The Tale of Kieu by Du - Essay Example

KIEU Essay –Theme 2 Existence of rules and regulations are necessary in every society. The rules are made to ensure people are morally guided and respect each other. In the Tale of Kieu by Du, the Vietnamese society is guided by rules, laws and regulations that may be confusing but were set to ensure the society was morally upright. The main character Kieu can be said to have a liberal personality and can make her own decisions without taking into account the norms set by the patriarchal society. Going against the rules and regulations set be the society is considered immoral (Colet 44). Although it may be assumed that the spirit behind Kieu’s decision to engage in immoral activities is ethical, the actions the she takes are immoral and against the standards set by the society. Kieu’s liberal personality is revealed when she decides to engage in prostitution in order to cater for the needs for her family. Kieu was well educated and had a bright future ahead, but problems befall her family. As a result, she takes the path of prostitution and becomes a victim of circumstances. According to her society, prostitution is immoral and an abuse of womanhood, but Kieu takes a bold step to engage in it in order to assist her brother and father. The spirit behind her decision to join prostitution in order to assist her family may be taken as a moral action, but in the real sense and based on her society’s norms, it is immoral (Du 151). Kieu falls in love with Kim. Both are teenagers but they follow their desires to develop a passionate relationship. The society prohibits teenage relationship because they are likely to fall into temptation and engage in sexual intercourse. The society is against the relationship, but Kieu’s liberal personality enables her to fall in love with Kim, thus breaking the social norms set by her community. Although Kieu may be considered to be moral when she decided to preserve herself until marriage when her boyfriend Kim tried to make sexual advances to her, the whole relationship is immoral because it contravenes the basic moral codes that prohibit sexual relationships between teenagers (Du 118). Judging whether Kieu’s actions are moral or immoral depends on the society that one is coming from. Every society defines morality in its own context. Looking at Kieu’s character, it is somehow admirable because she loves her family more than herself and decides to practice prostitution in order to save them. If Kieu were a selfish individual, she would have agreed to get married to Kim and leave her family to suffer. Therefore, in another context, her decisions are admirable and she can be considered to be a bright person. She chooses to assist her family, even though it meant going against social norms and beliefs. Nevertheless, her actions cannot be taken to be those of a hero because the path of prostitution is not a correct one and is not acceptable in any society. Prostitution is immoral and is taken to be lack of respect to oneself and the society at large. Kieu could have made other choices rather than prostitution. Many bright girls around the globe face similar circumstances in life, and prostitution to a morally upright person is immoral. Even though Kieu proved to be morally upright when Kim made sexual advances to her, she later proved to be a weak human being who uses family as a reason to practice prostitution. It is clear that her decision to practice prostitution could not be deterred by social norms and so she had to follow her liberal attitudes to do what fulfilled her desire and what she felt was good for her and her family (McLeod and Nguyen 69). Morals are ethics that determine whether the behavior of an individual is good or bad. Every society has its own way of expressing moral behavior and ethics. One may be faced by a situation where the moral behavior can be abandoned in order to save another from bigger problems. For instance, Kieu is forced to join the brothel and start practicing prostitution in a bid to save her father and brother. The moral conduct she chose was to save her father from further problems. The intent of saving her family from problems is an ethical decision, but the choice she made to joint prostitution was unethical and unacceptable to any particular society. Therefore, morals can be considered to change from time to time depending on the situation facing the victim. Kieu had proven to be morally upright before by remaining uptight and strong when Kim tried to make sexual advances to her. Instead, she promised him that she would remain pure and truthful to Kim. Additionally, she also respect her family values by remaining pure, because the relationship with Kim was not acceptable to her father. However, her promises to retain chastity by not engaging in sexual relationship with Kim are hypocritical because she engages in prostitution, which soils her purity (Du 159). Therefore, her choice of prostitution can be taken to be wrong but her intent is pure and just. Kieu’s immorality can also be seen when she refuses to respect her father’s wish and instead, decides to love Kim. Kieu could have made choices other than that of prostitution if she knew it was affecting the entire society. Kieu also decided to break the pledge of marriage she had made to Kim. She resented her past behavior and refused to marry Kim to protect him from the shame of the society. Kieu acknowledges her past behavior and is ashamed of what she did. Even though circumstances had forced her to join prostitution, she acknowledges her mistakes and tells Kim that he needs a pure wife and not a person with an ugly past. As a result of her vices, she can be considered immoral, even though she had to make independent decision in doing what she considered was good for her (McLeod and Nguyen 77). The decision whether to judge Kieu being immoral or moral depends on the reader. Kieu proved to be a brave person by deciding to save her family through prostitution – an act that was not acceptable in her society. In addition, she engages in a relationship against the will of her father and the society but her independent and liberalized personality enables her to continue with the relationship. Although the reader may perceive her action to be morally upright, her action based on social norms can be judged as immoral. Works Cited Colet, John. Vietnam Handbook. US: Footprint Travel Guides, 2002. Print. Du, Nguyen. The Tale of Kieu. Trans. Huynh Sanh Thong. Yale: Yale University, 1983. Print. McLeod, Mark W., and Thi Die Nguyen. Culture and Customs of Vietnam. US: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. Print. Read More