Friendship and Stregnth

What happens when traditional gender roles are ignored within a strictly traditional society?  Can old friendships be renewed? What is the secret of strength?

Wing Chun was released in Hong Kong in 1994.  It was directed by Woo-Ping Yang and starred Michelle Yeoh in the title role.  This romantic comedy, which doubles as a Kung Fu movie, took place in a 19^th century remote Chinese village with a chronic bandit problem.  Who do the villagers hide behind?  Wing Chun.  Wing Chun is a woman kung fu master, and the best one in the village.  Her name is called when a champion is needed, and this stirs up strong resentment among the young men in the village.  Her success also disturbs the Flying Chimpanzee, the leader of the bandits, and he vows to remove her from the picture. 

Wing Chun is very different from the other young women of the village, and she makes no effort to fit in.  She dresses in men’s clothing, much to the dismay of her father, who fears Wing Chun will never marry.  Wing Chun’s Aunt Fong does appreciate her abilities, but also encourages her to become more feminine.  Aunt Fong is a shrewd businesswoman who helps to run the family-owned tofu shop.  While this shop offers quality tofu, few patronize it.  “Packaging matters,” Aunt Fong advises Wing Chun; a pretty saleswoman would attract more customers.  Aunt Fong does not entirely fill the traditional gender role herself; she is also unmarried and has little hope of changing this status.  Men are frightened away by her business sense, her brash manner, and her bad breath.

The only man who shows an interest in Wing Chun is Scholar Chow.  This is not out of love, however.  Scholar Chow only wants free protection against the bandits.

Wing Chun’s masculine behavior and lack of suitors are strongly contrasted by a new arrival to the village: a beautiful young widow, aptly named Charmy.  Charmy’s beauty attracts the attention of every young man in town, and the bandits as well.   Wing Chun and Charmy become very good friends.  Charmy, dressed in Wing Chun’s old feminine clothing, looks remarkably like Wing Chun did several years earlier.  She also becomes the new ‘Miss Tofu’ and business booms at the tofu shop.
The plot thickens when Leung Pok To, a childhood sweetheart of Wing Chun, arrives in town.  He mistakes Charmy for Wing Chun, since Charmy was running the tofu shop and was dressed as Wing Chun formerly did.  He immediately endeavors to rekindle their old relationship.  He mistakes Wing Chun, dressed in men’s clothing, for a man.  (We can only assume that he had poor eyesight.)

      As the story progresses, The Flying Chimpanzee continues his raids against the village.  Wing Chun wins several individual battles, but is unable to win a decisive victory or stop the continued raids.  Pok To discovers his mistake and seeks the real Wing Chun, despite her lack of femininity.  However, Wing Chun’s first concern is ending the notorious career of the Flying Chimpanzee.

      With the advice of her former teacher, and help from Pok To, Wing Chun realizes where her true strength lies.  She challenges the Flying Chimpanzee to one final battle – his favorite twelve-foot iron spear against her two small knives.   Very unfair odds, it may seem, until she brings the fight into a ten-foot room.  Her victory proves that bigger isn’t always better and brute force isn’t always supreme.  Valuing friendship, seeking advice, and embracing your own unique strengths can make all the difference.  Wing Chun advises the bandits to turn from their crooked ways, an idea that they seem enthusiastic about at the time.  I can’t imagine such an arrangement lasting very long, however.

      In the end, Wing Chun forsakes men’s clothing and the practice of Kung Fu in order to become the wife of Pok To. They leave the village to begin their life together. 

      Scholar Chow?  He married Aunt Fong.  They fell in love with each other’s money.

      And Charmy, whose one ambition is to find true love and settle down to raise a family, is sadly left unmarried and alone.  With all the attention that she attracts, she shouldn’t have to wait long to find the right man.  In the meantime, the tofu business has never been better.

