Cai Yijiang comments on the Dream of the Red Chamber

Author: Cai Yijiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: The death of Lin Daiyu as depicted by Cao Xueqin is of a completely different nature from the tragedy written in the continuation. The reason is not due to Jia Mansion abandoning Daiyu for Baochai when selecting a wife for Baoyu, nor due to Wang Xifeng's scheme to use the "swap-and-substitute" plot to replace flowers with branches. Of course, Lin Daiyu would not resent Baoyu's change of heart for his cruelty. The death of Lin Daiyu has nothing to do with her inability to choose her own marriage. What drives her to "run out of tears and die young" is something else.