Raised the Red Lantern Writing Assignment

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Raised the Red Lantern
Introduction
The film, Raised the Red Lantern was produced in 1991 and was directed by Zhang Yimou starring Gong Li. The movie is an adaptation from the novel, Wives, and Concubines, written by Su Tong in 1990. The film narrates the story of a young woman who becomes one of the concubines to a wealthy man. This was during the Warlord Era, and the period is marked by the use of colors and visuals in the film. The film has received recognition worldwide and won multiple awards. Most people criticized the film by saying that the director tried too much to appeal to the western world instead of his people. However, the film is one of the best productions in China. The essay discusses the adverse effects of polygamy and how gender inequality existed in the society.
Summary
The Warlord era was years before the Chinese War happened. A nineteen-year-old educated woman is forced to get married to a wealthy old man by her stepmother. This is after her father dies and leaves the family bankrupt. Songlian becomes the fourth mistress, or rather, the third concubine of the household. She was treated like royalty after she arrives at the house. She receives foot massages and brightly lit red lanterns with countless visits from Master Chen, whose face is not shown clearly. Soon, Songlian discovers that all the other mistresses do not receive the same treatment. She learns that the master decides the concubine he will spend the night with. Whoever is chosen is given the luxurious treatment with lit lanterns. The preferred concubine is also given the liberty to choose whatever she wants to eat in addition to being respected most by the servants. The concubines compete to please the master and become his preferred choice.
The mistresses are always in a competition aimed at seeking favor in the eyes of the master. Songlian realizes that the competition between the mistresses is a fruitless endeavor. She is depressed as she realizes that her life is wasted. She thinks that dying would be a better option compared to being a concubine in the household. When she turns twenty, she is drunk and ends up telling Zhuoyun about the love affair between Meishan and the doctor. Meishan is taken to the roof of the lone room, formerly known as the room of death, and hanged to death by the servants. Songlian has already given up on her life and is traumatized after witnessing the death of Meishan. The master is preparing to get married to another concubine the following summer. Songlian has already gone insane and is seen wandering around the compound in her old school uniform.
Historical Analysis
Multiple changes were happening in China at the beginning of the twentieth century. The traditions changed, and the people started adopting a new way of life. For instance, China changed the form of government by forming a republic and getting rid of its empire. The empire administration was old fashioned, and China had to modernize itself, to become part of the new western world. However, many Chinese traditions did not fade away quickly, as seen in the famous Chinese film, Raised the Red Lantern (Lee 122). The film emphasizes on gender relationships, according to the Chinese. The man has all the power and ability to make decisions. If the head of the household is not around, the oldest son is in charge and then the first wife. Men played a massive role in public life whereas women played a part in private life.
The role of women in the traditional Chinese Society was to give birth to as many sons as possible. When Songlian fakes a pregnancy, she says that she is likely to get a son and ends up getting special treatment. Again, this shows the importance of men in medieval times. There is a belief that once women got married, they did not belong to their maternal homes anymore. Instead, they moved to their husband’s, and all they were supposed to do was to obey their husbands without questions (Kong 110). This is evident when Songlian got married to the rich man, Chen. She does not return to her home, let alone leave the estate. There is a lot of people can learn from the film. For example, the gender roles and perspectives on women in the traditional society that have been carried forward to modern society. Women and men are supposed to be treated equally. One gender should not be preferred over the other.
The hierarchical structure of traditional China mainly emphasized on the social system. It is a common belief that people in high positions have to be respected. Old people also had to be respected as they were associated with wisdom. Anyone who disrespected a mature person would be cursed, punished or banished from society. Women, on the other hand, were expected to respect their husbands and other males in the community (Lee 126). They were seen as the most inferior creatures. When it comes to property and inheritance, women were not supposed to receive anything. In most cases, the oldest son was the heir and if there were no sons, the oldest brother of the husband would inherit everything. In short, all the property and wealth belonged to the male family members. The above characteristics are visible in the film, Raised the Red Lantern.
Context Analysis
The movie is set in a vast estate, where women stay indoors and do not leave the compound. There is one time in the film when the Master asks Songlian whether she wants to accompany him to town. This shows how men were superior to women in traditional society. Children also determined the level of respect that was supposed to be accorded to a woman. The main aim of the four mistresses was to give birth to a baby boy. This explains why Zhuoyun, who bore a girl, hated Meishan because of giving birth to a baby boy. These two women were expectant at the same time. Education in the traditional Chinese Society was made available to men only. This explains why Songlian is the only educated wife in the film.
The master, Chen Zuoqian makes all the decisions in the household. All the family members and the servants are expected to obey every rule or else they will be punished. Being the head of the house, everything belongs to him, and he can use whatever he wants at his own time. The wives, on the other hand, compete for his attention all day and night and do not own anything in the house. They are supposed to please the master whenever he needs them to in addition to following all the set rules and regulations. The hierarchical structure in the household placed Chen at the top, followed by his first born son and then the first wife. The woman, however, was always the last option when it came to making import...