Being Direct

Abstract

Mrs. Li might have come to realize the ambiguity of her relationship with her husband even if they had never run a business. The washing aunt might have been hurt just as much by her daughter-in-law’s comments, and yet just as diplomatic in her reaction, even if both had not been part of the same family in which each adult had to earn money. Cooperation and being in a group of any kind makes demands; relationships are used and adjusted whether society is commercialized or not. While actors initially find ways to deal with the ensuing alienation (a state that Mrs. Li explained by ‘life’ and ‘fate’), these are not enough.