Pa Chin’s Family conjures up a strong element of conflict among the younger and elder generations of Chinese families, especially within the Kao family, the leading characters in the novel. At the center of this conflict is a battle against the old Confucian ideas of the elders in the wake of the end of the Qing Dynasty. The head of the Kao family, Yeh-yeh, is seen as a “crusty Confucian moralist” (Pa 1972, 65) by his grandsons, Chueh-hsin, Chueh-hui and Chueh-min and displays his dedication to Confucianism in many different ways. The younger generation was dissatisfied with the older generation because the younger generation rejected Confucian values such as gender relations, filial piety and the value of wisdom versus the value of youth.
Confucianism, founded around 500 B.C.E, is a system of philosophical and ethical teachings founded by Confucius and developed by Mencius. Over the years, the founding of this religion has had a …show more content…
Many of her friends at the girls’ school had begun to radicalize as well – several of them had cut their hair, a rebellious act against the traditional feminine style of Confucian women.
Within the Kao family, there is a debate between the value of age and the wisdom that comes along with it versus the value of youth and the new age ideas that accompany it. In many ways, typical of Confucian ideals, Yeh-yeh believes that his opinions are superior and that the work of the grandsons can always be improved. In Family, Yeh-yeh complains to Chueh-hui:
[y]ou students don’t study, you just make trouble. The schools are in a terrible state. They produce nothing but rioters. I didn’t want you boys to go to school in the first place. The schools make you all go bad. Look at your uncle Ke-ting. He never went to school, he only studied at home with a tutor. But he reads the classics very well, and he writes better than any of you. (Pa
Confucianism, founded around 500 B.C.E, is a system of philosophical and ethical teachings founded by Confucius and developed by Mencius. Over the years, the founding of this religion has had a …show more content…
Many of her friends at the girls’ school had begun to radicalize as well – several of them had cut their hair, a rebellious act against the traditional feminine style of Confucian women.
Within the Kao family, there is a debate between the value of age and the wisdom that comes along with it versus the value of youth and the new age ideas that accompany it. In many ways, typical of Confucian ideals, Yeh-yeh believes that his opinions are superior and that the work of the grandsons can always be improved. In Family, Yeh-yeh complains to Chueh-hui:
[y]ou students don’t study, you just make trouble. The schools are in a terrible state. They produce nothing but rioters. I didn’t want you boys to go to school in the first place. The schools make you all go bad. Look at your uncle Ke-ting. He never went to school, he only studied at home with a tutor. But he reads the classics very well, and he writes better than any of you. (Pa