Revolving around family life, The Plum in the Golden Vase not only mirrored the social milieu during the Ming dynasty, but also offered perceptive observations on and profound concerns over the chaotic situations of that time. By tradition, only men were entitled to take part in social activities beyond the scope of family. They were the units that connect the micro-society of family with the macro-society of state. However, most male figures in The Plum in the Golden Vase defied such a traditional stereotype. They lost their authority and raisons d'être by being absent as a "father" in their families. The moral of such descriptive writing has become an issue worth our investigation, since it was one of the themes running through the entire novel. By deconstructing the image of a father, The Plum in the Golden Vase managed to highlight the personal awareness of these male figures, and meanwhile recognized the necessity for them to control their desires and burden themselves with the responsibilities for their own fates. In sum, this novel not only faithfully represented the cultural turn during the Ming dynasty, but also sagaciously reflected on the traditional ethics.