Summary
Teenage brothers Chueh-min and Chueh-hui walk home to the Kao family compound through a violent snowstorm. The brothers discuss their respective performances in the English-language rendition of Treasure Island that Teacher Chu adapted for the stage. Chueh-min, older and bolder, performed admirably; his English is flawless, and his acting as the Doctor was convincing. Chueh-hui, however, was unable to recall his lines for the part of Black Dog without prompting from Teacher Chu. Chueh-hui expresses his desire to perform well to attain admiration and applause. To remember his lines, Chueh-hui does a thought experiment. He imagines himself as Black Dog, feeling the character's feelings as acutely as if he were in a dream. Chueh-hui sees the landscape transform in his mind's eye and suddenly remembers his lines with perfect clarity. Trembling with excitement, Chueh-hui expresses this revelation to Chueh-min, who responds with shared excitement. After the Chueh-min and Chueh-hui share brotherly endearments, the snowstorm abates.
The two brothers reach their home, the Kao family compound, a structure that resembles a dark cavern. Stone lions flank the compound entrance, near two stone vats full of water. Red couplets pasted on the door that read: Benevolent rulers, happy family; long life, good harvests, differentiate the Kao household from its neighbors. The brothers wipe their shoes, fix their clothes for a proper appearance, and enter. The bondmaid Mingfeng greets Chueh-min and Chueh-hui and informs the brothers that the rest of the family has already started eating dinner. Chueh-hui lingers to speak to Mingfeng after Chueh-min leaves to change. Chueh-hui and Mingfeng clearly have a mutual romantic attraction. When Chueh-hui finally returns to the room he shares with Chueh-min, Chueh-min reprimands his younger brother for not doing things "the right way," referencing Chueh-hui wearing his wet clothes to dinner, talking to Mingfeng, and leaving his umbrella on the floor.
Chueh-hui and Chueh-min then go to dinner, where their stepmother, Madam Chou, their aunt, Mrs. Chang, their Cousin Chin, Sister-in-law Jui-chueh, brother Chueh-hsin, and sister Shu-hua are gathered.
When asked why they are so late, Chueh-hui and Chueh-min explain that they walked home from rehearsing their play. Chueh-hui prefers to walk even in inclement weather, as he is "too much of a humanitarian" to take a sedan chair.
The family discusses the play and Chin's winter break. Chin explains that her school had to close early because the local government allocated money for military expenditures instead of education. Chueh-min explains that his school, which employs foreign, salaried teachers, remains open because its principal has a connection with a government official. Chueh-min also mentions that his school intends to accept girls next term. However, it is unclear if plan will go forward, due to pushback from "feudal moralists" in Sichuan who do not believe in coeducation. Chin gets permission to go to the brothers' room to discuss the possibility of Chin's admission to the school.
Chueh-min and Chin discuss the brothers' literary assignments while walking to Chueh-min's room. After finishing Treasure Island, the students will move on to Tolstoy's Resurrection. Chueh-min also mentions that their new teacher will be Wu Yu, author of "Cannibal Confucian Mortality." This news is met with excitement, as Wu Yu's work was extremely popular among members of the New Culture Movement.
Chin expresses her jealousy and admiration for the brothers' education; her school only teaches Chinese classics with Confucian themes, not revolutionary or modern texts.
Chueh-hui lingers outside as the Chueh-min and Chin enter the room. Chueh-hui thinks about his role as Black Dog in the play and, mimicking the character, calls for Ming-feng to bring him three cups of tea. Ming-feng brings only two cups of tea and then leaves to get the third. Chueh-hui flirtatiously blocks Ming-feng's path when she returns with the tea, though Madame Chou calls Mingfeng to fill the tobacco pipes. When Mingfeng, impeded by Chueh-hui, is slow to act, Shu-hua, Chueh-hui's fourteen-year-old sister, verbally berates Ming-feng. Chueh-hui hears this entire exchange and is ashamed for having caused it. He reflects on how different his situation is from Ming-feng's, as Chueh-hui is a man and a member of the gentry. Chueh-hui bemoans that Mingfeng's fate was already by the time she was born. Chueh-hui thinks of another charismatic figure, Ho Chu-ping, a general who famously said, "can a man remain at home while the Huns are still undefeated?" Chueh-hui resolves that his enemy is not the Huns but rather the stifling family, class, and gender roles that keep him from pursuing Ming-feng.
Chueh-hui joins Chueh-min and Chin, announces his dissatisfaction with their family dynamic, and says they should not have to be of the gentry just because they were born into it. Chueh-min and Chin initially laugh at Chueh-hui's intensity and conviction but quickly apologize after observing that they genuinely hurt his feelings. The conversation then shifts to how the traditional family structures more negatively impact Chin as a girl. Chin expresses concern over whether or not she will be allowed to attend the brothers' school even if she is accepted. Originally the Venerable Master Kao was entirely against female education. Chin's mother already endures ridicule, gossip, and rumors about Chin's education but allows her to pursue it anyway. Chin ultimately decides to try and fight for her coeducation but is still bothered by the social fallout this will cause. Chueh-hui and Chueh-min promise to help Chin and express admiration for her spirit after Chin leaves at 9 o'clock. Then, Mingfeng and Yuan Chen, a middle-aged male servant, announce the arrival of Mrs. Chang's sedan chair.
