Song Mama
宋嬷嬷
“The Errand She Argued Against”
Her Story
An old woman on the staff of Green Delights. The novel gives her one scene. In Chapter 52 Qingwen, having caught Zhui’er stealing Pinger’s bracelet, orders Song Mama to have the girl’s family fetch her out of the house that hour. Song Mama argues for delay — better to wait until Baoyu has been told — and is overruled. She goes, and comes back with Zhui’er’s mother, who argues too. An errand she did not want, carried out anyway.
In Xiang Li's Hands
Old, and laughing: a heavy creased face, a black forehead band, a grey-blue robe with meander-patterned cuffs. One hand holds up a wide spray of flowers; the other is raised open at her chest. Nothing behind her. The painting puts a bouquet in the evicting woman’s hand.
The Calligraphy
老宋妈 — “Old Ma Song,” the household’s spoken form, giving her age and her rank in the servants’ hierarchy and no personal name at all.
Connections
- Qingwen 晴雯 — gave the order she tried to talk down.
- Zhui’er 坠儿 — the maid she was sent to put out of the house.
- Jia Baoyu 贾宝玉 — master of Green Delights, whose word she wanted to wait for.
Others of the same kind · nurse / wet-nurse Li Mama 李嬷嬷 · Wang Mama 王嬷嬷 · Zhao Mama 赵嬷嬷
Dream of the Red Chamber
Xiang Li painted all 413 characters of the novel between 1975 and 1985, the first person to complete the entire cast. See the whole collection · Chinese Empresses
