Wild Swans

Wild Swans

Introduction

The social and political environment , in which a person leads his /her life , controls the course of his /her life . Human beings are compelled to lead their lives in accordance to the circumstances prevailing in their nation . China is one such nation that has undergone numerous social and political changes . The social and political conditions , in which the previous generations lived in China , differ vastly from the present day situation in the country . The novel Wild Swans by Jung Chang depicts these differences in the lives of Chinese

people brought about by the changing scenario of their nation . The author presents an autobiographical account of her own life and the lives of her grandmother and mother . The lives of these three women , point towards the changing position of women in the Chinese society . In this , we will focus on the lives of the three generations of Chinese women grandmother Yu-Fang , mother Bao Qin , and daughter Jung Chang , and bring forth the differences in their lives by comparing their childhood , love life , social and political roles

Childhood

The book Wild Swans opens with the account of the childhood of the grandmother , Yu-Fang . Yu-Fang had a painful childhood compared to the childhood of other two women . When Yu-Fang was two years old , her feet were bound together , causing her immense pain . For years my grandmother lived in relentless , excruciating pain (Chang 12 . Later she was sold off as a concubine to a wealthy warlord at the age of...