An Analysis of The Makeup Artist from Hell - Book Report/Review Example

Heekwon Chung 0002018592 E331 Final Paper 1st Draft Stephen R. Bokenkamp Spring Semester 2007 An Analysis of "The Make-up Artist from Hell" The Tang dynasty (618-907) was followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in ancient China. The Tang period was called the hey-day of literature, and also the most famous literary men like To fu(712-770), Li Bai(701-762) and Wang wei(698-759) got into the scene. Before analyzing the literature, we should focus how Tang dynasty's culture became prominent and well-known among other dynasties. Aside from the different ideas that the period have raised, it also created a society of thinkers who recreated China. One thing that shouldn't be ignored was the different ideas that during that time proliferated and flourished and made up the dynasty. In this case, it can be said that the literature during the Tang period had a certain identity to represent their own social situations and life based on different philosophical thoughts. Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism were representative philosophical and religious beliefs. Especially, they were not only and not just ethical and philosophical system but also a great influence to literature of the period. From these three complex systems, inkling about some issues such as life, death, suffering, and happiness can be derived. For example, the story of "An Account of the Governor of the Southern Branch", that we learned in class, was written Li Kung-tso can be enjoyed and treated as a normal fiction, if it was not connected with Taoism. There was one protagonist who just enjoyed a gleeful life and it seemed as if he lived a life of dreams like he dreamed that he experienced marriage with a princess, being a governor and living a wonderful life that he could not really experience in his real life. And then after waking up from his dreams, he realized that everything was mere creation of the mind. It just looks like fantasy that we could meet in our life. But, with the Taoism, values in life are looked into deeply. It's a kind of revelation of 'way' that is associated with proper attitude, morality and good lifestyle which expresses transience of human life. Like this short story, the story of "The make-up Artist from Hell", that will be analyzed, can also be related with Taoism and Buddhism, especially on how people of the period viewed after life and hell. The story of "The Make-up Artist from Hell" which was written by a person who lived during the Tang period, leads one to believe to a seemingly simple story of a living and after death experience. But the wholeness of it can be associated and be understood through the use of elements that represent the society, specifically women's status during the Tang period. The readers are immediately faced to a situation of a typical leader, an image that is to be respected as for the husband is a magistrate in the place. The wife was also given the identity of being clever and beautiful and in addition to that "presentable" as what they should be not only in stories of a common "emperor-empress" relationship but in the real-life situation of China. The obvious and known idea of a feudal society may be blamed for the setting set for the readers. So the woman, the protagonist of the story was the center, where everything that happened in the story "The Make-up Artist from Hell" was centered to her. From the time of her "good life" with the magistrate, which was not presented or tackled thoroughly, to the time of her death and her coming back to life, her identity was the focus or in other words, the major character and the one being waited for by the readers. This is ironic since just the idea of a woman carrying any sort of major dealings like in the story for example (which may greatly affect the ideas of the commoners and the society as a whole through literature), is not normal. Another reason why the story is set beyond the "common" is because it is a story of a woman. Yes, a woman, where until now is still a major issue in China. Although it is understood that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a great change in the status of Chinese women, where it can be said that they were "enlightened" and for a while saw the real situation on where to stand in the society. Their significance stood for a time being and this is where the story being tackled now can be referenced to. So the woman whose name was Wei Huang died, that exactly was the time when the readers were set to a new setting, a new situation. It also marked a new perception and idea for the readers to open up for a possibility of believing to the unnatural. What then is this unnatural thing that the readers are being prepared to Supposedly it was the remarkable challenge of life after death but that was just an outer cover. The big thing that the readers are being prepared to is the challenge of accepting the fact that women, like in the story have a "voice" that needs to be heard. Like, there wasn't much exposure for the magistrate in the story, he also did not play much part in the "saving grace," or in other words, did not do anything for the betterment of any situation in the story whereas in the common Chinese story, men always fix the situation and their talents and abilities always save the day. This idea was further stretched out in the story when the woman protagonist found another chance and a favor from hell because of her ability to dye things red. Given the fact that red symbolizes festivities and celebration, it also meant that the character aside from being saved by her clever attitude, she also possessed the ability