Scan barcode
A review by tessanie
Ostwind - Westwind by Pearl S. Buck
3.0
Pearl S. Bucks first novel „East Wind: West Wind“ published in 1930 depicts the life of a young Chinese woman named Kuei-lan under the influences of traditional eastern culture and modern western lifestyle at the beginning of the XX. century. The east wind is represented mainly by her parents and her husband parents who hold on to their traditional rules and values. The west wind is brought in mostly by her husband who has been studied western medicine and her brother who goes abroad to America for studies and returns married to an American women.
The first part of the book deals with Kuei-lan’s struggles to please her husband. She had been promised to a son of the wealthy K’ung family before she was even born and had ever since been raised and trained to be a respectable wife one day. After her marriage, Kuei-lan does not understand why her husband does not love her, even though she acts exactly as she had been taught. It takes a while until Kuei-lan learns that she can get her husbands attention by breaking a bit with the traditional ideas.
The second part is about Kuei-lan’s brother who had been engaged to a daughter of the respectable Li family, when he was young. Since he was never very eager to get into this marriage, he managed to escape to the US for his studies before he got married to the Li daughter. Years later, he returns married to an American women. Politely and respectfully, he asks his parents to break off the traditional engagement, but they do not accept a foreigner as their daughter.
Kuei-lan is torn between her parents and her brother. On one side, her mother who gets weaker and weaker and wishes so much for a great-son by her only son, and on the other side, her brother who married the American woman because of love and wishes his wife to be accepted by his family.
The character cast is very limited and only a few characters get names.
Kuei-lan’s father is the lead of a traditional influence-rich Chinese family. Her mother is the first wife of her father and therefore the first dame at court, who is conservative and serious about the traditional rules. She has one son, Kuei-lan’s brother, who is very interested in science and western culture. He convinces his parents to let him go abroad to study in the US. Kuei-lan’s father has three concubines, who all struggle with the lost of Kuei-lan’s father’s attention.
Wang Da Ma is the first servant of Kuei-lan’s mother. She took care about the children ever since.
Kuei-lan’s husband is the sixth son of the K’ung family. Since his older brothers only have daughters, the birth of his son is greatly appreciated. Kuei-lan’s husband has studied western medicine. He is very open-minded towards the western culture and believes that the Chinese people can learn from the western people, too. He is friends with the Chinese family Liu who lives a modern lifestyle and an American family who lives in China.
Kuei-lan’s brother returns from the US married to an American woman called Mary. Mary is accepting to give up her life in America in order to live with her Chinese husband in China. Though many Chinese traditions and rituals seem weird to her, she tries to integrate and to be accepted by her parents-in-law.
The topic of this story is due to the setting the life in China at the beginning of the XX. century under the increasing influence of America. While the elder Chinese people hold on to their traditional values, the younger generation is open to learn about another culture. The main message of the story is not to take over the American culture as it is, but to get the best out of two cultures.
Strongly influenced by the modernization of this country with such a long traditional history are family conflicts between different generations. Since the younger generation starts to break with the traditional rules and stops to act exactly as their parents want them to.
The story is told from Kuei-lan’s point of view while she addresses her thoughts to a person she calls „sister“. The only information given about this sister is that she is neither a Chinese person, nor a complete foreigner, but that this woman is from the US though she lived many years in China under Chinese people that she would understand their thoughts. This person is probably not Mary or the woman of the American family her husband is friends with since Kuei-lan talks about them. The person stays outside the story, maybe it is Pearl S. Buck herself.
Astonishingly fascinating story that gives a huge inside look into the life in China at the beginning of the XX. century and the quests young Chinese people had to face torn between the eastern tradition and the western ideas.
The first part of the book deals with Kuei-lan’s struggles to please her husband. She had been promised to a son of the wealthy K’ung family before she was even born and had ever since been raised and trained to be a respectable wife one day. After her marriage, Kuei-lan does not understand why her husband does not love her, even though she acts exactly as she had been taught. It takes a while until Kuei-lan learns that she can get her husbands attention by breaking a bit with the traditional ideas.
The second part is about Kuei-lan’s brother who had been engaged to a daughter of the respectable Li family, when he was young. Since he was never very eager to get into this marriage, he managed to escape to the US for his studies before he got married to the Li daughter. Years later, he returns married to an American women. Politely and respectfully, he asks his parents to break off the traditional engagement, but they do not accept a foreigner as their daughter.
Kuei-lan is torn between her parents and her brother. On one side, her mother who gets weaker and weaker and wishes so much for a great-son by her only son, and on the other side, her brother who married the American woman because of love and wishes his wife to be accepted by his family.
The character cast is very limited and only a few characters get names.
Kuei-lan’s father is the lead of a traditional influence-rich Chinese family. Her mother is the first wife of her father and therefore the first dame at court, who is conservative and serious about the traditional rules. She has one son, Kuei-lan’s brother, who is very interested in science and western culture. He convinces his parents to let him go abroad to study in the US. Kuei-lan’s father has three concubines, who all struggle with the lost of Kuei-lan’s father’s attention.
Wang Da Ma is the first servant of Kuei-lan’s mother. She took care about the children ever since.
Kuei-lan’s husband is the sixth son of the K’ung family. Since his older brothers only have daughters, the birth of his son is greatly appreciated. Kuei-lan’s husband has studied western medicine. He is very open-minded towards the western culture and believes that the Chinese people can learn from the western people, too. He is friends with the Chinese family Liu who lives a modern lifestyle and an American family who lives in China.
Kuei-lan’s brother returns from the US married to an American woman called Mary. Mary is accepting to give up her life in America in order to live with her Chinese husband in China. Though many Chinese traditions and rituals seem weird to her, she tries to integrate and to be accepted by her parents-in-law.
The topic of this story is due to the setting the life in China at the beginning of the XX. century under the increasing influence of America. While the elder Chinese people hold on to their traditional values, the younger generation is open to learn about another culture. The main message of the story is not to take over the American culture as it is, but to get the best out of two cultures.
Strongly influenced by the modernization of this country with such a long traditional history are family conflicts between different generations. Since the younger generation starts to break with the traditional rules and stops to act exactly as their parents want them to.
The story is told from Kuei-lan’s point of view while she addresses her thoughts to a person she calls „sister“. The only information given about this sister is that she is neither a Chinese person, nor a complete foreigner, but that this woman is from the US though she lived many years in China under Chinese people that she would understand their thoughts. This person is probably not Mary or the woman of the American family her husband is friends with since Kuei-lan talks about them. The person stays outside the story, maybe it is Pearl S. Buck herself.
Astonishingly fascinating story that gives a huge inside look into the life in China at the beginning of the XX. century and the quests young Chinese people had to face torn between the eastern tradition and the western ideas.