Huong's Characters and the Suffering of Women under Confucian Ideologies Dennis Odhiambo 12th Grade

Traditional ideals, particularly in Asian culture value male superiority in the household whilst the women, has to assume secondary roles in the family. Confucianism as the foundation of most Asian regions since the Han dynasty in China has defined the mainstream discourse on gender onwards. The Three Obediences and Four Virtues defining the social codes for a virtuous woman and specific gender roles became the cornerstone of the kinfolk and society in general. Consequently, the majorly patriarchal ideologies in Confucianism has been regarded as sexist and historically damaging to Asian women.

In Duong Thu Huong’s Paradise of the Blind the motif of one’s identity being defined for them is explored through the three main female characters from two generations Hang, Que (Hang’s mother) and Aunt Tam. The bildungsroman narrative focuses on Hang’s character charting her progression from a submissive girl to familial and cultural expectations to an individual who develops a fuller sense of who she is. Hang’s mother Que as a stereotypical character fits into the traditional side of Vietnamese society while the character Aunt Tam defies gender roles. Que suffers from the clutches of Confucian ideologies in that she is subjugated to the...