"Perhaps every man has had two women like this, at least two. Married a red rose, and over time, the red one became a smear of mosquito blood on the wall, and the white one was still "the moonlight before the bed"; married The white rose, the white one is a grain of rice sticky on the clothes, and the red one is a cinnabar mole on the heart." The popular phrase
comes from Zhang Ailing’s "Red Roses and White Roses" . When writing this novel, it happened that her lover Hu Lancheng had an affair, after she left Hu Lancheng.
Zhang Ailing
Zhang Ailing uses delicate brushstrokes to lock the background of the characters in the 1930s and 1940s, and tells us: on the road of love, many times are choices. Since there is a choice, there will be misses, so one after another The regret that comes is also inevitable.
In addition, as Chen Yongguang said, this novel also embodies Zhang Ailing’s feminist standpoint and critical spirit.
Red Roses
Tong Zhenbao's red roses in this life are probably two people, one of which outlines a hazy shadow in his memory, and that is his first love-the rose.
At that time, he was still an overseas student studying in a foreign country, and he abruptly rejected Rose's request for love, and because of this he received the name "Liu Xiahui". However, since I chose the "gentleman" behavior at that time, of course, I had to bear the regret when I dreamed back at midnight.
stills: Red Rose Wang Jiaorui
and then he returned to China to find a senior position in a foreign company. Rent the house of Wang Shihong, an old classmate. It was also at this time that met his other real red rose-Wang Shihong's wife, Wang Jiaorui.
This charming woman is headstrong and stray without losing her innocence. She deliberately eats only a small amount of staple food in order to stay slim, but can't let go of the sugar that makes people fat more; when she is teased that there is meat on her face, she will say: "That is the lamb I ate last year." ; She would wear a very green skirt with a pink lining, but it doesn't seem inconsistent at all. From the first sight of
, Tong Zhenbao couldn't restrain his love for her. So not long after Wang Shihong went out to work, they got together under Wang Jiaorui's intentional or unintentional provocation.
Soon, Wang Jiaorui was deeply in love with Tong Zhenbao and couldn't help herself. She longed to be with him forever, and therefore requested a divorce from Wang Shihong.
Stills "Red Roses and White Roses"
, but Tong Zhenbao never thought about it, although he also has her in his heart, , but he cannot bear the blow to his reputation caused by the news of "affair with a friend's wife". Accept such a slutty woman as his wife. Although Wang Jiaorui has repeatedly expressed her sincerity and determination to reform.
In the end, Tong Zhenbao withdrew from her world, but she still chose to divorce.
In the career of love and fame, Tong Zhenbao chose the latter like most men, but Wang Jiaorui, like most women, chose to go to the former.
Zhang Ailing’s "red rose" is similar to her, because she has the same passion for love as she does. Even when Hu Lancheng was married, Zhang Ailing still loved him wholeheartedly.
Stills: Tong Zhenbao
White Rose
After making a choice, Tong Zhenbao calmed down, but there was still a touch of sadness in his heart. Then with the help of his mother, he married his white rose-Meng Yanli.
This thin, shy and introverted woman feels just plain white, demure and lacking in life. She can't arouse Tong Zhenbao's love, nor can she attract his attention.
But her respect for Tong Zhenbao is undiminished. Since there is not a lively and generous housewife at home, Tong Zhenbao will often choose to entertain guests instead of going home. When
occasionally had guests looking for him at home, Meng Yanli was always careful to entertain him, always standing in the position of Tong Zhenbao to win him a good reputation, but did not grasp the way, and eventually the two became separated.
Later, it was less common for guests to come from home. Her daughter was also sent to school, and no one spoke to her, she would turn on the radio. Only she knew in her heart that she just wanted to hear voices.
She doesn't go out, she doesn't socialize, and she doesn't even like the "best indoor sports", she always looks empty and lonely.
Stills "Red Roses and White Roses"
This made Tong Zhenbao often prostitutes outside, and he became less interested in her.
In this game of red rose and white rose, it is obvious that the red rose has the upper hand. Although she is not by Tong Zhenbao's side, she has carved a deep mark in his heart.
To be sure, Tong Zhenbao's decision about marriage brought him great regret and reduced his happiness. However, if he does it again, he should still choose this way, because he is not willing to use his good reputation as a bet, so he would rather swallow the bitter fruit of this person himself.
In fact, no matter what era, love alone is no match for reality.
both subverted
. Originally in his heart, Wang Jiaorui’s charming and colorful, profligate and free has been fixed on the day he left her, that lively and bold woman who is not suitable for marrying home will always be in some At a certain moment, he slipped out of his mind to remind him that there had been such a person in his life, but he could no longer see it.
And Meng Yanli's cowardly and empty, weak and uninteresting image has taken root in his heart, and he can't make waves.
stills: Meng Yanli and Wang Jiaorui
However, things are always moving in unexpected directions. On the day of , he and his brother took a taxi, and there was a woman and a child sitting next to him. The man did not attract his attention, but his brother screamed first. Only then did he notice that this woman was Wang Jiao. Core.
is different from the impression she left in his heart in the past, is now fatter than before, and she doesn’t look like she used to be lively and desolate anymore. She has become well-behaved and is a woman who can marry home. , But lost the previous look.
So they began to chat intermittently. It turns out that after divorcing Wang Shihong, she married another person and gave birth to a child. now seems that she is not only a qualified wife, but also a qualified mother. This situation of deepened his regret.
White Rose Meng Yanli
Soon after , he unexpectedly discovered that his wife, the woman who had always been obedient in front of him, had an ambiguous relationship with an ugly tailor . This result was unexpected to him. The reversal ending of
made him feel that the life he had been in his control had undergone earth-shaking changes, and here is the finishing touch of this novel. The transformation of
determines that the value of this novel is not limited to deconstruction, but has a constructive dimension. means that while deconstructing male hegemony, it establishes a new gender identity for women. In the end, what Tong Zhenbao faced was that Wang Jiaorui became a good wife, and Meng Yanli pursued his love, which made him lose his subjectivity.
finally made a decision.
found that Meng Yanli had an affair with a lowly tailor. This was the last straw that killed the camel. As a result, Tong Zhenbao's cognition of the matter became skewed. He began to engage in prostitutes publicly, and brought prostitutes to the front of his home to attract attention. He wanted to vent his resentment through such a thing.
Stills "Red Roses and White Roses"
At the end, when he returned to his home and made a fuss, the article wrote, "Get up the next day, revitalize and rehabilitate, and become a good person." This implies that Tong Zhenbao's final choice is to accept reality and start a new life. Perhaps, he has recovered his inner goodness. After all, he had the reputation of being "Yu Xiahui" who was not messy.
In this novel, Zhang Ailing uses meticulous description and vivid metaphors to reflect the epitome of petty bourgeoisie life and human needs for emotion.
outlines the living conditions and emotional experience of women in a patriarchal society in the witty plot. "Red Rose" and "White Rose" represent two extremes, but they both live in dilemmas.
"Red Rose" is passionate and unrestrained. She bravely pursues her love, even desperate. However, ultimately failed to get rid of the shackles of the world. Tong Zhenbao’s deep-rooted patriarchal ideology was still the mainstream of society at that time. Men imposed moral restrictions and behavioral restrictions on women, so that they always survived in trouble. Her request seems inevitable.
Zhang Ailing
"White Rose" was the ideal wife in the feudal era, but couldn't get his love because he couldn't satisfy Tong Zhenbao's original desire.
is in such a predicament, but they bravely subverted their traditional image. The ending of is both unexpected and reasonable. It caters to Zhang Ailing's thinking that women should get their own freedom.
