Reflections on the Work: The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xương

Assignment: Reflections on the Work: The Tale of the Woman from Nam Xương by Nguyễn Dữ

In the poignant tale, Trương Sinh, after calling for his wife, only hears echoes in the middle of the river, 'Thank you, my love, I cannot return to the mortal world anymore,' a heartbreaking line. Happiness shattered, impossible to mend, as the gap between realms is vast and obscure. Trương Sinh regrets his superficiality, a husband now bereaved, and little Đản forever motherless... Behind the desolate facade lies the sorrowful story of Vũ Nương's demise, soaked in human emotions.

Nguyễn Dữ stands as one of the pioneers of prose literature in the Hán script, following his mentor's path: resigning from official duties, returning to his homeland to 'close the door and write books.' A writer rich in compassion for humanity, cherishing the national culture.

'Truyền kì mạn lục' stands as a masterpiece of ancient Vietnamese literature, truly deserving the title of 'legendary pen.' Readers forever sympathize with Vũ Nương and the talented yet ill-fated women. 'The Tale of the Nam Xương Maiden' exposes the reality of Vietnamese feudal society in the 16th century, highlighting the fate and unhappiness of women in familial tragedies.

Nearly 500 years later, the heartbreaking fate of wives and mothers is magnified when reading King Lê Thánh Tông's poem 'The Shrine of Trương's Wife':

'Thick smoke rises from the cliff, scenting the air,
As solemn as the shrine of Trương's wife fair.
Oil lamps flicker, bearing witness to the young,
Avoiding the waters, lest they be to her clung.
The sun and moon witness the truth of her plight,
No solace found, no matter how bright.
Through this, the origins of that ordeal are clear,
Blaming Trương's folly with searing sneer.'

2. Reflection on 'The Tale of the Nam Xương Maiden,' Model No. 2:

'The Tale of the Nam Xương Maiden' stands out among the tales in 'Truyền kì mạn lục,' a prose work in Hán script from 16th-century Vietnam. Written by Nguyễn Dữ, it is based on a Vietnamese folk tale, with its plot and characters closely tied to a specific setting, serving as a concrete testimony to reflect an urgent issue of contemporary society, namely the status of humanity in general, and women in particular, in feudal society.

The story narrates the life and tragic fate of Vũ Nương, a delicate and graceful maiden from Nam Xương district. Her husband, Trương Sinh, is wealthy but uneducated, suspicious by nature, often overly cautious with his wife. When her husband goes to war, she gives birth to a son and devotes herself to raising him, caring for her mother-in-law. Upon Trương Sinh's return, finding his mother deceased and his son learning to speak, he doubts his wife's fidelity and drives her away after hearing their son's words. Heartbroken, she throws herself into the river and dies. Saved by fairies, she lives faithfully with the king of Nam Hải. Once, meeting a villager named Phan Lang, she asks him to return and beseech her husband to hold a court to clear her name. During the trial, she appears and bids her husband farewell forever.

The story merely reflects a typical jealousy case within an ordinary family, much like countless others, yet it carries a profound societal indictment. A modest woman wedded to a possessive husband. And all because of a playful jest with her child in her husband's absence, for her husband believed the child's words, unjustly accusing her, cruelly treating her, driving her to seek death on the banks of the Hoàng Giang river. Her familial injustice transcends beyond the household, one among countless tragedies in a society burying human dignity, especially that of women. Living in a feudal society rife with injustice, uncertain livelihoods, women with precarious fates, floating clouds, facing untold calamities at any moment due to unimaginable excuses. Clearly, the decaying feudal society has bred the tyrannical minds of Trương Sinh, the deep-rooted cause of women's suffering. Hence, when living in the aquatic palace, she once contemplated returning to her homeland. Yet, at the trial, despite her longing for her homeland, her husband's past mistakes, she forgave, but still chose to depart, condemned to exist in the realm of death: 'Thank you, my love, I cannot return to the mortal world anymore.'

