An Analysis of the Main Character Images and the Meaning of the Play Teahouse

The play Teahouse was one of Lao She's masterpieces. It mainly talked about the teahouse owner, the customers, the employees and the relationship between them. It depicted the life scene of a small teahouse in Chinese society from the 1930s to the 1950s. The following are the characteristics of the main characters in the play and the meaning of the work: Teahouse Owner Wang Shiwei Wang Shiwei, the owner of the teahouse, was a typical feudal survivor. He longed to escape the feudal shackles but could not get rid of the influence of traditional culture. He was upright, kind, but stubborn. He was curious about the outside world, but he could not really get out of the cage of feudal thoughts. His image reflected the shackles and backwardness of Chinese traditional culture, and also reflected the reality of Chinese society at that time. 2 Teahouse Customers The customers of the teahouse mainly included people of different identities. They came from different backgrounds and classes, including poor people, government officials, businessmen, and so on. Although they all drank tea in the teahouse, their relationship was very complicated. There were mutual uses, conflicts of interest, mutual understanding and support. Their images reflected the variety and complexity of Chinese society at that time, and also reflected the contradictions and struggles between social classes at that time. 3 Teahouse Staff The teahouse staff mainly included the waiters, tea girls, and small teapots. Although they were all employees of the teahouse, their jobs were very different. Some were responsible for cleaning, some were responsible for pouring tea, and some were responsible for accounting. Their images reflected the division of labor and professional characteristics of Chinese society at that time, as well as the differences and divisions of social classes at that time. The People Outside the Tea House Other than the customers and employees in the teahouse, people outside the teahouse would also affect the life of the teahouse. For example, some government officials and businessmen often went to the teahouse to drink tea. Their actions and words would have an impact on the teahouse owner. Their images reflected the political environment and economic situation of Chinese society at that time, and also reflected the contradictions and struggles between social classes at that time. The meaning of Teahouse was that it deeply reflected the various phenomena of Chinese society at that time, revealing the shackles and backwardness of the feudal system and the contradictions and struggles between the social classes at that time. At the same time, it also revealed the drawbacks and backwardness of Chinese traditional culture and called for people to be brave in pursuing freedom and progress.