Ba Jin And Zhang Ailing's Family Novels' Comparasion

Exposing the shortcomings and evils of the feudal family system was a lasting theme in the Chinese literature in the first half of the 20th century. Ba Jin and Zhang Ailing were the most successful writers whose writings were involved in this kind of theme. They presented their own unique views and special feelings about the feudal family system. They simultaneously put their focuses on the feudal family system and exposed how it declined and then broke up. The Gao Residence in Torrent Triology, the Yang Residence in Diverticulum Garden, the Jiang Residence in The Golden Lock and the Bai Residence in Love in a Destroyed City had become symbols of the degrading feudal culture and the deteriorated social system. The old family system, which was once magnificent, was on the edge of collapse because of the old generation's unconscious degradation and the new generation's depression. The two writers had different point of views on the deconstruction of the core of the feudal family system.Ba Jin concerned about the common situation, mainly criticizing the man's special rights while Zhang Ailing emphasized on the abnormal situations of family, focusing on the deconstructing of the men's distortion and deformity. Ba Jin described the termination of the fatherhood and accused of the depression and jugulation of the humanity through the description of the tragedy the female in the old family system. Zhang Ailing observed people's selfishness, weakness and vagueness with her clear but cold eyes, mediating the plaintive and the evil women.Ba Jin successfully created a group of new rebellious female characters who made a sharp contrast with those tragic females, pointing out the way for women's liberation. Zhang Ailing regarded leaving home as a degage and futile behaviour and an absurd drama. She stressed the understanding of the females and overthrew the "May Fourth" female myth. Ba Jin presented the topic of the dynamics and conflicts, which reflected the fact that the old force was falling apart while the new force was growing, in his works to show his concern of the nation and its people. His works were filled with the social changes, characterized by the times, presenting a sorrowful bright future. Zhang Ailing mainly stressed the static aspects of people's lives. In her novels, there were neither conflicts between the old and the new generations nor the conflicts between the good and the evil. Everyone had his own merits and demerits. Every face was pale, paltry, hollow and some sort of foolish and wore the hardships of life. The whole atmosphere was gloomy and cold, just like a field of moving sand, with no destination. Ba Jin's works presented the flow of passion, wholly pervaded the fierce feeling while Zhang Ailing's works presented the original form of the feudal family system, with her unique keenness and fineness. The readers can use their intelligence to analyze this original form but may not figure out its full connotation. They may be enlightened by the symbol hither and thither.The two writers' temperamental differences lie in the aptitude differences of different sexes as well as in the different culturalcharacters.