Motivations

     How are priorities decided?  What drives people to make certain choices?   In Introduction to Psychology, we recently discussed Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.  These are a ranking of priorities, off of which many of life’s decisions are based.  First comes the need to meet the physical requirements for survival, or the need for food, water, and shelter.  Once these basic needs are met, the need for safety and organization takes priority.  After this, people tend to seek love and belongingness.  After love comes the need for esteem, including self-esteem, achievement, independence, and respect and recognition from others.  The next level is self-actualization, or the need to live up to one’s fullest potential.  The highest level is self-transcendence, or the need to find meaning or purpose in life.  Throughout The Thief and the Dogs, Said Mahran seeks to meet needs on all of these levels in an action-packed adventure by Naguib Mahfouz.
      The story opens when Said Mahran is released from jail after serving a two-year sentence for robbery.  During this time, a revolution has occurred in Egypt, and while his former associates have adjusted to a new social order, Said has not.  His first thoughts are of his ex-wife, Nabawiyya, and his former partner in crime, Ilish.  Also paramount in Said’s thoughts is his desire to see Sana, his young daughter.  Through the past two years, thoughts of Sana have been like a light in the darkness.  He quickly arranges a meeting, only to have his high hopes dashed to pieces.  Sana, whose precious memory had comforted him through two long and lonely years in an Egyptian jail, rejects him completely.  Said discovers that his ex-wife and former partner love each other and had informed the police of his activities two years previously, leading to his arrest.  Finding no place in the home or hearts of his former family, Said resentfully moves on.
       Hatred and revenge cloud Said’s vision.  Hatred and revenge against his cheating wife, Nabawiyya, his double-crossing partner, Ilish, and against Rauf Ilwan, a former teacher who also rejects Said due to a drastic change in social circumstances since the revolution.  After committing further crimes and failing in his revenge, Said takes refuge in the home of the Sheik, his father’s spiritual leader.  Said had not seen the Sheik for ten years, and was not as religious as his father had been.  But the Sheik welcomes him and provides him with food and shelter.  Said also seeks safety in the house of the Sheik, and though the Sheik assures him of this safety, Said is unsatisfied.  The Sheik has achieved the final goal, self-transcendence, and his tendency to focus on higher spiritual goals leaves Said feeling distanced.  While the Sheik’s spiritual values had been familiar to Said since childhood, they no longer coincide with his own personal goals.  As Said said to himself, “I am alone with my freedom, or rather I’m in the company of the Sheik, who is lost in heaven, repeating words that cannot be understood by someone approaching hell” (33).
       Again moving on, Said finds food, shelter, safety, and also love in the home of a former girlfriend, Nur.  Nur provides for his needs and brings him news.  She also helps him to acquire a soldier’s uniform, adding to his feelings of security.  He again strives to accomplish his revenge, meeting with further failures.  Failure to accomplish his purpose creates a state of frustration-induced stress, a condition which Said intends to rectify at the earliest possible moment. 
     Said inflates certain news to imply that “everyone – all the people except the real robbers – are on my side…” (122).  By the ‘real robbers’, Said refers to the police, his ex-wife, Ilish, and Rauf.  However, even negative newspaper reports condemning Said’s crime fulfill his desire for recognition. 
       In his crusade for revenge, Said has committed two murders.  His bullets did not find their intended marks, however; two innocent people happened to get in the way.  Said does find this regrettable, but “the worst of it is that despite this support from millions of people I find myself driven into dismal isolation…” (123). Despite perceived support for his cause, Said lacks close personal relationships.  His desire for revenge has driven him to forsake even his need for love and self-preservation. 
      Even in committing crimes, Said considered himself to be innocent and his cause to be just.  As Said said to the Sheik after his unsuccessful attempt at revenge, “It’s the guilty who succeed and the innocent who fail” (145).  And also, “I’m confident that I’m in the right” (147). 
     Said looked to revenge to fulfill his need for self-transcendence.  He said of himself, “Does your ruined life have any meaning at all unless it is to kill your enemies?” (112). While he perceives his goals as righteous, he finds himself doubting his eternal future and yet feels incapable of changing it.  He asked the Sheik, in reference to his own life, “Can you straighten the shadow of something crooked?” (146).  And yet Said fully believed that murder was his ultimate destiny. 
     “I won’t die before I kill you,” Said declares towards his enemies (114).  “If there is to be any meaning in life – or in death – I simply have to kill you.  My last outburst of rage at the evil of the world” (114).  This was to be the fulfillment of his highest potential.  Contemplation of completing his revenge gave Said’s life meaning and purpose, fulfilling Maslow’s highest need. 
    And did Said fulfill his purpose?  I won’t spoil the ending of the book for you. 

Adventure, Exploration, and Colonization

     Adventure, exploration, and meeting new people, and ruling the world (or at least a small part of it).  These can be fun.  They are also recurrent themes throughout the study of World Civilizations.  Exploration of the world was common before the time of William Shakespeare, and it would continue to be for many centuries.  Tales of uncharted islands, distant lands filled with wealth and resources, and strange natives filled the accounts of many explorers and popular fiction centuries ago.  The Tempest is one such story reflecting these ideas. 

