FAME, MODESTY AND BEING SPECIAL

[vivico1]

Lisa asked:
Early in Peony’s story she reads the following phrase, printed on a couplet in her father’s library: “Do not care about fame. Be modest. In this way you will be found by others to be special.” In what ways did Peony – in life and in her afterlife – reflect the virtues extolled by this phrase?

(Lisa wanted these on threads so we could all see them even if some are not finished with the book yet, so I, with her permission, am just posting them here for her. They are also on PART III but we can use this thread for discussion for everyone. If you have posted to this question on part III please feel free to add it to this thread, so others not there can join in. This one could be a spoiler if you are not through but you may still want in on it.)

[vivico1]

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vivico1 wrote:
Lisa asked:
Early in Peony’s story she reads the following phrase, printed on a couplet in her father’s library: “Do not care about fame. Be modest. In this way you will be found by others to be special.” In what ways did Peony – in life and in her afterlife – reflect the virtues extolled by this phrase?

(Lisa wanted these on threads so we could all see them even if some are not finished with the book yet, so I, with her permission, am just posting them here for her. They are also on PART III but we can use this thread for discussion for everyone. If you have posted to this question on part III please feel free to add it to this thread, so others not there can join in. This one could be a spoiler if you are not through but you may still want in on it.)

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I think, in life, short as it was for Peony, she showed these virtues in the things taught her that she followed, from the way she dressed and walked, to the way she ate or even sat behind the screen at the opera with the other unmarried girls. She was modest in those ways. But not always in her life. She was not modest in going to meet Ren or pursuing this course with him. In her afterlife she totally lost it lol. She was not modest in her dealings with ZE, she hated her, used her, sought a type of fame - the attention of Ren through her making Wu write. I think Peony found her balance after that with Yi. She let go of herself, her needs in place of someone else's. In doing so, she was modest of heart and in the end, the mother love she learned, made her special, to the dead and the living and her fame came when she was not seeking it, in the acknowledgement of her writings. The virtues came when the selfless love did.

Message Edited by vivico1 on 09-24-2007 10:59 PM

[Fozzie]

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vivico1 wrote:
Lisa asked:
Early in Peony’s story she reads the following phrase, printed on a couplet in her father’s library: “Do not care about fame. Be modest. In this way you will be found by others to be special.” In what ways did Peony – in life and in her afterlife – reflect the virtues extolled by this phrase?

During Peony's life, on the surface, she seemd to be modest and act as she was expected to act, with the exception of meeting Ren.

During Peony's afterlife, while trying to write through Tan Ze, while trying to have Ren recognize her presence in his life, Peony did care about being known (fame) and was not modest in her behavior to obtain what she wanted. It was only when she acted unselfishly toward Yi, trying to influence Yi's life in a positive way, without wanting to be known, that Peony did reflect the virtues extolled by the phrase.

[kiakar]

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vivico1 wrote:
Lisa asked:
Early in Peony’s story she reads the following phrase, printed on a couplet in her father’s library: “Do not care about fame. Be modest. In this way you will be found by others to be special.” In what ways did Peony – in life and in her afterlife – reflect the virtues extolled by this phrase?

(Lisa wanted these on threads so we could all see them even if some are not finished with the book yet, so I, with her permission, am just posting them here for her. They are also on PART III but we can use this thread for discussion for everyone. If you have posted to this question on part III please feel free to add it to this thread, so others not there can join in. This one could be a spoiler if you are not through but you may still want in on it.)

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I can't believe this question wasn't ventured on. Oh well, I think Peony was very modest, not famous but she was remembered by alot of people . So her life was worth something. And after her death she helped others as a hungry ghost. At first she was self-serving but after a while she settled down and helped others.

[kiakar]

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vivico1 wrote:
Lisa asked:
Early in Peony’s story she reads the following phrase, printed on a couplet in her father’s library: “Do not care about fame. Be modest. In this way you will be found by others to be special.” In what ways did Peony – in life and in her afterlife – reflect the virtues extolled by this phrase?

(Lisa wanted these on threads so we could all see them even if some are not finished with the book yet, so I, with her permission, am just posting them here for her. They are also on PART III but we can use this thread for discussion for everyone. If you have posted to this question on part III please feel free to add it to this thread, so others not there can join in. This one could be a spoiler if you are not through but you may still want in on it.)

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Oops! I didn't see your reply, Viv. OH! So you summed it all up in one post! I didnt need to say anything else! ha.