to direct fate towards "the positive result." The woman had her way to success and she can direct herself to the path that she wanted. In addition, Huang also brought home through the maid's body, some curtain coins which according to her were so heavy that even forty ghosts couldn't lift. The coins as large as serving platters that were brought from hell could mean wealth that no ordinary man could attain. Yet, it was not suggested that only extraordinary women like Wei Huang are the only ones who can do whatever is beyond normal. The mention of the maid and Wei's sisters is an example of this. The story also maintained the idea of women in the Tang period to be different from other periods because of the courage that they posses in stating what they feel and communicating what they think about different matters especially that of the society. The female protagonist in the story fought over the privilege to go back to the real world and at the same time insisted that someone else do the literal dyeing and that only her ideas about the said task would be used from her. While putting the female's status in the limelight, the story also did not part from the realm of the "real" with the presence of the maid doing the dirty job. Since Huang had the idea and talent of dyeing, it was for the maid to actualize the talent of Wei Huang. This only means that many women are still left to the undying "biases" of the Chinese culture as to the way women are treated, and that's none other than subordinate of men. The enlightenment for women during the Tang period however did not ensure equal rights for all women. They might have been exposed to what must have been done to attain equal rights, yet not all had the chance to feel what it was like to oppose the norms, the way of the of the feudal society to disregard women as living humans. That was how the story became successful. There was much opportunity for the story to achieve balance. Not only did it show the "what should be" for women (through Wei Huang) but it also showed the "what they were" during other periods (through the maid) which can also be seen to have extended its reach to the present since biases to women are still visible in the present China. The Make-up Artist from Hell also explored on the human side of the protagonist as she dealt with the emotions toward her sisters and her husband. It is visible in the story that in the end of the story, there was really no antagonist but the feelings that unexpectedly showed through the poems that she wrote first to her younger sisters, then to her husband, and finally to her elder sister. To her younger sisters that she wrote: The length of our lives is fated; That evanescent flower is not real. My heart broken, here in the Yellow Springs, My despondancy is hard to relate. Ch'i, ch'i, the wind in the white poplars. The setting sun brings grief. Here, the readers are faced to the feelings of sorrow and frustration. These emotions were felt in the underworld. The Yellow Springs is a positive term for "after death." As death itself is considered as a gateway to a new world, the protagonist seemed to have not met what everyone (including her) expected like the feeling of hope and new life after death. It was sorrow of leaving and not the colorful and life-filled parting that the protagonist felt over her death. This part of the story contradicts the usual optimistic view of the world where it is said that loved ones should not grieve over the one who died because he's already spared from the problems of the chaotic world, instead, it should be the relatives or the living who should be pitied on because they are still to face the world's challenges. The feeling and expression were almost the same as she related her passing from life to her husband. I could not take care of you for long - The tender hibiscus of spring. Our old jaunts are now forever ended; The Yellow Springs are now my home. Yellow Springs was once again mentioned in this POEM. The readers got to feel and to see a life that was lifeless after death. There is a setting, a place to go, yet the place is somewhere no one wanted to go. It was very clear that the place was hell, but no other description was given except for "Yellow Springs." It can be recalled that in the beginning, there was a line from Wei when she questioned her sister's statement about hell. "Did you see instruments of torture there, like the vats of boiling flesh and the sword trees" her older sister asked. "What sort of person do you think I am" Huang replied. Later, Huang possessed the body of the family maid and said: "The Lord of the Underworld is about to marry off his daughter. He found out that I am skilled at applying makeup and asked to see me. Tomorrow is the big day. I will come back after the ceremony is over." Wei was pessimistic even after dying as she was thinking that she was even blessed to have found favor for her talent and because of that, she had the chance to return home and tell her family about it.. The Yellow Springs, her new home where she could no longer see her husband, was the same place that she was imagining for her and her husband. Although her husband was still alive, her longing to be with him again was obvious and it was the same longing that she felt for her sisters. The strong image created by the red color which was mentioned several times in the story can also mean another thing, bravery (Wei was brave enough to attain what she wanted even after her death). A while ago it was discussed that for Chinese, the color red symbolizes celebration. But the same color is also a symbol of prosperity, which was the aim of Wei Huang. She wanted to be successful not just when she was