By using her characters to highlight the differences between the novel and traditional Chinese society, the reader is able to recognize the perhaps unjust ethics of society. Anyi uses Little Jade and her relationship with Bao Yanshan and his family to show how little input she has in her life. She then uses Picked-Up and Second Aunt to show what happens when one of these ethics or values is not upheld. Baotown not only shows what these events look like from an observer’s point of view, but it also gives a glimpse of what was going through the characters’ minds. This extra insight helps the reader to better understand the consequences of these strict rules, and to connect with each character. Through her use of characterization and the development of various relationships, Wang Anyi evaluates the impact of traditional Chinese
By using her characters to highlight the differences between the novel and traditional Chinese society, the reader is able to recognize the perhaps unjust ethics of society. Anyi uses Little Jade and her relationship with Bao Yanshan and his family to show how little input she has in her life. She then uses Picked-Up and Second Aunt to show what happens when one of these ethics or values is not upheld. Baotown not only shows what these events look like from an observer’s point of view, but it also gives a glimpse of what was going through the characters’ minds. This extra insight helps the reader to better understand the consequences of these strict rules, and to connect with each character. Through her use of characterization and the development of various relationships, Wang Anyi evaluates the impact of traditional Chinese