Woman's Purity

“The moon waxed and waned in vain. The crimson tide had run dry. In this lowly world, women are the ocean's pearls, their brilliance derived from the stain of their flesh. The blood had been the thread linking me to an underground world where a grim labyrinth twisted around a perpetual furnace. It had been the source of all my energy....After a brief examination the doctor prostrated herself and congratulated me: My divine body had returned to its original state." The serenity accorded me by my resting senses would allow me to achieve immortality at last...Stripped of my womanly barbarity, it was as if I were dead." (209-210)

During the beginning of menopause, Empress Wu reflects how and why women are viewed. It is evident that the society the Empress lives in only view women as baby machines. She mentions that "the blood" had been her link to a perpetual furnace and was what gave her power. This is true to what happens in the book because those who give birth to a prince for the Sovereign automatically gains his favor and gets promoted. She refers to her menstrual cycle as Woman barbarity. According to Dictionary.com barbarity is defined as being "crudity of style, taste, expression". In our society today we may not talk about such things in the open, but we also do not view it as something lowly.