Precious Virtue Dream Of The Red Chamber Analysis

This essay is a summary and analysis of the novel Dream of The Red Chamber. The novel was originally written by Tsao Hsueh- Chin translated and adapted from Chinese by Chin-Chen Wang. The publisher is Anchor book and the book was published in 1958. The story begins with a Buddhist monk and Tao priest transforming a magical stone into jade. The jade is the jade of Pao-Yu the protagonist of the story. The novel focuses on the lives of the Chia family and the family is separated into two houses. Black Jade is Pao- yu cousin and she comes to live with the Chia family when her mother dies and the matriarch insists that black jade come to the capital city “she would be better off under the loving care of her grandmother and the companionship of her cousins” (25). Pao-Yu and black jade have an instant connection after they meet for the first time. Pao-Yu tells the matriarch “I feel as if I were meeting a friend whom I have not heard from for years” (33). After the arrival of black jade another granddaughter of the matriarch arrives at the Chia house, Precious …show more content…
The themes in the book are numerous, and the meanings are interpreted in more than one way. The novel illustrates a Chinese household of the eighteen century. The novel gives great depiction of neo-Confucianism and the effect of Neo- Confucianism on society. During the Song dynasty, Zhu Xi a Confucian scholar made a new interpretation of Confucianism Neo-Confucianism strongly emphasis on the three bonds of Confucianism. There was a strong emphasis on women chastity and the belief that women should be subservient to men. The Imperial Civil examination is very important because the only way to become part of the government is to pass the civil exam. The civil exam required the study of four books the Analects, Mencius, Golden means and great learning all Confucian