A New Study on the “Second Master”

Abstract

Throughout the research history of Dream of the Red Chamber, though character analyses are in the majority, the interpretations of male characters in the book are still limited, shallow, and biased. This defect is particularly noted in the studies on the male protagonist, a growing teenager, who guides the narrative perspective and presents an unfledged temperament and disposition. Researchers are so deeply trapped in the current research perspective, which is dominated by modern ideologies, that they often understand and interpret the character through the lens of isolated and laissez-faire individualism and therefore ignore or even deny the importance of growth and education. The distorted perspective also leads to misinterpretations of the meaning and value of other senior male characters. Even when the topic of “growth” is introduced into character analysis, the male characters who have grown out of childhood or adolescence are simply subject to negative criticism in most cases. In fact, the novelist examines various life issues in depth, understands and respects the meaning and value of different people at their different stages, and unfolds a profound, complex, and polyphonic world in the book. The same is true of the shaping of male characters. They are not meant to serve as the opposite of maiden worship which centers around females or youth. In the family narrative, which is the grand context for and superior to the worship of girls, the growth of men is actually far more significant, with “becoming a father” as their ultimate value. I have pointed out in my previous research that the existence of Jia Zheng (賈政) in the book is to embody the naming, functions, and shaping of the “father”, completely presenting the process and significance of a male growing from a boy to a man and to a father. Therefore, the novelist intentionally took the word “Zheng” (政), which literally means politics, as his name, because it not only complies with the moral standard for traditional gentlemen as “Zheng” (政) sounds the same as “Zheng” (正), which means righteousness, but also implies the Confucian teaching that practicing filial piety and brotherhood at home is just as engaging as in politics outside. Based on this preliminary research, a further study can be conducted on the special settings of the important heirs in traditional extended families, including the design of Jia Zheng being the second child among family peers, in order to figure out the deep implications. This chapter focuses on the phenomenon of Jia Zheng being called “Second Master”, and then further extends to the deep meaning implied by all those who have the title of “Second Master” in the book.