Ties That Bind Ties That Break Analysis

I read the historical fiction novel Ties That Bind, Ties That Break written by Lensey Namioka. It is the story of a young Chinese woman from a very wealthy family named Toi Alin but later referred to as Eileen. She refused to follow the old Chinese practice of women having their feet bonded which resulted in many conflicts. I learned a couple of things from her bravery to stand up for something she felt strongly about.

The author, Lensey Namioka was born in Beijing. She is influenced by the Chinese as well as the Japanese culture. She often writes about Chinese- American families and the struggles they may face. Lensey Namioka has received many awards for her twenty- three novels. She moved to the United States when she was nine years old.

Her Chinese grandmother had her marriage arranged when she turned five.When her father went against his mother and wife’s wishes and refused to allow Ailin to have her feet bonded and insisted on having her enrolled her into an American school where she would be taught by American missionaries, it caused her fiance’s family to cancel their engagement. This caused major conflicts in their family. As the years went on, Ailin was not the typical woman that any man wanted to marry so she given the choice of working on a farm, or becoming a nun. She instead set off to fulfil her dreams of being independent and exploring new things.. She became a nanny for a missionary family and came to San Francisco, California. On the ship to America, she met a boy named James Chew. They promised each other that would see one another in Chinatown. Months passed before they ran into each other. When her American family announced they were returning to China, she made the decision to stay, marry James and help him with the restaurant he was opening.

This book taught me about the Chinese culture and how it is different from my Mexican- American one. I learned that every family has different standards. I have been raised in a family that has viewed my happiness as one of the most important things. That is not the case with Ailin and her family. They have set her up to meet a certain image in their community and were very disappointed when she didn’t.