     Centuries ago, European powers were very interested in acquiring new lands and resources.  The Portuguese colonized Brazil.  The Spanish colonized Mexico and other parts of Latin America.  The Dutch colonized Java.  The British colonized much of what was left.  This usually involved showing up in some distant land and establishing rulership over the local inhabitants.
      The theme of colonization is important in William Shakespeare’s Tempest.  This story takes place on an unnamed and uncharted island.  Many people would like to rule this island, citing the right of possession or birth or might.
      First, Sycorax came to this island from Algeria, having been exiled for sorcery.  If there were native inhabitants there before her, the story does not mention them.  Caliban, the son of Sycorax, was born on this island. 
      At a later time, Prospero and his daughter found themselves on this island after being driven out of Italy.  Prospero had formerly been the duke of Milan, but was usurped by his scheming brother.  On this island, Prospero demonstrates powers of magic that far exceed those which Sycorax had possessed.   At the time in which this story takes place, Sycorax is no longer in the picture. Caliban considered himself to be the rightful king of this island.  However, Prospero overcomes Caliban and claims rulership of this island, making Caliban his servant. 
      While Prospero fully succeeded in claiming ownership of this island, he was not the only one who desired to do so.  A shipwreck strands the Alfonso, the king of Italy, and his party on the shores of this island.  Stephano and Trinculo, two sailors from this shipwreck, come across Caliban.  Caliban, discontented with serving Prospero, plots with these two sailors to overthrow his master.  Stephano imagines himself as king of the island, with Prospero’s daughter Miranda as his queen, and Trinculo and Caliban as dukes. 
      Gonzalo, a friend of King Alfonso, also imagines himself as king of this island.  His plans are slightly different, as he visualizes a utopian society in which there is no work, no education, no marriage, and no government (aside from him being the king).  As far as my studies of World Civilizations, no such type of society has existed, nor would one be possible, although it is interesting to consider. 
       Eventually, everyone comes together in one place, the treachery of Prospero’s brother is brought before the king, and Prospero’s dukedom is restored.  They make plans to return to Italy.  With this conclusion, there are several loose ends. Caliban's fate is uncertain.  Prospero had claimed ownership of Caliban.  And yet, no plans for Caliban’s future were revealed.  Did Prospero take Caliban to Milan and retain him as a servant?  Or was Caliban left on the island to once again become his own king?  Was this island to remain an Italian possession, or was it to be abandoned?  These questions are left unanswered.

The Lion of the Knight

“And what are you trying to find?”

“Adventures…”

This is a book for me!

     Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, is a 12^th century tale written by the French author Chretin de Troyes.  Thankfully, it has been translated into modern English by Burton Raffel.  Featuring knightly battles and derring-do, high adventure and courtly romance, this is the book to have when relaxing by the fireside on a long winter night. 

     While riding through the woods, our gallant knight, Yvain, is attracted by the sounds of a ferocious battle between a lion and a snake.  Not just any ordinary snake - a treacherous, venomous snake with fire leaping from its mouth.  Such a description leaves me visualizing a serpentine, junior-grade dragon.  A chivalrous knight seeking adventure cannot pass by such a battle without becoming involved.  Yvain naturally sides with “that noble, highborn beast”, the lion.  He draws his sword and promptly hacks the treacherous, fire-breathing serpent into little pieces. 

     After finishing off the snake, he turns to meet the lion, naturally expecting no gratitude from a wild animal.  And the sight surprises him:

“Now hear what the lion did!

Showing his nobility and goodness,

He began to make it clear

That he surrendered himself to Yvain:

Placing his front feet together,

He stood erect on his hind legs

And bowed his face toward the earth.

And then he knelt again,

And his face was wet all over

With humble tears” (Yvain, 102-3).

     The descriptions used in these passages make it clear that in the twelfth century, snakes were associated with evil and treachery.  Lions, while respected as wild animals, were associated with nobility, and as we see in later passages, with courage and loyalty as well.

     Yvain and the lion become insepearable and have many adventures together.  Yvain and the lion go hunting together, as one would normally hunt with a hound.  On these hunts, the lion brings deer to Yvain.  At night, the lion stands guard over both Yvain and his horse.  I find it surprising that the horse tolerates such a close proximity of its natural enemy.  When reaching a castle, the servants did not want to allow admittance to Yvain’s faithful companion.  To this, Yvain replied, “If he can’t come in, neither can I.  Either receive us both or I remain out here:  I love him as I love myself” (114).  At this point, it becomes evident just how attached to the lion that Yvain has become.

