrongly suspected, she always gently clarified and affirmed her unwavering loyalty, even pleading, begging, which proves she always values, wants to save and mend this marriage. When all efforts and mental strength are in vain, she chooses the path of liberation, borrowing the Hoang Giang River to prove her own pure heart: 'This unlucky person's fate is miserable, husband and child abandon, what reason is there to cling to, the sound of being trampled, the river god is divine, please bear witness. If I maintain my integrity, guard my purity, guard my heart, I will become the gem Ngu Miu, I will become the grass Ngu Mi. I am no match for the birds and fish, deceiving husband, tricking child, below I ask to become prey for fish and shrimp, above I ask to become rice for kites and hawks and I ask to bear all the ridicule of everyone.' In Vu Nuong's prayer, we see the extreme pain when being suspected, accused, and the self-awareness of her own value, dignity. For her, integrity seems to be the most important factor of a person.
Such a complete and virtuous woman should have deserved a peaceful, happy life, but under the cruel feudal regime, they had to endure injustice, extreme mental tragedy. She was originally a loyal, devoted woman, loving husband and child, meticulously caring for her family, yet she was treated unfairly. As a woman born into feudal society with the custom of 'where parents place, children sit,' so they had no right to choose their own happiness in life. She had to marry Truong Sinh 'from a wealthy family but uneducated' and with 'suspicious nature,' jealousy, which ultimately caused the wife to suffer endless injustice. The marriage broke up due to misunderstandings about shadows, but that was just an excuse. The deepest reason must be attributed to the brutal, blind jealousy, ignorance, lack of understanding, lack of thought of Truong Sinh. He was blinded by jealousy so he lacked the clarity, calmness to consider everything, ignored all his wife's explanations, did not trust the neighbors' defenses, scorned, looked down on his wife. These things led to an extremely painful tragedy, leading to the unjust death of the virtuous wife, utterly loyal. Truong Sinh is also just a typical character, a product of the male-dominated regime, disrespecting women in feudal society full of injustice. Through this, the author also speaks out against the social system, feudal wars that led to scenes of injustice, tragedy for women while expressing deep sympathy for their unhappiness, tragedies they had to bear.
📝Role-play of Truong Sinh Recounting 'The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xuong' - Literature Class 9
📝Recall the encounter and conversation with Vu Nuong - Literature Class 9
2. Analysis of the beauty and tragedy of Vietnamese women through 'The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xuong', model 2:
Painfully bearing the fate of women
The saying that 'silver destiny' is a common one
(The Tale of Kieu)
Those are the heartfelt sighs of the great poet Nguyen Du commenting on the fate of women living in the ancient feudal regime with its strict laws and customs. Vu Nuong in the story 'The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xuong' by Nguyen Du is one of such 'fate of women'. She is a young woman with good looks and noble qualities, but she does not enjoy a happy life and instead suffers through tears. This is also the common tragedy of Vietnamese women under the feudal regime.
The life and tragic fate of women are vividly depicted by the author Nguyen Du through the work 'The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xuong' via the character Vu Nuong - a woman of beauty and virtue. She marries Truong Sinh, from a wealthy family but uneducated, suspicious, and jealous. Knowing her husband's temperament, she knows how to behave wisely, 'maintaining manners to the fullest', avoiding conflicts in daily life, to preserve family happiness, so that husband and wife do not 'become estranged'. The family life is peaceful until Truong Sinh has to go to war. On the day of farewell, she does not think about 'glory and riches' upon her husband's return, but only worries about his safety, only wishing for 'peace' which would be enough.
Vu Nuong is a graceful, beautiful woman, 'with refined manners and good character'. Her noble beauty is demonstrated in various situations. In married life, she always maintains manners to prevent family discord. She is very clever as she understands her husband's suspicions or jealousy. When bidding her husband farewell to war, she advises him with words full of affection, expressing her lifelong dream: 'On this journey, I dare not hope for noble titles or rich attire upon your return. Just bring back the two words 'peaceful' and that would be enough.' This is a simple dream not only of Vu Nuong but also a common thought of women whose husbands go to distant battlefields. Wealth and riches cannot compensate for the waiting, yearning, and sorrow of waiting for news from a distant husband, or the loneliness of being alone, taking care of the household, the elderly mother, and the children.
During her husband's absence, she fulfills the duties of a 'dutiful daughter-in-law, and good wife', taking care of her mother-in-law very carefully, preparing traditional herbal medicine when her mother is sick, using sweet words to advise her, and being diligent in mourning when her mother-in-law passes away. The heartfelt words of her mother-in-law before passing away 'green shall never forsake you, just as you shall never forsake green' affirm her great contributions to her husband's family. This is the 'labor, comportment, speech, and action' of Vietnamese women under the feudal regime. They always devote themselves entirely for the husband's family.
Vu Nuong is also a loving mother, taking care of and raising her child diligently. Out of love for her child and the memory of her husband, she would show her shadow on the wall every night and say it's 'father Dan'. She is also a very loyal wife, as 'I've wiped off the makeup, the flowers outside the gate remain untouched'. A woman as beautiful and virtuous as her should have enjoyed a happy life. However, happiness did not smile upon her when her husband returned from war. Her tragic tale, filled with sorrow and tears wetting the riverbank, stems from jealousy and the shallow understanding of Truong Sinh.
Perhaps, out of love for her child and longing for her husband, she was unjustly accused and misunderstood for showing her shadow on the wall to her child, claiming it to be her husband. She spoke to her husband to express her pure heart, begging him not to suspect unjustly, 'I hope you won't unjustly suspect me'. She expressed disappointment at being cruelly treated for reasons she did not understand. Her own happiness was at stake, but she had no right to protect it. She chose death to prove her integrity and purity. This action shows that she is a person of self-respect, consciousness, integrity, and honor. This is also the common solution of women living under the 'authoritarian patriarchal' regime. When misunderstood, unjustly accused, believing their honor is tarnished, women of the past only knew to use their death to prove their innocence. Living in a society full of outdated customs, harsh laws with thoughts and beliefs heavily influenced by Confucianism, emphasizing the role of men in society and family, women were not protected, not allowed to choose their own destiny, and were mistreated. They fell into a state of extreme despair and only thought of death, using their fate to prove their integrity. Vu Nuong's action is a final resolute action to preserve her honor. Her good qualities still shine and endure. When she dies, in the underwater palace, she still remembers her husband and child, still cares for the 'ancestral grave'. She still longs to return to restore her honor.
At the end of the story, it was Truong Sinh who set up a snow feast to clear her name, as a consolation for the tragic fate of women of the past. But the pain, the never-ending compassion remains when family happiness cannot be restored, the two words 'peaceful' are inherently simple, humble yet incredibly difficult.
Vu Nuong is a beautiful and virtuous girl, worthy of happiness, but she died unjustly. That is also the common fate of Vietnamese women in feudal society. The work 'The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xuong' by Nguyen Du is like a wake-up call condemning the feudal society that trampled on morals and deprived women of equality and freedom. The message that writer Nguyen Du wants to convey through the character Vu Nuong is 'Love, respect, and sympathize with women'. This is a condition to ensure family happiness, the compassionate voice of a humane writer.
