Xue Baochai's character image.
Xue Baochai is one of the core characters in "Dream of Red Mansions", and her image is complex and rich. She is not only a loyal believer and conscious executor of feudal etiquette, but also a pathetic martyr.
Xue Baochai has a beautiful appearance, smooth muscles and bones, and elegant manners. She is keen on the "career economy", abides by the feudal women's morality, and the city government is quite deep, can win the hearts of the people, and is praised by the whole Jiafu.
Values and behaviour.
Xue Baochai respects his elders, is filial to his parents, and cares for his sisters, which has been praised by Jia's mother and others. She is also Jia Baoyu's wife, taking on the responsibilities of a wife and trying to maintain family harmony. Although Xue Baochai seems to be sleek and sophisticated on the surface, in fact she does not pursue too much worldly fame and fortune. At critical moments, she dared to insist on her personality and showed her resistance to feudal etiquette.
Relationship with Jia Baoyu.
The marriage between Xue Baochai and Jia Baoyu was handled by Jia's mother, Mrs. Wang, and others. Because the two parties did not have common ideals and interests, Jia Baoyu could not forget his bosom friend Lin Daiyu, and soon after marriage, he became a monk. Xue Baochai had no choice but to stay alone in the empty boudoir and hold a grudge for life.
The difference in readers' evaluation of Xue Baochai.
There have always been different views on the character of Xue Baochai. Some people think that Lin Daiyu is sour and mean, narrow-minded, and loves to make small children, while Baochai is dignified and steady, gentle and generous, and open-minded; Some people think that Baochai is cold and ruthless, hypocritical and treacherous, and is a "female Cao Cao". The fact that there are diametrically opposed views on the same character is of course a reason why the benevolent and the wise have their own opinions, and at the same time it also shows the complexity, richness and objectivity of the description.
In general, Xue Baochai is a female figure who sticks to herself in feudal society, but is deeply constrained. Her intelligence, tenacity, and ability to think independently make her an important character to be reckoned with in Dream of Red Mansions.