PAVILION OF WOMEN, PEARL S. BUCK, published in 1946.

PEARL S. BUCK won the PULITZER PRIZE for The Good Earth in 1932. She won the NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE in 1938.

This is my second book by this author, my first one being GOOD EARTH, which I thoroughly enjoyed. A stark difference between the two is that Good Earth is about a man, and the Pavilion of Women is about a lady and the ladies around her, all in close quarters. Like The Awakening by Kate Chopin, this also deals with a woman stuck in a suffocating matrimony.

The book begins with Madam Wu’s fortieth birthday celebrations and her sudden announcement that from then on, her husband needs a concubine. By doing so, she feels she could retire and give her husband the pleasure of a woman much younger than herself, who could also produce children for him. This does come as a shock, and I felt terrible, thinking why one woman in her senses could think of arriving at such a decision. One must bear in mind that the story is set in China before the world war, and the women then had to follow strict family traditions and rules.

Madam Wu goes through an ethical dilemma, debating, arguing, and justifying everything she does in her thoughts. I loved the character Madam Wu, for she is the epitome of resilience, beauty, and courage, a lady who runs the rich household without getting flustered.

Women of that era, be they from any community or country, had to bottle up their wishes and desires and had to give in to the male-dominated, male-centric society. I have heard tales about talented women who had to forego their aptitudes to rear children and merely take on the home front.  A lot has changed and not much has changed too in the so-called modern society where things are brushed under the carpet, calling it customary or ‘things which have been going on for generations’ in one family. It is subtle, but it is still there!

Does a woman have the right to get bored with her life? Can it happen that the mundane life makes her want to run away or do something that takes her mind off the routine? How does society help women when they are burned out? Have you heard of a torturous custom called Foot-binding, where girls’ feet are bound to change shape and size?

Arranged marriages still prevail in India, but can people who have married out of love get bored of each other? What do they do?

“SHE WANTED TO SIT, ALIVE, ALERT, ALONE, SEARCHING OUT THE WHOLE OF HER NEW KNOWLEDGE”

Clarity comes amidst confusion. True to the saying that one learns, unlearns, and relearns to live a good life, Madam Wu gets enlightened, leads a renewed life, and helps other ladies with great care and calm.

I want everybody to read this beautiful piece of feminist work. The novel is written in simple language but is profound. It's not a novel as famous as Good Earth, but it is a must-read!

"AS LIFE HAS PROVED," HE SAID, "IT IS TRUE THAT A WOMAN'S BODY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HER MIND. SHE ALONE CAN CREATE NEW HUMAN CREATURES. WERE IT NOT FOR HER, THE RACE OF MAN WOULD CEASE TO EXIST. INTO HER BODY, AS INTO A CHALICE, HEAVEN HAS PUT THIS GIFT. HER BODY THEREFORE IS INEXPRESSIBLY PRECIOUS TO MAN. HE IS NOT FULFILLED IF SHE DOES NOT CREATE. HIS IS THE SEED, BUT SHE ALONE CAN BRING IT TO FLOWER AND FRUIT IN ANOTHER BEING LIKE HIMSELF" 

"I WOULD EVEN SAY, MY DAUGHTER, THAT HAD YOUR BRAINS HAVE BEEN INSIDE THE SKULL OF A MAN, YOU COULD HAVE SAT FOR THE IMPERIAL EXAMINATIONS AND PASSED THEM WITH HONOR AND BECOME THEREBY AN OFFICIAL IN THE LAND. BUT YOUR BRAIN IS NOT IN A MAN'S SKULL. IT IS IN A WOMAN'S SKULL. A WOMAN'S BLOOD INFUSES IT, A WOMAN'S HEART BEATS THROUGH IT, AND IT IS CIRCUMSCRIBED BY WHAT MUST BE A WOMAN'S LIFE. IN A WOMAN, IT IS NOT WELL FOR THE BRAIN TO GROW BEYOND THE BODY."