This legendary detail speaks volumes of Vũ Nương's denial, of contemporary women's attitude towards the 'mortal world,' towards the decaying feudal society, where they find no joy, no happiness.

Besides exposing the decadent feudal society, 'The Tale of the Nam Xương Maiden' also exalts the values ​​of women. In her lifetime, Vũ Nương was a dutiful and filial wife. Living with her husband, she 'maintained decorum,' never allowing discord between husband and wife. When her husband went to war, she managed everything alone, caring for her sickly mother-in-law, and when her mother-in-law passed away, she tended to her like her own parents.

As for her husband, she remained faithful. Upon her death, she was granted a resplendent life in the aquatic palace, when Phan Lang evoked memories of her homeland, she was moved to tears. She expressed her feelings: 'Perhaps I cannot remain concealed here forever to bear ill repute. Rather, let me gallop with the wind, perch with the Vietnamese birds. Driven by that sorrow, I must inevitably return someday.' Reading this, one cannot help but be moved by her profound love and devotion to her homeland. Though saved, though living in luxury, aided by kind fairies and her benefactors, her heart always yearned for her native land, and she vowed to return one day. Vũ Nương, under Nguyễn Dữ's pen, whether in earthly life with its mundane existence or as a celestial being in the resplendent aquatic palace, remains a beautiful woman, beautiful in form, in virtue, in spirit. That woman deserved a lifetime of happiness. But sadly, feudal society trampled upon her life.

As mentioned earlier, in writing 'The Tale of the Nam Xương Maiden,' Nguyễn Dữ drew inspiration from folklore. However, with a deep love for humanity, through skillful storytelling, with realistic yet fantastical elements, he vividly portrayed characters of profound societal significance. Thus, his work educates us on profound compassion for fellow human beings, the determination to fight for human rights and happiness.

3. Reflection on 'The Tale of the Nam Xương Maiden,' Model No. 3:

The work 'The Tale of the Nam Xương Maiden' draws inspiration from the fates of women in ancient society. A feudal society with many customs, with many unjust laws 'favoring men, looking down on women,' has pushed women into unjust situations, unsure whom to turn to, so desperate that they resort to death to prove their innocence.

The collection of stories 'Truyền kỳ mạn lục' is a standout book, leaving a mark on the author Nguyễn Dữ's name with its intriguing, somewhat fantastical plot. Yet, it also leaves readers feeling satisfied, as there are things that people could not do in the old society, unable to voice their opinions. In 'Truyền kỳ mạn lục,' Nguyễn Dữ employs fantastical elements to resolve every situation.

The tale of the Nam Xương maiden is a remarkable work, portraying the fate of women at that time and their dreams of a better life, of being loved, and having the right to determine their own future.

This story, written by Nguyễn Dữ, is based on an existing folk tale in Vietnamese folklore. However, when the author selected elements to incorporate into his work, Nguyễn Dữ tactfully added many more intriguing details. However, the story's essence remains unchanged. 'The Tale of the Nam Xương Maiden' tells the story of a woman with good morals, intelligence, affection, and beauty, yet she does not enjoy complete happiness. Her life is fraught with difficulties, and in the end, she must seek death to clear her name and escape her unjust fate.

Vũ Nương was originally a beautiful girl, gentle and kind-hearted. At the age of nineteen, Vũ Nương was arranged to be married to a young man named Trương Sinh. A fellow villager, his father had passed away early, leaving only an elderly mother as his spiritual support. The family was not wealthy, but the couple's love was warm and harmonious. However, happiness was short-lived; not long after, war broke out, and the king ordered all able-bodied men in the village to join the army, serving the court. Trương Sinh bid farewell to his elderly mother and his wife, who was pregnant. Despite the hardships during the war years, Vũ Nương stayed devotedly obedient to her mother-in-law, caring for her young child, maintaining the virtues of a faithful wife, faithfully waiting for her husband's return.

