2. Red Rose and White Rose is a popular novella among Zhang Ailing's many works. The author depicts the secret psychology and complex of ordinary people with exquisite brushwork, shows people's emotion and marriage life when Chinese and Western cultures met in China in 1930s and 1940s, and reveals the tragic life that women can't get rid of in the patriarchal society under the integration of tradition and modernity.
Third, the content overview:
Zhenbao, who came back from studying abroad, got a higher position in a foreign company. For the convenience of transportation, he rented the house of his old classmate Wang Shihong. When Zhen was in school, she had a first love named Rose. He once won the reputation of "Liu Xiahui" for refusing the courtship of Rose. Wang Shihong has a charming wife, who always makes Treasure dream. On one occasion, Hong Shi went to Singapore to do business. After several struggles between spirit and flesh, Zhenbao was "imprisoned" by this wife named Jiao Rui on a rainy day. To Treasure's surprise, Jiao Rui gave her true love this time. When she offered to tell Wang Shihong the truth, Treasure fell ill. In the ward, Zhen Bao told Jiao Rui the real side-he didn't want to take too much responsibility for this situation. Jiao Rui wiped away her tumultuous tears, strangely calmed down and walked out of his life. With the help of her mother, Zhen Bao married a thin and quiet Meng with a sad sense of sacrifice. The bride gives the impression that she is just an ordinary white person, and can't arouse the sexual desire of Treasure. Zhenbao began to go whoring outside. One day, however, he found a dull white rose bird in his shadow and had sex with a slim tailor. Since then, Zhenbao has been playing with women openly outside, and he has been wandering around. One day, he happened to meet Jiao Rui, the "red rose" in his life, on the bus. She is already a flashy middle-aged person. Years are relentless, flowers bloom and fall, and in tears, the red roses and white roses in Zhen Bao have become a mirage in reality. The old kindness is approaching the treasure bit by bit.
Fourth, the main characters.
Tong zhenbao
Tong Zhenbao is a senior employee of an old foreign trade company in Shanghai. He is infatuated with a "red rose" of his friend's wife Wang. After several rounds of flirting, he succeeded in winning the favor of his friend's wife. Later, Wang wanted to marry him, but he was afraid of ruining his future, so he gave up the king. Later, he married "White Rose" Meng. However, although Meng is charming and gentle, he doesn't like "the best indoor sports", which makes Tong Zhenbao unable to satisfy his pursuit of femininity. He soon got tired of this chaste wife and began to go whoring regularly. One day a few years later, Wang, the woman he abandoned, met him. She is a good wife and mother, taking her toothache child to see a doctor. At first glance, I knew that she was a competent mother and a good wife. Tong Zhenbao couldn't believe it, because in his cognition, Wang was "wild" and "unmarried". But what makes Tong Zhenbao even more incredible is that Meng had an affair with the tailor, which led to his cognition being greatly tilted and misplaced. From then on, he began to go whoring openly and crazily to crush his wife, himself and this family.
king
"Red Rose" Wang was born in an overseas Chinese family. She was sent to study in England to get married better, but because she was playing outside and had a bad reputation, she married Hong Shi by the way. Later, she met Tong Zhenbao. She has a crush on Tong Zhenbao, hoping to divorce Hong Shi and then marry him. But Tong Zhenbao didn't want to. In the eyes of treasures, Jiao Rui is a brainless stunner. He just wants to get satisfaction from her. Even if Wang was abandoned by Tong Zhenbao, she still chose to divorce to prove her love. Later, Jiao Rui and Zhen Bao met on the tram. At this time, Jiao Rui has become a traditional woman. She married a man named Zhu, gave birth to a child and lived a quiet and stable marriage. But because she lost her strong personality and herself, she was not very happy.
Chimonanthus mongolicus
"White Rose" Meng is Tong Zhenbao's wife. She is the most ideal wife under the construction of patriarchal culture. But she couldn't satisfy Tong Zhenbao's pursuit of femininity, so she didn't win her husband's respect and love, but was suppressed by her husband. She is just a decoration in Tong Zhenbao's life. She suppressed her inner needs and retreated again and again for a little stability. However, she never got her husband's sympathy, so she cheated on her, aiming at a humble tailor. She became anxious after the incident was exposed. She was even more servile to her husband, but instead of getting his forgiveness, she got herself deeper and deeper. She has been unable to face up to her own needs and has never known the value of her existence. She will only continue to submit to the power of Zhenbao's husband and become a desolate "white rose" without self-awareness and free soul.