Chapters 21-24

    In Chapter 23, Winnie is arrested and put on trial for leaving wen fu and taking Danru with her. Winnie's trial is extremely fast and very one sided. The judge made his decision to side with wen fu so easily, that it didn't seem like he gave any thought that Winnie may have had a reason to want for run way or that everyone but the husband was telling the truth. The judge only seems to see one man, a "war hero", and a bunch of women arguing against him. He convicts Winnie and she is sentenced to jail for 2 years, a harsh sentence for a woman who had fled from her husband with her now-dead son.

    The judge's actions in this court case fits the mold of Chinese patriarchal society perfectly. Nothing was ever the man or the husband's fault in this culture.  Women and wives were subservient and considered a lesser form of people in this culture. The wife was supposed to take the blame for everything and the husband was supposed to forgive as well as lead the family. This sort of culture still exists in some countries today. Countries like Saudi Arabia and other some Middle Eastern nations, treat women today in a similar fashion to the way that women were treated in China almost 70 years ago. Trials like Winnie's in these places today would probably have ended in the same result because of the way the cultures are formed and societies have been built around the culture. The parallels between 1940s China and these nations are very striking. Women have a very hard time finding education and being independent in both cultures. Also, women can't really help themselves rise in socio-economic status without a man in these misogynistic and patriarchal cultures.  However, women like Winnie do fight against the limits of these cultures. Winnie successfully fights back against her abusive husband and leaves him for good. There are women in places like Saudi Arabia who open schools for girls, teach girls, and try to participate in politics. Women in both cultures face extreme adversity in their attempts to make a better world for themselves and others around them, but they never give up, and as Winnie discovered not playing into the game that controls you can be the most freeing thing,even if you end up someplace unpleasant (like jail).