Flowers In The Mirror Analysis

Throughout the timeline of this world, literary work has and will always be popular; though the form of which these works are being done might change, nonetheless relevant in every time period. In the Chinese culture, most writings touch base on what is happening in the imagination whelms of most and issues that are present at the time of such works. In Flowers in the Mirror, Li Ruzhen rings the bell on the treatment of women in China. I will analyze the rights of women according to Ruzhen, the use of satire to sway the message, and the goals he had set up for the purpose of the Flower.
Chinese novelist and nonfiction writer, Li Ruzhen, also known as Li Ju-chen was born in Hebei Province near Beijing in 1763, and dies around 1830. In doing …show more content…
As the plot moves along, Ao has experienced his freedom being taken away from him just like these typical Chinese women in real life. So far, it is easy to conclude that women do not hold any rights, as Ruzhen is making clear. Furthermore, Ruzhen makes it known that the women are forced to engage in activities that are far beyond the humane scope. Women are violated by embellishing their skin, hair and their attitude, and if they did not behave, they were issued lashings that kept them in place. Due to the inhumane treatment, Ao tries to take his own life and fails to do so. For such reason, he is now being watched on the hour every hour to insure that the precious concubine he is, is alive and well. All that this is saying is that women do not have feelings and are not heard by …show more content…
According to book The Humanistic Tradition, “Chinese satire was effective in attacking some of the more socially inhibiting practices of traditional Chinese culture, such as female foot binding” (43). Ruzhen uses impeccable satire by reversing the sexes of the people in the country. He is presenting the information in a way that makes it fun to read, but awkward to grasp. Even though he is writing to gain positive energy, his work was rejected because of the implications that women can rule or were equal as men. Ruzhen goes against the usual forms of writing, where he doesn’t focus on solely entertainment or education, but uses both to ring the necks of the consciousness of the Chinese Culture. How would it feel if men went through the same treatment as women did? The satire shoved these unpopular truths down the throats of the mind of those who fall accustom to these norms. “They are perfectly normal looking women. Isn’t it a shame for them to dress like men?” (Tai