The Steal Shirt Reencounter Analysis

The construction of gender roles is established through actions of hiding and seeking within the text, The Peal Shirt Reencountered. The women throughout this story all are hidden in some form or another. They are behind closed doors, curtains or remain away from important events, until they are needed. In most cases, the men take on the opposite role compared to the females, which is seeking. They are the ones looking for the women and are actively searching for things that can improve their lives, like business, money or women. Men also are able to hide anything that they want because they do not follow the orders of others. The relationship between women and men are constructed through hidden moments and deception while also through opportunities …show more content…
From her wedding to the business of her husband, they are told what to do and how to act. San-ch’iao follows the instructions and remains hidden just like her husband told her to do before he left for his business trip, “Ever since the day her husband gave out his instructions, she had not for several months’ cast a glance out the window nor moved one step from the upper chamber.” (Pg. 268) She only starts to look out the window when her maids encourage her to and she is seeking her husband. She is waiting and watching for him and she “often went to the front of the house, where she sat gazing up and down the street from behind the curtain.” (Pg.269) The women are the ones who encouraged her to disobey the instructions from her husband, just like Granny Hsüeh did through the relationship she formed. It is because of her relationship with the Granny that she is disloyal to her husband. There is a pattern of Granny Hsüeh exhibiting behavior that is not compatible with the gender roles that have been assigned in the text. She shares her story of deceiving men in her younger years about her virginity. As she is not tied to a man any longer, Granny is able to spend her nights as she pleases and she does this by spending them at San-Ch’iao’s place. She is able to do this because the relations between two women do not create any suspicious indications. When Ch’en become involved though it can cause more problems, “we [San-Ch’iao and Granny] only have to buy the silence of the two maids” (Pg.280) San-Ch’iao has remained hidden and the relationship between Ch’en and her will stay hidden, so the only ones who need to keep the secret are the maids. They are now burdened with the responsibility of hiding this secret which is later tortured out of them by