Chi Li Slays The Serpent Analysis

Chi Li Slays the Serpent is a Chinese myth that identifies and illustrates the cultural status of females in ancient Chinese society, an Eastern Asian society that typically viewed women as more expendable than men. Chi Li, however, possesses and applies many heroic qualities that seems to contradict the social perspective and provides a turning point for females in a patriarchal society. It is important that Chi Li is a female because, had it not been for her gender, she would not have had the opportunity to volunteer herself to face off with the monstrous serpent. Being a female is also normally associated with fertility in literature and mythology, as females are the birth givers in society. Female fertility is relevant to the act of sacrifice.

When Chi Li first presents the idea of volunteering and sacrificing herself, her parents protest and justify that they love all six of their daughters, despite being deprived of “the joy and honor of having a son.” (Rosenberg, 332) This phrase indicates that having a daughter is not nearly as respectable as a son in ancient Chinese society. It is also mentioned that newborn daughters are killed by wealthier families as they would eventually grow up to become a burden on their family. The lowliest types of females in society were the ones sacrificed to the serpent. Every year, the officials searched for maidens whose loss would not be detrimental to society, so they choose the daughters of criminals or female slaves. (Rosenberg, 331) The sacrifice goes on for nine years before it is able to be stopped. The officials and magistrates also do little to find a solution to the problem. The only other solution presented was from the villagers who offered cattle, which were refused by the serpent. The demands of the serpent are also communicated through the dreams of men, rather than women. This subtle detail is a further indicator of the higher value placed on men rather than that of