The legend of Chun Hyang is a story of a commoner named Chun Hyang that attracted the attention of a yang bang’s son, Mong Ryong. During Mong Ryong’s quest for Chun Hyang, they fell in love. However, Mong Ryong had to go away for three years to study for his scholarly test, promising Chun Hyang he would come back and telling her to wait for him. During his time away though, a new tyrannical yang ban came to reside in town. He desired Chun Hyang but Chun Hyang refused him repeatedly which resulted in her sentence to prison.
Chun Hyang is a renowned tale in Korean society, where a woman is made famous and celebrated because of her unwavering loyalty to her husband and unwaveringly honoring her marriage. Chun Hyang is viewed as a great woman figure that is looked up to and glorified. Why is this? Perhaps this is because Chun Hyang reflects Korean society’s value in women. While it is great for a man to be a famous war hero like Yi Sunsin and dedicate and sacrifice his life for his country, in comparison it is considered great for a woman to remain loyal to her husband and honor her marriage unconditionally.
This reflects the stereotype of women in general. Traditionally women are solely supposed to be wives and mothers; their dedication is to be to their family. Korean Society’s stereotypical view of women is portrayed through the legend of Chun Hyang. This legend which reflects a traditional view of women originates from a long time ago in history. Nonetheless, this legend is still popular and used frequently in media. Why is this so? Why does a legend that is old fashioned and stereotypical still hold a large popularity? Does the continuous use of the legend of Chun Hyang mirror modern Korean society and perhaps imply that modern Korean society still thinks of women in a traditional stereotype?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment