The Interpretation of the Images of Modern Women in Chi Li's Fictions

Answer 1

Chi Li created many contemporary female images in her novels. The following are some explanations:

** 1. Traditional submissive type **
This kind of woman was more dependent on traditional cultural concepts. She regarded being a good wife and mother as her life goal and value, and consciously followed the social ethics that was centered on men. This was the result of the feudal culture's imprisonment of women.

** 2. Self-Awakening Type **
1. characteristic
- She was not satisfied with the reality of life, tired of the traditional female lifestyle, and sought a new free life.
- For example, characters like Bean Sprout and Qi Runwu had the consciousness to break through the shackles of tradition. They had their own thoughts on the choice of gender relationships or lifestyle, and were no longer limited to the traditional female role.
2. In the conflict between the two genders
- In the conflict between the two genders, these women became the victors with their wisdom and rationality. For example, Chi Li would first create a successful male image in the eyes of the secular world, then create this kind of woman to shatter the male's authority and replace their power, money, and wisdom.

** 3. Self-reliant **
1. overall characteristics
- They were full of vitality and had the courage to take responsibility. Most of them relied on their own efforts to support their families and walked on the path of being strong and independent.
2. incorporate
- For example, Spicy in You Are a River raised eight children alone and struggled in a difficult life. She firmly believed that she could survive by relying on her own hard work, break free from the shackles of the idea of "marrying a man, wearing clothes and eating a meal", and have a simple sense of feminism. After experiencing various hardships, she sublimated into an independent female image with the meaning of the times.
- Lai Shuangyang's career choices in Life Show showed the strength and independence of women, and she became a heroic female image on Jiqing Street in Hankou.

** 4. Self-lost type (can reflect the problems faced by contemporary women from a negative image)**
1. Arrogant and pretentious
- For example, Zhuang Jianfei's mother (a professor of contemporary literature in the Chinese Department) in "No Love" and Zeng Mangmang's mother (a young cadre) in "The Entanglement of Water and Fire." This type of mother was an intellectual or a revolutionary cadre. They lacked love for their children and always put on a high and mighty attitude when it came to their children's search for a partner.
2. Selfish and despicable
- In "Birth of the Sun," Zhao Shengtian's mother and Li Xiaolan's parents would rather entertain themselves than take care of their grandchildren. Xiao Jin, who was in the Life Show, did not have a proper job and behaved indecently. She did not care about her husband and child's surgery at the same time and only cared about taking advantage of herself. In "The Entanglement of Water and Fire," Gao Yong's mother "bribed" her son's girlfriend behind his back to persuade his son to take the postgraduate examination. These mothers did not do their duty and played tricks on their families. They were selfish and despicable.

Through the creation of these different types of female images, Chi Li observed society and life from a unique female perspective, outlining the cultural picture of the survival posture of modern China women, reflecting different cultural implications.
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