At the end of 1989, Su Tong's novella "Flocks of Wives and Concubines" came out, becoming one of the most exquisite "new historical novels" recognized. Two years later, the fifth generation director Zhang Yimou adapted this work into the movie "The Red Lantern Hangs High", which won the grand prize of the 48th Venice Film Festival in one fell swoop, causing quite a stir.
In terms of artistic effect, Zhang Yimou's adaptation of "A Flock of Wives and Concubines" is quite outstanding, enough to make it and the original work go hand in hand with each other in the fields of literature and film and television. Su Tong also admitted:
"I think I would have written without Zhang Yimou existing, but this film has really brought me more readers and fame, saying that he has not achieved me, I feel a little weak-hearted."
The original novel "Flock of Wives and Concubines" of "Hanging High with Red Lanterns" tells the story of "house fighting" in the courtyard of the Deep House, focusing on the marriage tragedy of the fourth aunt Tai Songlian, who has "received education in the new era", revealing the sadness of women being completely materialized and having no place to stand under the patriarchal society. Zhang Yimou also made a series of artistic deletions to the original work in the film, strengthening the feudal patriarchal power's shackles and oppression of women, while blurring the heroine Song Lian's erotic struggle.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > from the implicit "sex" in the film to the naked desire in the original book</h1>
At the age of 19, the father of the female college student Song Lian died, the family could not continue to provide her with schooling, the stepmother married her into the Chen family of a large family, and became Chen Zuoqian's fourth aunt, but this year Chen Zuoqian was already the year of destiny.
The novel "A Flock of Wives and Concubines" revolves around the exchange of interests between Chen Zuoqian and Song Lian, and slowly transitions to Song Lian's repression in the feudal family, and this repression first comes from personal lust.
In the film, Zhang Yimou externalizes the two actions of "lighting the lamp" and "hammering foot" as a hint of "sex". In the Chen Mansion, any wife who is selected by the old master and serves overnight can enjoy the two treatments of "lighting the lamp" and "hammering foot". After several times of boudoir pleasure, Song Lian's psychology has gradually evolved from initial discomfort and self-pity to striving for and enjoying.
As a young and energetic young woman, Song Lian has a vigorous lust in her body. In the film, the timidity and panic that Song Lian had when she was first "hammered", in the second time, quickly turned into a calm enjoyment, and from then on, it became an urgent desire. This addiction to "hammer feet" reflects Song Lian's unshirkable desire for lust.
In the novel, Su Tong boldly and bluntly highlights Song Lian's deep desires: as a man with rich sexual experience, Chen Zuoqian is more obsessed with Song Lian's enthusiasm and agility in bed. He seemed to have seen all kinds of soul-destroying things when he first met Song Lian, and it was confirmed later. It was difficult to judge whether Song Lian was naturally like this or whether she was happy, but Chen Zuoqian was satisfied.
In addition, the novel also mentions that whenever it rains, "her mood is irritable and complicated, and some of her thoughts are even invisible." Song Lian didn't understand why she missed the bed whenever it rained. Chen Zuoqian would not notice the physiological effect of the weather on Song Lian.
The lust that has been reinforced in the original work is simply carried through several symbolic elements of "sex" in the novel, thus weakening Song Lian's personality. In fact, in the original work, taking the initiative to ask to marry a rich man, actively pleasing Chen Zuoqian, and secretly having a crush on the young and handsome son of Dafang, these are all portraying Song Lian's desire for materialism and lust.
We can also see from this that although Song Lian belongs to the intellectual women who have received higher education, she did not initially have a substantial anti-feudal consciousness.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > from lust that has nowhere to go to the awakening of female self-awareness</h1>
In Su Tong's pen, the erotic oppression that happened to Song Lian was almost simultaneous with the awakening of her self-consciousness. At the beginning of Song Lian's assimilation by several wives and joining the "House Fight", her self-consciousness was still in the stage of obscurity. The closed Chen family compound is actually a vivid microcosm of the patriarchal society, in which Chen Zuoqian symbolizes the male power of the feudal family.
To some extent, although Song Lian is a new type of highly educated woman, she still has difficulty avoiding objectifying herself. From the contempt for the big house "I'm afraid I'm more than 100 years old" to the arrogant goose who can't tolerate pampering and proud with a little posture, these can all be seen in Song Lian's self-materialization.
