CONG HUYEN TON NU NHA TRANG


The Traditional Roles of Women
as Reflected in Oral and Written Vietnamese Literature.

Ph. D. Dissertation, 1973
University of California at Berkeley

ABSTRACT

This thesis attempts to examine how traditional Vietnamese women lived and what they thought of their lives.

The Confucian rule of Tòng, or Three Submissions, was adopted as the guideline for the traditional woman to conduct her life: as an unmarried girl, she is to submit herself to her father's wishes; as a married woman, to her husband's; and as a widow, to her son's. Accordingly, the traditional roles expected of her as holder of these positions were designed for the service of the patriarchal family. Even though actual role performance -- represented by Kieu Nguyet Nga of Luc Van Tien from a mandarin's family, by Kieu of Truyen Thuy-Kieu (The Tale of Kieu) from a middle class family, and by the village woman in folk literature -- was not uniform due to different socio-economic environments, they all point to the framework of the ideal rule. In spite of her insignificant status and limited sphere of activities, the traditional woman's actual role performance was essential for the maintenance of family life, particularly in the case of the lower class woman whose contribution to family welfare was equal to that of the man. However, men could not or would not recognize her real worth and give due credit to her important role. Instead, the rule of Tòng was always reinforced to place her under the yoke of slavery. Being oppressed and knowing it, the traditional woman resented her condition, specifically with regard to the degrading of her human dignity in matters which determine her lot: as a daughter, she was likely to become an object of exchange in an arranged marriage; as a wife, she was considered mainly as a reproduction mechanism; as a widow, she was virtually pronounced dead in feeling and desire. Objection to the rule was more vigorous among middle and lower class women than among their elite counterparts. Their aspiration to be free from shackles of the rigid rule of Tòng began to be realized only in the changed socio-political environment of contemporary Vietnam.


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