Why Xue Baochai Is Sick
The most fascinating thing about yesterday’s post is that we hadn’t seen any signs yet that Xue Baochai is sick.
I think there’s a good reason for that, actually. You see, there’s no real mystery to the fact that both Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai wind up being described as sick in this novel.
Both suffer from the same illness, actually, though it seems to manifest itself in different ways. The problem that both characters have is that they have strong spirits that yearn to be free.
Jia Baoyu is the same way, actually. In fact, if you remember the long and boring sermon that Jia Yucun preached back in chapter 2, you’ll remember this idea of eccentric people who simply don’t fit into the world:
Xue Baochai’s version of this malady or eccentricisim comes out as a sort of “heat” in her heart. This is why the monk gave her a “Cold Fragrance Pill” to combat the illness.
It’s not a particularly difficult symbol for modern Westerners to understand. The effect of this pill is to give Xue Baochai a cold and sterile demeanor, which is why she comes across as so proper and Confucian in how she acts and talks. And, actually, the inner conflict she suffers from will come out in her poetry (once we get to that point).
Xue Baochai works hard to hold down her inner warmth. She gives in to the culture around her, allowing it to suppress her.
Lin Daiyu, on the other hand, refuses to be suppressed. She cannot betray her essence, and, as a result, is always at war with the world and culture around her.
And Jia Baoyu’s internal struggle is choosing between the two paths.