THE DIALOGUE THAT follows may seem tenuous to some, or as Virginia Woolf has aptly stated, “bring one into very grave disputes with certain very good fellows.” I find it of some import to disclaim that I write this article to decry any assumption or expectation that the woman’s place is in the home.
The Domestic Scene
Debating whether to call her partner to commiserate, Ti puts down the phone. What good will come of it, speaking to one whom she suspects, the family disdains and perhaps, even fears? The two have no intention to wed, yet that cultural expectation of any honest (guangming zhengda) relationship to end in marriage, haunts everyone with unvoiced concern. What if she were to marry away (jia chuqu)?
