Research Paper on:
Ha Jin/The Bridegroom

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
to inform and motivate the evolution of the characters. However, in his short story "The Bridegroom," the element of sexuality is used primarily to underscore the principal theme of the  narrative, which is the fact that the rigid social structure of Chinese society forces people to act in ways that are outside of their nature. While there is a negative  connotation to sexual activity in "The Bridegroom," Jin makes it clear that this interpretation of sexual behavior is societal and codified by the government into a monolithic structure allowing  no deviation. This contrasts sharply with the redemptive power of sexuality as pictured in Japanese author Kenzaburo Oes A Personal Matter. In Oes novel, a young man, Bird, learns  to face the responsibility of having a son born with a serious birth defect. Over the course of the narrative, sexuality plays a role in moving Bird from the "type  of person who abandons someone weak when that person needs you the most" (Oe 99) to being a responsible adult who no longer deserves the adolescent nickname of "Bird." Jin  approaches the topic of sexuality from an entirely different angle. His short story is told from the perspective of older man, referred to as "Old Cheng," who is  concerned for the welfare of his rather homely adopted daughter, Beina. First of all, Jin makes it clear that women within Chinese Communist society, while also fellow workers in the  factory for which Old Cheng heads security, are judged in a patriarchal manner, that is, a woman is castigated for not marrying and producing children. Therefore, Old Cheng is relieved,  though surprised, when the highly eligible bachelor Baowen Huang proposes to and marries Beina. Throughout the story, Old Cheng displays his genuine concern for his daughter. When it comes