Death in Disparity

Disparity in Death

San chieh and Er chieh, two sisters renowned for their beauty, both commit suicide in the famous Chinese literary work Dream of the Red Chamber. San chieh kills herself after being refused by the only man she wishes to marry, while Er chieh, a concubine, because of the abuse from her husband’s wife, Phoenix, and the servants of Phoenix’s household. Both seem miserable. However, their suicides are based more on honor than on misery, and that honor, more than misery is worth dying for. Although both mean to die honorably, their methods differ: San chieh slits her throat and Er chieh swallows gold. Despite the superficial similarity of their circumstances, one can see that San chieh’s suicide becomes more honorable than her sister’s because of how she kills herself and because she does so publicly.

Before we can understand the differences in their suicides, we must understand the difference in their personalities. The author describes Er chieh as “pliable and complaisant” and San chieh is “stubborn and strong willed” (238). “Pliable” means “easily influenced, yielding,” while “complaisant” shows an inclination to please and an obligatory nature. In contrast, San chieh is “strong willed.” She refuses to marry anyone but the man of her own choosing, Hsiang-lien. San chieh is unwilling to change her opinion or be managed by others. Despite shared beauty, the girls have very different personalities.

Er chieh’s death is a quiet, private affair, and stems from a highly difficult and dishonorable situation. Her method of suicide is “swallowing gold,” a passive act. (260). Her doing so represents the lack of agency she has in her situation; although she chooses to swallow the gold, it is the object, not her own hand, t...

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... passing. There are no links between her and the immortals, nor is she graced with obligations given to her by the goddess. Therefore it is evident that San chieh’s death is significantly more paramount to the story than her sister’s.

San chieh’s public and passionate suicide represents what most women who have little power in their lives wish to accomplish. Her death wins her the love and favor of her once-betrothed as well as the affection of the immortals. We have seen many women kill themselves rather than face disgrace or an un pleasant situation; it is the redeeming refuge of those who are weak and have little ability to control their own lives. When the situation becomes more than they can bear, this becomes their last exertion of personal will, in the hopes that they will be mourned in death as they were not beloved in life, and cherished by the immortals.