"Water Margin", an ancient classic, has been with us since we were children. At that time, the heroes in our eyes were heroes like Wu Song and Lin Chong, and the story of Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian was more like an interlude, which was easy to ignore. But now, when I open this epic again, I find that behind this ordinary couple, there are deeper human struggles and social microcosms.
We have to admit that Wu Dalang, a man of short stature and mediocre appearance, was destined to his weak position in this marriage from the beginning. His cowardice and evasion are actually his helplessness in life and his recognition of reality. The people of Qinghe County laughed at him, and he chose to move, hoping to find a trace of peace in Yanggu County. But can it really change his fate?
I have to say that Wu Dalang fell in love with Pan Jinlian at first sight. Pan Jinlian's beauty and style are undoubtedly an irresistible temptation for an ordinary and even somewhat humble man like Wu Dalang. The greed and selfishness in his heart made him choose to accept this seemingly beautiful but not a good marriage.
Pan Jinlian, a beautiful but ill-fated woman, how should she be evaluated? She used to be the maid of a large family, and because she refused to succumb to her master's obscenity, she was given to Wu Dalang as a "dowry." Such a beginning seems to have foreshadowed her tragic end. The dissatisfaction in her heart and her yearning for a better life made her constantly seek attention and comfort from the outside world in her later days.
Until that day, Ximenqing appeared in Pan Jinlian's life. Ximenqing's appearance was like a dazzling light that illuminated her gloomy life. The encounter between the two was like Mars hitting the earth, instantly igniting each other's emotions. And all of this was inadvertently discovered by Wu Dalang. He tried to catch the adulterer, but was kicked by the strong Ximenqing, and could only lie on the bed and watch his wife with other men.
How can the emotional entanglements and moral dilemmas in this be measured by simple right and wrong? In that era of feudal etiquette and religious constraints, women's fate was often dominated by men. Pan Jinlian's derailment may have been foreshadowed from the moment she was forced to marry Wu Dalang. And Wu Dalang is just a little person who is ridiculed and looked down upon by society, is his death really his own fault?
In the final analysis, who can tell the truth of this? Some people say that it was Pan Jinlian's water-based poplar flower that killed Wu Dalang; others say that it was Wu Dalang's own greed for beauty and his lack of self-determination that led to this tragedy. But I would like to say that the reason for this can be simply attributed to one person's fault? In that patriarchal society, the fate of women is often controlled by men. Pan Jinlian's tragedy may have been doomed from the moment she was born. And Wu Dalang is just a microcosm of that era.
Now, let's go back to the beginning of the story again. If Wu Dalang hadn't coveted Pan Jinlian's beauty at the beginning, and if Pan Jinlian hadn't met Ximenqing, would their fates have been different? But what we can be sure of is that in that era of feudal etiquette and religious bondage, tragedies like Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian were not exceptional. Their story is just a microcosm of the many tragedies of that era.
So when we look at Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian in "Water Margin" again, we might as well have more understanding and sympathy. Their fate may have been predestined from the beginning, but their stories show us the complexity and multifaceted nature of human nature. In this seemingly simple story, there is actually a profound social meaning and human struggle. This may be one of the reasons why "Water Margin" can be passed down through the ages!