Of the Chinese Ghost Stories - Curious Tales of the Supernatural collection, I chose to write of my two favorite stories.
The Legend of Zhi Nü:
One of my major assumptions about the themes of good and evil in this book are that it follows a Biblical sense. The main character, Dong, had a loving father who unconditionally loved his son and spent every penny on his education and well-being. I see this as a parallel to the biblical christian belief that God has given everything to his people, without asking for anything in return. Moving on, when Dong's father passed away, he felt ashamed for not having enough to honor the father's death with a proper funeral. This could also relate to how Christians feel a need to honor their god for all he has provided for them. Then after Dong honors his father, when most of his friends called him crazy. After Dong gets terribly ill and the mysterious magical "goddess" female figure appears, revives, and marries Dong. This could also be a representation of Jesus, as he came down to earth and rescued those who believed. Dong is recognized in the end of the story for his hard work and honor to his father. His good is rewarded with life and freedom. Which is another way of representing the religious values of good and evil. There supernatural elements which are prominent in Chinese and Japanese horror stories are apparent in the "beautiful woman" and her mysterious power, weaving skills, and sudden appearance/disappearance. Western Horror doesn't have mysterious beautiful women of power.
The Soul of the Great Bell:
In this second story, another form of sacrifice is recorded. This story follows the premise of a bell maker who couldn't get his metals to bond properly. He is faced with one final try to get it right or he would die. This ultimatum, which he was destined to fail, is prevented by the sacrifice of his daughter, a virgin. The good in this story can be seen as the daughter saving the life of her father. Much like the last, these Chinese short stories uphold the theme of honoring parents and self sacrifice. The evil in this story is the greed-filled emperor who wanted the biggest and loudest bell in all the land. Something impossible without a blood sacrifice. The story illustrates that sometimes life is challenged by evil and only an act of ultimate sacrifice can fix it. I appreciated these short stories and can now see how they differ from western cultural writing. There is no monster, no heroine in distress, no scary castles and dark nights. Just a sad tale of a sacrifice made by a son/daughter.
I like how you drew parallels between the Chinese mythology and Western religion. It shows how many ideas and values transcend any one culture. I agree with your analysis that much of this mythology is simple in narrative and setting, as sometimes less is more when getting the meaning across.
ReplyDelete