老外眼里的《红楼梦》

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In the West， many say War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is the greatest novel ever written. On a personal note， I think A Dream of Red Mansions should rank on a scale in greatness with War and Peace， not because many Chinese claim it’s one of the most tremendous works of literature， but since the author， Tsao Hsueh—chin， dramatically portrays the Chia family， the main character family in the book， in such a surreal and awe—inspiring fashion.

Here， the novel captures a vivid portrait of an aristocratic Chinese family surrounded by wealth， power and prestige. Yet， upon scratching the surface， readers discover a family in which chaos and dissension frequently prevail over happiness and unity that adversely affects other families who are supposed to be in alliance with the Chia family for political and economic purposes.

The book’s introduction of the character， Pao—yu， sets a primary example of how dissension reigns supreme inside the Chia household. Pao—yu was born with a jade in his mouth. Accordingly， the Lady Dowager， his grandmother believes this auspicious birth signifies a fantastic future for her grandson. Hence as the most—respected leader of the Chia family， she orders her son， Chia Cheng， to restrain from too—strictly disciplining her grandson， even though Chia Cheng disagrees due to his strong character. But， he relents due to a filial attitude to his mother.

Consequently， Pao—yu enjoys the benefits of gaining the Lady Dowager’s protection. Nevertheless， Pao—yu is not highly respected when he is depicted at the beginning of the novel. Even the maids ridicule him for lacking more masculine traits， having a sensitive nature and they even accuse him of having a mental disorder. His father， Chia Cheng， remains furious that he can’t play a more pivotal role in Pao—yu’s upbringing. He recognizes scholarly traits in his son， but bemoans his laziness and propensity to play too much with the maids. He sincerely wishes to turn his son into a well—respected scholar with a tougher character so he could become a true gentleman， not a superficial playboy.

Lady Wang， the number one wife to Chia Cheng， can’t help but mock her son to anybody who would listen. When Tai—yu first arrives at the Chia household， she is greeted by Lady Wang who mocks her own son. She tells Tai—yu that Pao—yu is the “bane of my life”， and a “real devil”. Lady Wang requests that Tai—yu and all other maids simply ignore him.

But， Tai—yu is a kind—hearted girl， but fated with ill health. She casts aside the advice of Lady Wang and makes every effort to befriend Pao—yu， despite his notorious reputation. This friendship eventually transforms into one of the greatest love stories in all of literature， but their love is destined to fail with fatal consequences.