In The Bonesetter’s Daughter, which takes place partly in modern-day San Francisco and party in China during World War II, Amy Tan intertwines the two stories of a mother, LuLing Young, and her daughter, Ruth Young, to describe how they struggle with understanding each other while confronting issues from their own pasts. Ruth finds her mother’s old Chinese superstitions annoying and had difficulties connecting to her heritage; as she attempts to integrate into her boyfriend Art’s family, she realizes the impossibility of ever getting them to understand Chinese culture. Ruth’s mother, scarred by the events of her childhood, firmly believes that she is under a curse which will eventually lead to her death. LuLing’s sudden forgetfulness leads
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Back in China, LuLing was orphaned as a child and caused her own mother to commit suicide, which led to a lifetime of guilt and the belief that a curse would be upon her forever. Ruth finally begins to connect with LuLing as she discovers that LuLing also experienced difficulties with her own mother while growing up. At first, Tan suggests that societal differences that occur from living in different generations lead mothers and daughters to drift apart; however, throughout the story, their mother-daughter bond strengthens, and they help each other accept that everything in the past is important, because it shaped the people they …show more content…
The baby’s first words, “ma, ma, ma,” reflect her need for her mother, and Tan expresses how the mother cares for her baby by teaching it to be “careful” of enemies. At the beginning, a mother is always there to nurture and raise her child so that she can survive in the world. This provides insight into Ruth’s relationship with her mother and suggests how, despite their disagreements with each other, they still share a bond, just like the mother and the baby. Likewise, though LuLing thinks Precious Auntie is too overprotective, she still feels guilty after her suicide because she still cares deeply about her mother. Tan’s description of a baby’s dependence on her mother develops the theme of the importance of mother-daughter bonds in The Bonesetter’s
Back in China, LuLing was orphaned as a child and caused her own mother to commit suicide, which led to a lifetime of guilt and the belief that a curse would be upon her forever. Ruth finally begins to connect with LuLing as she discovers that LuLing also experienced difficulties with her own mother while growing up. At first, Tan suggests that societal differences that occur from living in different generations lead mothers and daughters to drift apart; however, throughout the story, their mother-daughter bond strengthens, and they help each other accept that everything in the past is important, because it shaped the people they …show more content…
The baby’s first words, “ma, ma, ma,” reflect her need for her mother, and Tan expresses how the mother cares for her baby by teaching it to be “careful” of enemies. At the beginning, a mother is always there to nurture and raise her child so that she can survive in the world. This provides insight into Ruth’s relationship with her mother and suggests how, despite their disagreements with each other, they still share a bond, just like the mother and the baby. Likewise, though LuLing thinks Precious Auntie is too overprotective, she still feels guilty after her suicide because she still cares deeply about her mother. Tan’s description of a baby’s dependence on her mother develops the theme of the importance of mother-daughter bonds in The Bonesetter’s