The Death of Woman Wang

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Critical Analysis: The Death of Woman Wang Jonathan Spence’s The Death of Woman Wang is a combination of factual and fictional material which paints a picture of T’an-ch’eng, a poor, rural county of mid-seventeeth century Eastern China. Among the book’s many recurring themes is that of the plight of women. Women are important in an effort to convey a history of peasants. Studying the common people is like giving a voice to the voiceless, so a focus on women’s issues in a patriarchic society is a way of viewing history starting from the bottom, and is thus an excellent way to begin looking at peasant life. The roles of men and women are defined clearly in this book. The biographical sections of T’an-Ch’eng’s Local History, which is a primary source used by Spence, include a number of biographies on “Honorable and Virtuous Women” (99). This section could almost reads as a manual on being a woman. Chastity, courage, and tenacity are among the most important virtues. Suicide upon the death of one’s husband was considered very honorable and virtuous, especially when committed in order to avoid a rape (an act of unfaithfulness.) A woman would inherit her husband’s business upon his death if she had a son, but upon her son’s coming of age, the business would be his. There are numerous examples throughout the book of wives being traded and used to pay for goods, as though women were goods themselves. The third chapter focuses on the difficulties of the seventeeth century Chinese widow. A woman was expected to always remain loyal to her husband, even after his death. This held true even if the two were only betrothed and not yet married. A woman’s primary role in society was that of a wife, and then a mother. While they had no power in government or society, there are interesting points to the story in which women’s power can show through. For example, a
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