Master On The Night example essay topic

Rivalry, treachery and conspiracy abound when concubine number four joins the palatial household of a wealthy Chinese aristocrat, where his other three wives are already ensconced. Wife number one is the aging matriarch, and mother to the first male heir, an esteemed and powerful position of seniority. Wife number two, Zhou yun, is the mother to a less desirable girl child is well aware of the importance of baring a son and is therefore suppliant and servile in her demeanour. Wife number three, a famous former opera singer named Mies han, is not only mother to the second male heir, but is still quite young and beautiful. It's rare when things don't go her way and is highly spoilt.

Songlian is a fresh-faced university student who, through the misfortune of her father's untimely death, has been left without an inheritance, and has resigned herself instead to live the life of a concubine. Her position as number four in the household pecking order is fraught with subtle irony, as her youth and beauty make her the woman of choice for the master's sexual pleasure, but her low-ranking position in the wifely hierarchy gives the others a distinct advantage over her otherwise. Yet, for all their compromises and sacrifices, the master's four wives live in the lap of luxury. Each has her own richly appointed quarters within the palace walls, a wardrobe of the finest silk robes, a servant girl to attend to her every whim, the very best medical care money can buy, and lavish meals served up daily in a communal dining room.

Nevertheless, there are rules, and the rules are simple: Each afternoon, Chen Bai shun, the master's valet, announces which wife the master has chosen to spend the night with, and orders the lighting of the red silk lanterns outside her quarters in honor of the occasion. As a reward, the chosen one gets a soothing foot massage, the pleasure of the master's company for the evening, and the right to dictate the next day's menu. And simple though they are, the ways in which the rules are applied give rise to a complex and deceptive female dynamic in which nothing is as it seems. It isn't long before young Songlian gets wise to the way things work, and is soon caught up in the daily rivalry, as each wife tries to plot and scheme her way into the master's favor. And as if the competition weren't fierce enough, Yan " er, a pretty servant girl assigned to Songlian, had long been dreaming of becoming the master's concubine, and is therefore openly resentful and defiant in her duty to serve Songlian.

The lighting of the lanterns is carried out with great ceremony and fanfare each evening, as the other three wives look on in envy; and one would think that a wise wife would give her all to please the master on the night she has been chosen. But instead, they can all be peevish and demanding at times, vexing the master with their petty grievances. The stakes grow higher and higher with each passing day, as the women forge secret alliances, not all of which are sincere.