Not long after, Trương Sinh's mother, longing too much for her son and weakened by old age, fell seriously ill and passed away. Despite Vũ Nương's efforts to seek treatment everywhere, she could not recover. With her mother-in-law's death, Vũ Nương felt very sad because her already difficult situation became even more desolate. Every night, it was just her and her young son alone in the dark, to alleviate the longing for her husband, Vũ Nương would point to his shadow on the wall and tell her son, 'That's your father.' The child believed it to be true and was very happy, playing and laughing by the shadow, mistakenly thinking it was his real father. When the war finally ended and Trương Sinh returned home, Vũ Nương was overjoyed, eagerly awaiting their reunion. But as soon as Trương Sinh returned home and heard the news of his mother's death, he was deeply saddened. He quickly carried his young son on his back to visit his mother's grave. However, the child refused to follow along the way; he kept crying and stubbornly refused to accept Trương Sinh as his father. He said, 'You are not my father. My father comes every night.'

There's an old saying, 'Ask the old for advice, and the young for their thoughts,' because the old and the young never lie. That's why the words of the child caused Trương Sinh immense pain, as someone prone to jealousy, now hearing such words from his own son. Thus, Trương Sinh believed that his wife had feelings for another man while he was away at war. In his eyes, Vũ Nương failed to uphold the virtues of a wife. After visiting his mother's grave, Trương Sinh returned home and drove Vũ Nương out, regardless of her attempts to explain herself. Overwhelmed by the injustice of her situation, Vũ Nương threw herself into the Hoàng Giang River to prove her innocence, believing that only death could free her at this point. Later, during a sleepless night with the lamp burning, Trương Sinh heard his son say, 'That's my father, my father is there,' only then did he realize that he had unjustly accused his wife. It was because of baseless trust in the words of a child that Trương Sinh drove his wife out, leading her to die unjustly. But all regrets came too late.

The Tale of the Nam Xương Maiden deeply portrays the social reality of our country in the past. At the beginning of the story, we see how money and arranged marriages were used to bring Vũ Nương into a union, demonstrating that she had no say in her future happiness. They married without love, arranged by their parents. The girl was merely an item, in Vũ Nương's case, worth a dowry of 100 taels of gold. That was the value of her human worth, equivalent to 100 taels of gold. When her husband went away, Vũ Nương stayed at home, diligently tending to chores, caring for her mother-in-law and child, faithfully waiting for her devoted husband. But just a few careless words from a child gave Trương Sinh the right to drive his wife out without allowing her to explain. This demonstrates the authoritarian, patriarchal, and paternalistic nature of men in the past, denying their wives the right to speak up, forcing her to resort to death to clear her name. Through this story, the ancients also wanted to denounce the atrocities of war, which led to Vũ Nương's unjust suffering. Without the war, her husband wouldn't have gone to war, her mother-in-law wouldn't have died from longing, and she wouldn't have been so desperate as to mistake her shadow for her husband, causing her young son to reject his father. Part of Trương Sinh's misunderstanding towards Vũ Nương was also due to the war and the circumstances of the enemy at the time. Through this story, readers sympathize with the fate of women who had to depend on their husband for happiness and their lives because women of the past had to endure the 'three obediences, four virtues' rule: 'Obey your father at home, obey your husband when married, obey your son after your husband dies.'

Thus, war is also a contributing factor to Vũ Nương's injustice. Without the war, her husband wouldn't have gone to war, her mother-in-law wouldn't have died from longing, so she wouldn't have missed her husband to the extent of mistaking her shadow for him, causing her son to refuse to accept his father. Trương Sinh's misunderstanding towards Vũ Nương partially stems from the war and the enemy's circumstances at that time. Through this story, readers feel compassion for the fate of women who had to rely on their husband's happiness and their lives because women of the past had to endure the 'three obediences, four virtues' rule: 'Obey your father at home, obey your husband when married, obey your son after your husband dies.'

A woman's entire life was never lived for herself, never able to decide her own happiness. These injustices were what society burdened upon women.