A review by gbmadureira12
Peony by Pearl S. Buck
5.0
4,5 ⭐
Jews have settled in the city of Kaifeng, China since the middle ages. Now in mid-nineteenth century, the community starts to decline in number. Peony is a bondmaid of a child named David, son of Ezra ben Israel, a wealthy jew in the city of Kaifeng. As David grows, Peony grows alongside him, and feelings between the two flourish. Peony is quite aware that she loves David, however she has no pretensions in projecting those feelings further from her heart, as she knows that she is a simple maid. "Peony" is a portrait of a jewish family in China through the lens of the character that gives te title of the romance.
It is written in a beautiful language and sometimes it seems that Pearl S. Buck uses elements of the greek tragedy in its narrative. In fact, one of the main themes regards the forbbiden love of a simple maid that knows her fatum (i.e. her own destiny), there is conflict and then there is catharsis. I will not explore further the narrative so as not to give any spoilers.
However there are several themes that are brought to light in this romance:
1. Aculturation, Intermarriage and Identity:
The family of Ezra ben Israel lives in China, free from antisemitism and with total religious liberty. However Ezra lives in conflict between its jewish faith (regarded as strict, sad and fatidical) and the chinese culture that provides him pleasure, wealth and prosperity. Naomi, his wife, is an orthodox jew who acts as a moral compass for Ezra, and rejects any trace of chinese aculturation of her family. She educates her son, David, as a jew, and tries to solidify that, by trying to marry him with Leah, the daughter of the Rabi. However as the story unfolds, the Ezra family becomes more and more chinese in its customs. This is a major point of inner conflict for everyone in the family and shapes deeply David's psychological development. The synagogue becomes a symbol used by Pearl S. Buck to represent the idea of a "melting pot", as the synagogue becomes more degraded as fewer and fewer jews attend cerimonies.
2. Proto-zionism and anti-semitism:
Naomi believes that she does not belong in China and hopes to return to the "Promised Land". She is a fierce defensor of the ideas that later in history became known as zionism. However, with no land, Naomi believes that her people share the metaphysical land of faith and as such, she tries to preserve the "purity of the blood". Her attempts to marry Leah and David are motivated by the firm belief that her people should remain pure, in order to maintain the jewish faith alive (an thus her metaphysical promised land) until someone guides them back to their physical promised land, according to the prophecies. Anti-semitism doesn't exist in China, but when Kao Lien (a business partner of Ezra) returns from a trip to the West with the news that their people are being murdered, an inner conflict and turmoil emerges in David and the anger towards anti-semitic people shape him deeply.
3. The feminine figure:
In the novel, there are several strong feminine figures that dominate the family. Naomi, as stated before, acts as a moral compass and shadows every thought of Ezra. Peony, the main character, is not only the lens through whom we see the Ezra family, but she is also a major power figure in the house, using psychological tactics to get what she wants and to also guide the family. These two different women clash as one tries to preserve identity and the other tries to accommodate their customs into the chinese way of living. Leah, the daughter of the rabi, commands her own house and bonds with Naomi in an effort to guide David to accept his jewish roots and reject any chinese aculturation. It is also worth mentioning that the elder maid, Wang Ma, acts as Peony's guide, reviewing herself in Peony.
4. David's development and influences:
David is a splited spirited person. On one hand he identifies himself as jew, and the influence of Naomi and Leah shape his heart as such. But on the other hand he preferes the idle life that the chinese provide him. He lives in constant inner turmoil because of these two different dimensions that are antagonic. David makes the reader reflect that the role of parents in shaping one's character is limited and that there are other pressures acting in it, sometimes conflictual pressures. It is interesting to analyze David's growth along the novel and to consider the conflict of "identity vs difusion" that he experiences.
To sum up, "Peony" is a beautiful written novel that provides a glimpse on the jewish diaspora, particularly in the Eastern Asia. Although sometimes melodramatic and soap-operish, Pearl S Buck uses the elements of the narrative in communion with the elements of style to create a dense and rich story, easy to read, being able to bring to light interesting topics. It was a pleasure reading "Peony".
