Preamble:

"Water Margin" is a well-known classic Chinese literary work, in which there are not only the stories of heroes such as Song Jiang and Lin Chong, but also many memorable female characters, who are either gentle and virtuous, or resolute and strong, adding a lot of color to the whole story.

水浒传里‬，阎婆惜无疑是一个让人印象深刻的角色，她的出场虽然不算太多，但却给读者留下了深刻的印象，尤其是她的悲剧结局，更是让人唏嘘不已。

So, what was the reason for such a tragic end for Yan Po?

Yan Poxi's death was not only because she exposed Song Jiang's fornication, but also involved the struggle for sex and power, and her death also reflected the power suppression of women by men in feudal society. Next, let's take a look at what kind of power struggle is hidden behind Yan Poxi's tragic ending.

1. Yan Poxi's background and relationship with Song Jiang

Yan Poxi is a female character in "Water Margin", her husband is called Yan Poda, and the two live in the city of Tokyo and live an ordinary life.

Later, Song Jiang fled to Tokyo City because he was falsely accused. Yan Poxi's husband took him in at home, and Yan Poxi also had some intersections with Song Jiang because of this, and even interceded for him when Song Jiang was arrested, which shows that Yan Poxi should be regarded as a confidant and friend to Song Jiang.

After Song Jiang was arrested, Yan Poxi's husband was also beheaded because he was implicated, which undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Song Jiang and made Yan Poxi a widow.

After Yan Poxi's husband died, she did not choose to go to Song Jiang, but chose to live by herself, which also reflects that Yan Poxi is a very assertive and independent woman.

2. The tragic ending of Yan Poxi

Although she did not choose to go to Song Jiang after Yan Poxi's husband died, her fate was unknowingly affected by Song Jiang.

It turned out that after the death of Yan Poxi's husband, Song Jiang had come to visit her many times, and also gave her a lot of money, these actions undoubtedly gave Yan Poxi some misunderstandings, she thought that Song Jiang was moved by herself, so she began to have some dissent towards him.

Later, when Song Jiang came to propose marriage, Yan Poxi did not refuse, but agreed.

Just when she was about to become Song Jiang's little wife, she found evidence that Song Jiang had fornicated with Liangshan, and she told the government about it without hesitation, and it was precisely because of this incident that she became Song Jiang's tool for revenge, and in the end, she was killed by Song Jiang.

Behind Yan Poxi's death, there is endless sadness and helplessness, she is not a weak woman, but has her own opinions and principles, the reason why she has such a tragic ending, in fact, has a lot to do with the feudal society at that time.

3. Yan Poxi's death is related to the power struggle of gender roles

When we carefully savor the tragic ending of Yan Poxi, we will find that her death was not only because she exposed Song Jiang's fornication, but more importantly, it was related to the power struggle of gender roles.

From the relationship between Yan Poxi and Song Jiang, it is not difficult for us to find that in this relationship, she tried to maintain her independent status by controlling the sexual relationship, while Song Jiang tried to prove her power control through sexual relations, and the conflict between them is actually a kind of power struggle.

And when Yan Poxi exposed Song Jiang's fornication, it undoubtedly dealt Song Jiang an extremely heavy blow, and also made him suffer a big loss in the struggle for power, so he chose to use force to solve the problem and directly strangle the threat represented by Yan Poxi in the cradle.

个人‬觉得‬，阎婆惜的死，其实也是一种无形的反抗，她试图通过这样的方式，来呼吁公平和正义，来揭露封建社会中男性对女性权力的镇压和控制。

Fourth, the death of the mother-in-law is a reflection of the oppression of male power in feudal society

When we look at the tragic ending of Yan Poxi from a more macro perspective, we will find that her death is undoubtedly a reflection of the power oppression of men in feudal society.

In feudal society, men can often control and deprive women through various means, but women are difficult to have their own real voice and status, they often become victims of male power struggle, and also suffer the consequences of male power struggle.

And Yan Poxi's death invisibly revealed the gender inequality and power imbalance in feudal society, and she could not adapt to the power oppression of men in feudal society, nor could she accept such unfair treatment.

Therefore, he chose to use his life to resist and call on more people to pay attention to the issue of gender roles in feudal society.

Epilogue:

Yan Poxi's tragic ending left us with deep thoughts, her death is not only a personal tragedy, but also a protest and resistance to all kinds of injustices in feudal society, she tried to awaken more people's attention to gender role issues through her tragic ending, to reveal the power oppression of men in feudal society, and also called on more people to pay attention to and value the status and discourse of women in society.

Perhaps, when we can look at the issue of gender roles with a more equal and open mind, we can truly change the status quo, and let everyone be able to have their own fair treatment and bright future.