On the Female Images in Xiao Erhei's Marriage and Their Significance of the Times
Abstract
This paper takes Zhao Shuli's Xiao Erhei's Marriage as the research object, focusing on analysing two types of female images in the work: San Xian'gu is a victim of unhappy arranged marriage, constrained by feudal ethics. She vents her desires by pretending to be a spirit and playing tricks, clinging to outdated views on marriage and love, making hers a tragedy under the feudal system. As a progressive woman in liberated areas, Xiao Qin upholds free marriage, firmly resists arranged marriage and demonstrates women's subjective consciousness awakening. Through comparative analysis, the paper reveals the different life trajectories of women during the transition from the old era to the new, as well as the profound impact of social transformation on women's emancipation. Furthermore, it reflects on literary images' typicality and enlightenment value in the context of cultural transformation. The paper also explores the historical causes behind the formation of these two images, pointing out how the confrontation between the remnants of feudal ideology and the emerging ideas of emancipation during the Land Reform period influenced the characters' fates. It also explains the social functions of such literary writing in criticizing feudal malpractices and advocating free marriage. Finally, the paper reflects on the interactive relationship between institutional guarantees, subjective consciousness, and the transformation of social concepts during women's emancipation, endowing the research object with enduring contemporary value.
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