The novel, Story of the Stone, and play, Tartuffe, are similar in many ways because they reflect the era and the family, the most important institution.

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        Short stories often reflect the era in which they are written. The society of an age is through the eyes of the characters and experiences that they incur throughout the stories. The novel, Story of the Stone, and play, Tartuffe, are similar in many ways because they reflect the era and the family, the most important institution. Parents and their children define the family, although these families prove differently. The setting for Story of the Stone is China and Tartuffe is placed in France during the 17th and 18th century, although the basis of their family is very similar.

A traditional Chinese family would follow the ethics outlined by Confucius. His golden rules for the family would include love, reverence, respect, and humanity. In the Story of the Stone, one would assume that the Jia Family, an elite Chinese household, would follow the principles of Confucius. However, in the analysis it is evident that the Jia Family does not follow the principles of Confucius.

Confucius stated that the parent and child should have a relationship that is loving and reverential. Jia Zheng, the father, and his children have an abusive relationship.  Bao-yu, his son, fears his father’s wrath and is described by Cao Xueqin, the author, as being “hypnotized by fear” (Xueqin, 243). When Jia Zheng instructs Bao-yu to “stay where you are” (Xueqin, 246), he knew it was inevitable that there was no good that could come from this meeting. He burst out screaming, “Go and tell them that Sir Zheng is going to beat me. Quickly! Quickly! Go and tell. GO AND TELL” (Xueqin, 246).  He did not even refer to Jia Zheng as father or have any emotional attachment; he referred to him Sir, which illustrated the authority which Jia Zheng holds. Bao-yu lives in terror of his father’s anger which eventually leads to his brush with death.  

There is a great lack of respect throughout the family. Jia Zheng clearly does not respect his son because he feels that he has not proven himself. He continues to use derogatory phrases, “Merely by fathering a monster like this I have proved myself an unfilial son” (Xueqin, 247). It is painful see this person with such high status that has no compassion for humanity. Jia Zheng orders his pages to, “Gag his mouth. Beat him to death” (Xueqin, 247), speaking of his own son. He is harsh with everyone in the family and threatens, “ if anyone tires to stop me this time, I shall make over my house and property and my post at the ministry and everything else I have to him and Bao-yu” (Xueqin, 246).

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This family does not have the sense of balance and do not follow the theory of Ying and Yang. Jia Zheng is full of Yang; he is so powerful that he destroys his son’s life. Dai-yu, however, has so much Ying that she is the cause of her own weakness. Grandmother Jia knows about the love affair and she does not want it to continue. She seems distant from Dai-yu thinking that she is causing her self to be sick explaining,

“If her illness if of a respectable nature, I do not mind how much we have to spend ...

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