alive but also even after death. Her hands were made for glory and for success. She insisted on her name to be not just a woman but an achiever. Her status is a status of a prominent person. He longing is that of a powerful identity which supposedly even death has no say. She brought the red color to her death, she brought her power, her skill and talent in the underworld where she did not fail to catch attention. Another poem for her elder sister was made through the maid that goes: I have used heart's red to let you know me. But, worried about past and future, you settle in doubt. The exorcism writs you proffer mark your own book of life. And what will that holy peach branch do for you This poem refers to the doubt that was shown during the time that she tried to borrow the maid to help her do her task in hell. The violation of trust caused the protagonist pain in her heart. Although she was able to get the maid and brought her to hell, there was already a mark of some sort in her heart, the mark of distrust created by the sister. Such petty problematic situations show that the woman protagonist is still human, no matter how strong and skillful she is. Just like the leaders of the old China, or the mighty rulers of great empires, their identities also include internal chaos. Humans no matter how great are always subject internal conflicts, a battle within themselves which may be caused by external forces like family feuds or misunderstandings. The writing of the poems after she died was one problematic issue in the story. Could she have written the poems before she died or while she was in the status of the "living" The woman protagonist could also have said the words while her soul was in the body of the maid but she chose to write it in poetry. It can be analyzed that during the period of where women learned and accepted more ideas about their social status which was during the Tang period. There was already the proliferation of literature through poetry and it has contributed much to the so-called "change" that's brought by time. Many women already indulged in writing as another form of freedom and another form of voice in the society. Then the issue of immediacy on why did she not tell the message prior to her death can be blamed to experience itself. It is assumed that humans act in response to a certain event whether it is positive or not. Wei Huang might not have predicted both her death and the dubious identity of her sister. It was only after a loss that humans realize the importance of someone or something. In Huang's case, more than realization of her lost life was also a corrected idea or perception toward hell or after life. In the story it appeared that she was mistaken in thinking that it was an unending happy life that awaits her after death. It was nothing but the Yellow Springs of hell and not the clear flowing spring of life on earth. The story ended with poems and certainly it was not a happy ending. The person in the poems was obviously the woman protagonist. The poems were clear and concise and they were straight. In the absence of her last actions after the big event in hell, there was no mention of any happening except for her writing a poem through her maid. This only symbolizes the hopeless status of the woman protagonist as she already resigned to the idea of "living." She might have tried to fight over the idea of passing through life, yet in the end, her lack of any further action stated that her new life is already in the world of the lifeless, that's hell. In the story, everything is balanced, from life to after death, from gifts and blessedness to misfortunes and from happiness to sorrow, all of which can be related to death and human's fate. Yet, this is not the main concern of the story. What is focused upon is the strength of a woman, her ideals and her battles in the midst of all these changes that happen to her life. Perhaps others might oppose this view of equality of men and women during the Tang period, but what is real is obvious. It may be covered but the cover itself shows the shadow of truth, that women in the said period tried to shout and had lifted their voices not just to society but also to themselves. They somehow believed in their existence as "real," a better view compared to the idea of the feudal world where women are denied of their existence. And yes, it is true that the story gave the readers a glimpse of the idea of the after life, a situation that can partly answer human's query of life's permanence and or evolution. Like everything in the world gets affected by the past, even the T'ang dynasty. Basically, the cultures that can be seen through its literature or the stories such as "The Make-up Artist from Hell" are representations of its time. We have seen through the story not just people's acceptance of the idea of the after life but also how their reaction on it. Wei, who was able to experience being in two worlds somehow made a difference in a way that she brought the readers with her in the real situation of humans experiencing wealth and joy and being in the underworld where souls of the dead meet. And to finally clear things up, the story presented the realistic status of T'ang women and at the same time tackled the issue on Chinese belief on the after life. The story may be a fiction that can be made through man's imagination, yet it is a mirror of the T'ang period which was shown in a very simple manner, in a very simple story of "The Make-up Artist from Hell." Citation The Make-up Artist from Hell. The Tang Dynasty ( 618 - 907 BC ). April 3, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Dynasty_art#Poetry http://dictionary.reference.com/translate/ Read More