In the novel The Bonesetter’s Daughter Amy Tan focuses on three main characters, who are all introduced to the readers in a reverse chronological order. The first is Ruth, who is a Chinese born in America. The second is her mother LuLing, who was born in China, but later emigrated to America after the World War II. The third is Precious Auntie who is the daughter of a bonesetter.The main theme throughout The Bonesetter 's Daughter is the importance of communication in relationships, and how without communication, relationships suffer. The conflicts such as oppression and identity crisis play a key role in developing the female characters in the novel. Tan discusses this theme in several different ways, through: Mothers, daughters and spouses
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In time of stress and crisis, spirituality functions as an intimate power source for Ruth to find her way out of her trouble. The power source comes from both within and without. The internal force is Ruth’s inner voice and the external one originates from her grandmother and later on her mother. The internal and external spiritual forces take effect primarily by means of Liu Xin’s ghost and Ruth’s ghostwriting. Being silenced, writing becomes the avenue for Ruth to vent her own voice and have it appreciated. The communication between Ruth and her mother by means of writing starts when Ruth is six years old. In that year the tension between Ruth and her mother reaches a peak in the accident in which Ruth’s arm is broken. Ruth temporarily loses her voice after the accident. To solve the problem of talking with Ruth, LuLing gives Ruth a sand tray on which Ruth writes down her words. Having less fear of verbal argument with her mother since Ruth cannot speak, Ruth ventures to write down her true opinions. Miraculously, LuLing begins to take Ruth’s words seriously. Being encouraged by LuLing’s approval, Ruth gradually becomes more articulate and …show more content…
All of them are rebellious women though in different forms and in the backdrop of different historical and cultural contexts. Her grandmother is in old feudalist China, her mother partly in China and partly in America, she in America. All of them are silenced in similar and different ways. All of them are womanists in the sense that they are audacious selfdefiners, who follow spirituality in their quest for reclaiming the silenced female voice. The ghost of Liu Xin functions as the spiritual guidance in the quest of the three generations of women. Liu Xin’s spirit is the inner strength for Ruth to deal with the dilemma of being both Chinese and American; the lubricant for the mother-daughter tension between Ruth and LuLing; the guidance for LuLing in hardships; and the medium to have the voice of three generations of women heard and the matrilineal heritage preserved. The novel’s spirituality is rooted in women’s inner self and Chinese ancestry. The title, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, signifies the Chinese-American granddaughter’s identification with her Chinese ancestry. The word bone read as gu in Chinese is a pun in the Chinese language. It not only refers to the physical structure of the human body but 49 also the metaphorical connotation of gu chi, meaning character and courage. The family name of Precious Auntie, Gu, not only alludes to the generational profession of the family but also symbolizes the
In time of stress and crisis, spirituality functions as an intimate power source for Ruth to find her way out of her trouble. The power source comes from both within and without. The internal force is Ruth’s inner voice and the external one originates from her grandmother and later on her mother. The internal and external spiritual forces take effect primarily by means of Liu Xin’s ghost and Ruth’s ghostwriting. Being silenced, writing becomes the avenue for Ruth to vent her own voice and have it appreciated. The communication between Ruth and her mother by means of writing starts when Ruth is six years old. In that year the tension between Ruth and her mother reaches a peak in the accident in which Ruth’s arm is broken. Ruth temporarily loses her voice after the accident. To solve the problem of talking with Ruth, LuLing gives Ruth a sand tray on which Ruth writes down her words. Having less fear of verbal argument with her mother since Ruth cannot speak, Ruth ventures to write down her true opinions. Miraculously, LuLing begins to take Ruth’s words seriously. Being encouraged by LuLing’s approval, Ruth gradually becomes more articulate and …show more content…
All of them are rebellious women though in different forms and in the backdrop of different historical and cultural contexts. Her grandmother is in old feudalist China, her mother partly in China and partly in America, she in America. All of them are silenced in similar and different ways. All of them are womanists in the sense that they are audacious selfdefiners, who follow spirituality in their quest for reclaiming the silenced female voice. The ghost of Liu Xin functions as the spiritual guidance in the quest of the three generations of women. Liu Xin’s spirit is the inner strength for Ruth to deal with the dilemma of being both Chinese and American; the lubricant for the mother-daughter tension between Ruth and LuLing; the guidance for LuLing in hardships; and the medium to have the voice of three generations of women heard and the matrilineal heritage preserved. The novel’s spirituality is rooted in women’s inner self and Chinese ancestry. The title, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, signifies the Chinese-American granddaughter’s identification with her Chinese ancestry. The word bone read as gu in Chinese is a pun in the Chinese language. It not only refers to the physical structure of the human body but 49 also the metaphorical connotation of gu chi, meaning character and courage. The family name of Precious Auntie, Gu, not only alludes to the generational profession of the family but also symbolizes the