Wang Rui and the Resilient Nature of Toxic Masculinity

[Jonathan Tam]

Despite the fact that the seminar this morning presented a lot of hope for individualism and improvization in the future, I was left with the notion that in some ways, it seems like there hasn't as much progress at all. The quote that resonated the most with me was when Dr. Yan shared that "the possibility of mobility seems to encourage people to participate in the system." This seems really clear in the case of Ban Zhao - but what if Eleanor just gave Nick the ring to propose to Rachel in order to give the illusion that she accepted Rachel. When in actuality, this was just so Eleanor could maintain the patriarchal values of her family. It seems to be in some ways that we have changed the players, but the game seems the same. As I read, "Being the Right Woman for Mr. Right" and the account of Wang Rui, this idea seemed to be reinforced - especially in Wang Rui's account of western culture. In her eyes, the west was the key to a society that was more liberated from the patriarchy - only to find that patriarchy existed in a different form.