Jews have settled in the city of Kaifeng, China since the middle ages. Now in mid-nineteenth century, the community starts to decline in number. Peony is a bondmaid of a child named David, son of Ezra ben Israel, a wealthy jew in the city of Kaifeng. As David grows, Peony grows alongside him, and feelings between the two flourish. Peony is quite aware that she loves David, however she has no pretensions in projecting those feelings further from her heart, as she knows that she is a simple maid. "Peony" is a portrait of a jewish family in China through the lens of the character that gives te title of the romance.
It is written in a beautiful language and sometimes it seems that Pearl S. Buck uses elements of the greek tragedy in its narrative. In fact, one of the main themes regards the forbbiden love of a simple maid that knows her fatum (i.e. her own destiny), there is conflict and then there is catharsis. I will not explore further the narrative so as not to give any spoilers.
However there are several themes that are brought to light in this romance:
1. Aculturation, Intermarriage and Identity:
The family of Ezra ben Israel lives in China, free from antisemitism and with total religious liberty. However Ezra lives in conflict between its jewish faith (regarded as strict, sad and fatidical) and the chinese culture that provides him pleasure, wealth and prosperity. Naomi, his wife, is an orthodox jew who acts as a moral compass for Ezra, and rejects any trace of chinese aculturation of her family. She educates her son, David, as a jew, and tries to solidify that, by trying to marry him with Leah, the daughter of the Rabi. However as the story unfolds, the Ezra family becomes more and more chinese in its customs. This is a major point of inner conflict for everyone in the family and shapes deeply David's psychological development. The synagogue becomes a symbol used by Pearl S. Buck to represent the idea of a "melting pot", as the synagogue becomes more degraded as fewer and fewer jews attend cerimonies.
2. Proto-zionism and anti-semitism:
Naomi believes that she does not belong in China and hopes to return to the "Promised Land". She is a fierce defensor of the ideas that later in history became known as zionism. However, with no land, Naomi believes that her people share the metaphysical land of faith and as such, she tries to preserve the "purity of the blood". Her attempts to marry Leah and David are motivated by the firm belief that her people should remain pure, in order to maintain the jewish faith alive (an thus her metaphysical promised land) until someone guides them back to their physical promised land, according to the prophecies. Anti-semitism doesn't exist in China, but when Kao Lien (a business partner of Ezra) returns from a trip to the West with the news that their people are being murdered, an inner conflict and turmoil emerges in David and the anger towards anti-semitic people shape him deeply.
3. The feminine figure:
In the novel, there are several strong feminine figures that dominate the family. Naomi, as stated before, acts as a moral compass and shadows every thought of Ezra. Peony, the main character, is not only the lens through whom we see the Ezra family, but she is also a major power figure in the house, using psychological tactics to get what she wants and to also guide the family. These two different women clash as one tries to preserve identity and the other tries to accommodate their customs into the chinese way of living. Leah, the daughter of the rabi, commands her own house and bonds with Naomi in an effort to guide David to accept his jewish roots and reject any chinese aculturation. It is also worth mentioning that the elder maid, Wang Ma, acts as Peony's guide, reviewing herself in Peony.
4. David's development and influences:
David is a splited spirited person. On one hand he identifies himself as jew, and the influence of Naomi and Leah shape his heart as such. But on the other hand he preferes the idle life that the chinese provide him. He lives in constant inner turmoil because of these two different dimensions that are antagonic. David makes the reader reflect that the role of parents in shaping one's character is limited and that there are other pressures acting in it, sometimes conflictual pressures. It is interesting to analyze David's growth along the novel and to consider the conflict of "identity vs difusion" that he experiences.
To sum up, "Peony" is a beautiful written novel that provides a glimpse on the jewish diaspora, particularly in the Eastern Asia. Although sometimes melodramatic and soap-operish, Pearl S Buck uses the elements of the narrative in communion with the elements of style to create a dense and rich story, easy to read, being able to bring to light interesting topics. It was a pleasure reading "Peony".