Waiting by Ha jin; Suffering of Female

Waiting is ha Jin’s most acclaimed novel set in china with rural as well as urban setting. It depicts the picture of women and their misery after Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China.

Lin Kong is a doctor in the army hospital at Musi Town. He is originally from Goose village. He has a wife named Shuyu and Daughter Hua in the village. Since his marriage was arranged by his parents, he is not satisfied with his wife. So, there is cold relation between them. However, Dr. Kong provides necessary expenses to his wife. Lin comes home only during the holidays and persuades his wife for getting divorced. Then husband  and wife go to the court of  Wuji Town to get divorced legally. When the lawyer asks Shuyu, some questions, she can’t speak a word except streaming tears on her cheeks. At the mean time Bensang, her brother gets up and  reports that she never desired the divorce. Further he adds, instead Lin is trying to deceive her. Since Shuyu is an illiterate girl and innocent, she afraid of speaking at the court. She doesn’t agree to get divorced. Then the court cancels the case.

Manna, the girlfriend of Lin Kong, has been waiting him for several years desperately to get married. Each time he goes to village to convince his wife to give him a divorce. But he returns bearing the face of the losers.

Before Mana loves Lin Kong, she has an affair with Mai Dong. Mai Dong is frank and good looking person. He proposes her to marry him before he is transferred to another place away from Musi town. Manna also promises to wait. However, she later receives the letter from Mai Dong. Instead of bringing ray of hope, it brings a blow in her heart. Then she cries for nothing. Later she visits Lin Kong and eventually forgets Mai Dong.

Geng Yang is a member of rebel army unit. He is a devil. One day he gets admitted in the army hospital for the treatment. At that time he knows that Manna is still a virgin. He also states that heart is a bit of flesh. Before being discharged from the hospital, he lures Manna to come to his room. Then he rapes her and threats her to death. Manna is broken. She neither complains to the reliable sources nor can remain silent. Her life becomes traumatic. Finally she tells the incident to Lin who doubts on her at first and then supports.

Lin makes a plan to bring his first wife to town from goose village; so that it can be easier to convince for divorce. By this he also can avoid Bensang from his path. As per his plan Shuyu comes to Muji town. She also obeys the commands of her husband and does whatever he asks her to do. Finally they get divorced with the consent of Shuyu. Lin gives his property as per her wish and also promises to give a job to her daughter.

After long waiting, Lin and Manna get married. Then, they quench the thirst of lust vehemently day and night.

As soon as Manna gets impregnated, she feels that her husband is no more interested to her love as he was before. She even suspects on his evening class to the chemistry class where most of the students are girls.

One day Manna is hospitalized for delivery of a child. Labor pain lasts for long time. During this period she scolds her husband. After her long endurance of pain, she gives the birth of two little babies; twins. Bothe of them is boys and named River and Lake. Then new life of responsibility begins. Lin seems irritated with this new phase of life. Sometimes he wants to escape from this burden of life.

One day he goes to his first wife Shuyu’s house to celebrate the holiday. Being completely drunk he promises her to reunite the family. He is scared of Manna’s weak health and his two sons need a help.

The novel has not the clear-cut ending as such reunion of Shuyu and Lin or, death of Manna. Neither it shows the warm relationship between Manna and Lin. It leaves open space to the readers to end the novel as per their wish. Despite, it shows the suffering, humiliation, and domination of female by the male characters. Justice is not given to the women characters.