Analysis
Chapters 1-3 establish the central conflict of Family and allude to the Kao family's position within the New Culture Movement. Chueh-hui and Chueh-min walk home through a snowstorm that "seemed to warn the people on the streets, the bright warm sun of spring will never return again," which foreshadows the New Culture Movement and the revolution that will take place. They discuss their respective performances in Teacher Chu's adaptation of Treasure Island, a foreign coming-of-age story, into a play. The novel Family is also a coming-of-age story. The adaptation is the first example in Family of how foreign ideas were integrated into Chinese culture during the New Culture Movement. Chueh-min and Chueh-hui's play introduces the motif of performance and acting throughout the novel. This motif shows how the gentry acts out Confucian roles to keep the status quo and conform to family expectations.
Chueh-hui plays Blackdog, who represents Chueh-hui's tempestuous nature, and Chueh-min plays Dr. Livesey, who embodies Chueh-min's wisdom and level-headedness. Chueh-min's convincing performance represents his ability to move between progressive student movements and the traditional family and be at home in both. When Chueh-hui imagines himself as Blackdog, it demonstrates Chueh-hui's ability to put himself in others' shoes. Chueh-hui's stated desire for admiration and applause shows that, though he abhors following traditions to appease others, he still cares what others think of him.
Ba Jin uses architectural descriptions of the Kao family compound as a metaphor for the Kao family itself. Ba Jin compares the Kao compound to a dark cavern, evoking a sense of foreboding and the notion that anyone who enters the compound is liable to be lost. Joining the Kao family is similar to entering the compound; those who marry into the Kao family, such as Jui-chueh, work for the Kao family, like Ming-Feng, or are born into it, like Mei, are endangered.
Ba Jin also uses veneer as a metaphor for the Kao family. Veneer, when damaged, is simply peeled off and replaced. A veneer is an attractive layer covering corrupted, damaged, or otherwise inferior material underneath. The veneer is a metaphor for the Kao family itself, as the family's wealth and affluence merely distract from the true dysfunction festering underneath the surface. This veneer represents the wealthy family's obsession with appearance.
Couplets hanging outside the Gao family compound mark the compound as distinct from its neighbors. The couplets read Benevolent rulers, happy family; long life, good harvests. This statement demonstrates the Kao family's commitment to the Confucian idea of harmony through strict social hierarchies. The irony is that within the family compound, these rigid social relationships cause disunity, resentment, and even death.
Chueh-hui and Chueh-min arrive late to dinner, symbolically demonstrating how Chueh-min and Chueh-hui's ideologies and education separate them from the rest of the family. When Chueh-min and Chueh-hui arrive at the family dinner, the family members are seated according to their position within the family hierarchy. In classical Chinese culture, an individual's position at a table marks their position within the group; for example, Madam Chou and Mrs. Chang are seated in places of honor far from the door.
When asked why they are so late, the brothers explain that they walked home from rehearsing their play because Chueh-hui is "too much of a humanitarian" to take a sedan chair. Chueh-hui's "humanitarianism" is ironic because, though Chueh-hui objects to being carried in a sedan chair, he orders around his servants, like Ming-feng, quickly after returning home. This inconsistency shows that Chueh-hui's humanitarian efforts, though often genuine, are tainted by Chueh-hui's feelings about perception and appearance.
Chin explains that her school closed early, since the government redistributed funds to the military. This contrast between Chueh-hui and Chueh-min's schooling and Chin's education shows that women have fewer privileges under the Confucian patriarchal system. Still, Chin's statement is somewhat ironic. The funds her school does not receive go to soldiers, almost exclusively peasants, dying to protect Chengdu. Chin is privileged as a member of the gentry; she suffers by receiving a lesser luxury. Regardless of gender, the servant class can never even dream of attaining an education as high-quality as Chin's. Most of the Kao family compound servants are illiterate, and several are enslaved.
Chueh-hui quotes Ho Chu-ping, a general who famously said, "Can a man remain at home while the Huns are still undefeated?" Though Chueh-hui's passion is genuine, his statement is ironic. Chueh-hui believes his "war" is with the arbitrary social conventions restricting himself and his peers, and he feels the need to fight back by getting involved in the New Culture Movement. Chueh-hui's involvement in the New Culture Movement is itself a privilege afforded by his class and education. Chueh-hui frequently clashes with soldiers, generals, and authority figures throughout the text.
Chueh-hui, having "taken on [his] shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind," is quick to point out injustice and moral hypocrisy in others. Though Chueh-hui is well-read and passionate about social reform, he rarely recognizes his own internal contradictions. When Chueh-hui flirtatiously blocks Ming-feng's path, he does not listen to her, because, as a wealthy member of the gentry, he cannot understand how she is not afforded the same pleasures and freedoms as him. This interaction foreshadows Ming-feng's eventual death. After Chueh-hui, too absorbed in himself to listen to Ming-feng, dismisses her, Ming-feng decides to commit suicide.
