Wind from the East, Wind from the West

In search of harmony between East and West

In a traditional society, everyone has a role. Men and women do not simply obey customs – they fulfill the duties and enjoy the rights that culture gives them. This is its wisdom and its beauty.

The main character of Pearl Buck's novel "East Wind, West Wind" - Kwai-lan - is not a fighter or a revolutionary. She is a woman who is learning to think and understand herself.

Kwei-lan was born in China, where traditions are as strong as stone walls. She learned to obey, to preserve family honor, to be a worthy daughter and wife. But her husband, who received a Western education, showed her that it is possible to live differently – not by destroying the past, but by combining the best of traditions and the principles of common sense.

 This book is about:

• Harmony between culture and modernity
• Wisdom that is not in power, but in understanding life
• A transformation that does not reject the roots, but enriches them

 Pearl Buck's novel reminds us that it's important not to fight the past, but to learn to make the best of it and move on.

QUOTE FROM THE BOOK:

— You shouldn't expect to be drawn to a person you're seeing for the first time in your life, and the same goes for me. Our marriage is forced, we were both forced into it. We didn't make this decision on our own. But from now on, we can build our lives the way we want. And I want to make everything different from what our ancestors had. I will consider you my equal in everything. You are not my chattel, but a separate person with your own desires, and I would like us to be friends, if, of course, you want it too.

These are the words I heard on my wedding night. I was shocked and didn't quite understand what it was like to be equal to a man? And why? Am I not his wife? If he doesn't tell me what to do, then who will? Isn't he my rightful master? He says I was forced to marry, but that's not true. What else would I do if I hadn't gotten married? How and who else could you marry if not the person your parents promised you to at birth? I was confused and didn't understand where the violence was, because everything was done according to custom.
"Wind from the East, Wind from the West"