She has always used youth and posture as her own survival chips, trying to comfort herself through the satisfaction of material desires and lusts, until this desire is finally deprived, and she is deeply aware of the root of the tragedy.
In the film, Song Lian is in the process of "house fight" with the wives of the various rooms, disguised as pregnant, and finally was poked by the second room wife to break the plan, resulting in being "blocked lights", completely losing Chen Zuoqian's favor. However, in the original work, the reason why Song Lian fell out of favor is very humiliating.
The novel mentions that as Chen Zuo grew older, his "dry and thin" body could no longer support the fanatical desires in his heart. Because of this, the joy of the wives and concubines and his bed suddenly became a kind of humiliation, and at this time, Song Lian no longer bent over backwards, but was humiliated by Chen Zuoqian: "I have never seen a woman like you, what chaste arch have you built?" ”
It was also after this fall of favor that Song Lian truly realized her position in the Chen family. If she still wanted to compete with Mrs. Jifang and show her unique status before, now she fully understood that the only value of the women in Chen Mansion was "sex", and they were just playthings raised by Chen Zuoqian.
"What the hell is a woman, like a dog, like a cat, like a goldfish, like a mouse, like everything, just not like a person." 」
Since marrying into the Chen family, Song Lian has been in a "sexual" role to measure her own value and status, but with the awakening of her hazy self-consciousness, Song Lian began to question her dignity and value as a "human". However, Song Lian's education time was too short, and the enlightenment education had not yet made her deeply understand the root of her tragedy, and she did not have the ability to introspect. Therefore, after struggling, she re-targeted her own kind of women, indirectly killing the bitter goose.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > irreconcilable conflict between the ego spirit and the feudal environment, leading to the destruction of the lotus</h1>
In the feudal context, "A Flock of Wives and Concubines" embodies a "double tragedy". First, men control the discourse power of society, turning women into the "second sex" of this society, and they need to be dependent on men to survive. Second, women are also trapped in this feudal shackles and do not have enough awareness of awakening. The latter is clearly more desperate.
In the Chen mansion, almost every woman acquiesces to such social rules, regards "sex" and "procreation" as the two major missions and survival resources, and the aunts and wives do whatever it takes to please their husbands, fight openly and secretly, and even have children as a "game" and calculate the hour. Down to the most humble little girl, Yan'er, also knew that by relying on Chen Zuoqian's touch to strengthen his courage, he did all kinds of disrespectful things to Song Lian.
Among the several wives, Mei Shan, who was the most rebellious, also came to advise Song Lian: "If you don't add a person to the Chen family, the hard days will be behind." We are all the same thing. Under the oppression of this general environment, the traditional values in Song Lian's heart still prevailed. So she no longer pursues equality, or wants to give birth to a child for Chen Zuoqian and embark on the life of a mother and a child.
However, with the loss of Chen Zuoqian's sexual function, Song Lian's wish is disappointed, and the instinctive desire for feelings in her body makes her feel emotional for Dafang's son Feipu. But the emotion here refers more to the lust that Song Lian has nowhere to put. In this deep mansion compound, Song Lian has always been at odds with those numb people, and only Fei Pu is her only confidant. Therefore, Feipu naturally became the object of Song Lian's emotional sustenance.
In the novel, it is written that when Song Lian was lying on the bed, a secret idea came to mind. She wondered what It would be like for Feipu to lie in the quilt? In fact, Song Lian's feelings for Feipu are very similar to the feelings of the heroine Cao Qiqiao for the little uncle in "The Book of Golden Locks". This kind of feeling is more based on a lustful need, love to the point of misery without choosing an object. However, Feipu's rationality crushed Song Lian's last fantasy.
At the end of the novel, Song Lian witnesses the third aunt Tai Mei Shan being killed in a well because of her private meeting with her lover. Mei Shan's death dealt a heavy blow to Song Lian. From Mei Shan's tragedy, Song Lian foresaw her future, she knew that she was powerless to get rid of the shackles of feudal yoke, but the sobriety in her heart could not teach her to live a walking dead life like other women. This huge psychological contradiction completely overwhelmed Song Lian, and she inevitably headed for a mental breakdown.
After reading "The Flock of Wives and Concubines", I actually prefer to see this novel as a historical fable. Although the feudal society of the aunt has passed, this work is still suitable for people to read at present. In any era, the prerequisite for women to pursue equality is to avoid self-objectification. Women's self-worth recognition is indeed very important, but avoid using the value that every woman has and clearly marking yourself with a price.
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