Wang Anyi's Baotown Analysis

Wang Anyi’s Baotown portrays relationships that challenge what life is expected to be like in rural China. In the novel, multiple stories are told that all eventually interconnect. Two of these stories deal with the expectations that arise simply from being a man or a woman, and what that means in a relationship. One story deals with Little Jade, an orphan girl who appears at Culture’s house. As they grow older, an attraction forms between the two, but it is cast aside because of an arranged marriage put in place for Little Jade. She struggles with giving up her freedom and being forced to fit the mold of a traditional Chinese woman. The second relationship uses Second-Aunt and Picked-Up to reflect the gender expectations between a man and woman. Second-Aunt is stubborn when it comes to giving up her role as the main provider for the family, even if she is a woman. Wang Anyi shows the shift in family dynamics as a male, Picked-Up, starts to enter the picture. Wang Anyi uses Baotown to critique traditional Chinese roles through the characterization of Little …show more content…
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