     The lion fully reciprocates Yvain's attachment, as is shown in other scenes.  Yvain, exhausted and overcome with sorrow at the loss of his lady-love, faints.  The lion, distraught at the apparent death of his master, takes Yvain’s sword in his mouth and intends to end his own life until Yvain revives and prevents him from doing so.  Later, in a terrific battle with an evil giant, the lion comes to Yvain’s aid and together they defeat the giant.  After this fight, Yvain begins to call himself ‘The Knight of the Lion.’

     And so, we have a noble, high-born lion.  A beast possessed amply of both courage and loyalty, and an adoration for his master that would prompt him to end his own life rather than live without him.  Yvain, too, loves the lion and comes to depend on him.  He even changes his title in honor of the lion.  In view of these details, I am left with one nagging question.  Why does this remarkable lion not have a name?

Thoughts on The Life of an Unremarkable Person

     Picture a man who strongly dislikes change.  Dutilleul thrives on the unvarying routine of his daily life, wears old-fashioned clothing, and does not want to try anything new, even something as simple as the way he addresses a letter.  This is the type of character that I can strongly identify with in almost every respect.  I, like Dutilleul, love routine.  My favorite corduroy jacket looks exactly like one from my favorite 1929 movie, and I also strongly dislike change.  Perhaps because of this similarity, but also because of the delightful style and humor, I highly enjoyed Marcel Ayme’s The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls.

Suddenly and by accident, this predictable and ordinary man discovers that he possesses an unusual talent – he can walk through solid walls.  As if this peculiarity was as simple as the common cold, he goes to see a doctor.  The doctor also views Dutilleul’s complaint as something seen every day, and prescribes him pills made of tetravalent pirette powder, ground rice, and centaur hormones.  These pills, along with exercise, are sure to cure Dutilleul’s dreaded abnormality.   This particular passage leaves me extremely curious concerning the variety of doctor that Dutilleul consulted. 

Dutilleul calmly accepts the doctor’s diagnosis and decides not to make any further use of his unusual talent.  He still enters his house by the front door.  He still goes to work as always, still dressed in his old-fashioned clothes, and he still addresses his letters in his customary old-fashioned manner.  This resolve begins to change when Dutilleul finds himself working under a new manager, Monsieur Lécuyer.   Monsieur Lécuyer tries to change and update everything, including the old-fashioned way that Dutilleul addresses letters.  Dutilleul resists, and “disgusted by this backward willfulness, which compromised the success of his reforms, Monsieur Lécuyer relegated Dutilleul to a poorly-lit closet next to his own office. One ...labeled with the following inscription: TRASH.”  This creates enough resentment to inspire Dutilleul to put is head through the wall of Monsieur Lécuyer’s office, and in a scene which fully displays the author’s sense of humor, he calls his boss the nastiest names he can think of: “Monsieur, you are a brute, a boor, and a rascal.”  Dutilleul continues to penetrate the wall of his manager’s office, and after gaining more courage, severely frightens his manager with tales of werewolves.  Within a few days, the nice people in white coats come to take Monsieur Lécuyer to a home for the psychologically disturbed.  At this point, I am beginning to wish I could walk through walls myself. 
 "The first burglary that Dutilleul carried out took place in a large credit establishment on the right bank.” This particular line came as a surprise, as there had been no previous indications of Dutilleul’s criminal tendencies. Such surprises as this keep readers on the edge of their seats throughout the story.  Dutilleul, once very timid, began to outright brag about his villainous escapades.   After all, no prison can hold a man who walks through walls.  He began to wear more modern clothes and became more outspoken.  And he even began to chase women, which led ultimately to his undoing.  In combating a headache, he mistook his centaur hormone pills for aspirin.   Later, in a nocturnal visit to a beautiful blonde, Dutilleul became stuck in a solid wall, where he remains to this day. 

     Yes, this is ultimately a story about the potential of power to bring about corruption.  In the beginning of the story, Dutilleul is very much on the boring end of ordinary.  His acquaintances would not believe him to be capable of crime.  With the discovery of an unusual talent, Dutilleul found within himself the potential for crime, and does things that he would have considered himself incapable of only a few weeks before.  Whether studied as an allegory warning against the corrupting influence of power or simply enjoyed as an account of a man with an unusual talent, The Man Who Walks Through Walls is a fun story to read.