CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND The following pages within this part will offer information about Chinese American literature, Amy Tan, and The Bonesetter’s Daughter, aiming at helping readers to get a general idea of The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan. 1.1 An overview of Chinese American literature According to Zhao Liying, in the definition of Professor Rao, Chinese American literature are as follow. Chinese American literature refers to the literature written in English in the United States by Chinese Americans who were born, growing and living, working or living there as immigrants, describing their life experience. (qtd. in Zhao 3) Chinese American literature can be divided into three phases: “starting from the end of 19 century, transforming …show more content…
The reception has been great resulting from not only the moving story in the novel but also being an autobiographical novel. In the preface, Amy Tan referred to her mother and grandmother for their importance in the writing of the novel. “On the last day that my mother spent on earth, I learned her real name, as well as that of my grandmother. This book is dedicated to them. Li Bingzi and Gu Jingmei. ” (Tan). There are elements of myth in the novel, but the story is similar to the experience of Amy Tan which is about the Chinese mother who emigrated to America and the daughter growing up …show more content…
The text is divided into three parts. The first part is related to Ruth, a married female Chinese American living in San Francisco, who takes care of her own family and also her mother, LuLing, a native Chinese. The elderly mother is getting more and more demented, which reminds Ruth of her childhood living with her mother. Conflicts of Ruth and her fiance Art are included. The second part is about Lu Ling’s manuscript. LuLing, born in a feudal family of ink, leads a privileged life and grows up with Precious Auntie. Precious Auntie lost her husband for a frame of a coffin maker Chang, which caused her suicide by swallowing ink and her disfigurement. She stays with LuLing as a babysitter rather than a mother because she is an unmarried pregnant woman. LuLing does not know the fact that Precious Auntie is her own mother, and she wants to marry into Chang’s family so as to get away from Precious Auntie. LuLing speaks evilly to Precious Auntie. Unfortunately, finally, Precious Auntie committed suicide. LuLing whose engagement is broken off then is sent to an orphan school opened by American people. Later, she is a survival in a war. She goes to America where she remarries an American and gives birth to Ruth. Her American husband died in a car accident so that LuLing lives alone with her daughter. The third part is the view of Ruth who asks a translator for help to