The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan - Knowledge Organiser
Context
Characters
Amy Tan
Like most of her novels, The Bonesetter’s Daughter is semi-autobiographical. Tan has spoken before about her actual Mother’s battles with heart disease and alzheimers in light of how it brought them closer together later in life, this is mirrored in Ruth and Luling’s relationship at the end of the book. Additionally, the ideas of channelling dead relatives, suicide and not knowing her Mother’s Chinese name are also elements Tan took from her own life and used in the novel. The tension between one’s identity as an American and heritage as a descendent of China, is a recurring theme in Tan’s work and can also be observed in this, her fourth novel.
Peking man
Amy Tan depicts Liu Xin’s later years and Luling’s early life against the backdrop of a major geological discovery in Beijing, circa 1929. The discovery of human remains that date back hundreds of thousands of years provide a source of wealth for the antagonist Chang to gain fame and fortune as well as acting as a symbol for the personal excavation that happens at multiple times in the novel.
The Japanese invasion of China
Whilst at the orphanage, Luling and her friends are dismayed to receive news that the Japanese have landed and occupied Beijing (formerly known as Peking) as part of their involvement in World War II. This invasion acts as a period of conflict that sees Luling tragically lose her first husband and consequently develop a stronger sense of resilience. Upon learning this and other details about her past, Ruth begins to develop a greater sense of understanding and respect for aged mother.
Liu Luling
The book begins with Luling in a fairly pitiful state. She is characterised as an enfeebled, grouchy old woman who is slowly losing her mind. Luling is forthright in her opinions and outspoken to the point of constantly creating social awkwardness. However, as we travel back in time with her memoir, the reader, like Ruth, comes to see why she carries so much emotional baggage. To begin with, her relationship with her own mother is deeply complicated and continues to afflict her to this day. In addition, the trauma of losing husbands, friends and family members has left her superstitious and understandably bitter about certain things. Ironically, with the onset of alzheimers, Luling lets go of many of her insecurities and frustrations. Consequently, she is able to emotionally reconnect with the legacy of her mother and grandfather as well as grow closer to her daughter.
Ruth Luyi Young
The novel starts with Ruth struggling in most aspects of her life. Her relationship, job and feelings about her mother are all in turmoil and she has once again lost her voice. Moreover, the fact she is a ghost writer of self-help books seems ironic, given that she is currently unable to rectify these multiple aspects of her own life. It is only by making connection to her Mother’s past that she gains a greater understanding of who she is by extension, an epiphany that ushers in a stronger relationship with Art, her Mother and a more meaningful approach to her writing career.
Gu Liu Xin / Precious Auntie
Before her disfigurement, we learn that Liu Xin was a precocious youth who could match any person of her age in intellect and charisma. As such, she spurns the advances of Chang, who merely wants her to be his unmarried concubine. The tragic double loss of her father and fiancee sets in motion a suspicion that the family is cursed and that it will last for generations to come. Due to Liu Xin’s fierce intelligence, this superstition is passed on to her daughter Luling who in turn influences Ruth some years later. However, Precious Auntie is also depicted as a heroic character who sacrifices herself for her daughter’s future happiness and stands in stark contrast to the corrupt Changs and foolhardy Liu family.
Themes and motifs
Style and Terminology
mother daughter relationships
non-linear narrative
The events of the book are out of chronological order, meaning that we start in the present, go back to Luling’s life and move even further back to Precious Auntie’s early years before returning to the present and Ruth’s realisations.
story within a story
The story initially begins with a look at Ruth’s life yet she finds the memoir of her Mother’s life story that we experience at the same time as her. Meanwhile, we also read Precious Auntie’s memoir through the eyes of a young Liu Luling, hence conveying a story within a story within a story!
narrative voice and dialogue
Ruth’s parts of the book are told from a 3rd person restricted viewpoint. Whenever we hear dialogue from her Mother, Tan uses the elderly Chinese lady’s idiolect in order to portray her struggles with English. However, when the book focuses on Luling’s memoir the narrative voice is free of grammatical errors and instead offers a more truthful and transparent account of Luling’s life and character.
The lack of true maternal understanding between Liu Xin and Luling is mirrored in the emotional distance between Luling and Ruth. Tragically for Luling, Precious Auntie dies before she can ever acknowledge her as her real mother. This trauma no doubt influences the combustible relationship between Luling and Ruth, who seem completely at odds with one another throughout the book. Though close, it seems as though the cultural barrier between them is too great to overcome their personal differences. Despite this, Ruth manages to read her Mother’s memoir before it is too late, meaning that the last few years they spend together will be filled with more mutual understanding and therefore affection.
the past, memories and the present
The present is initially portrayed as dire for the main characters in the text. Due to a breakdown in communication and a lack of understanding for her heritage, Ruth seems isolated and unaware of how to improve her life. She begins to reminisce about the past and it is these memories that lead her to the memoir and subsequent understanding of her family’s history. Similarly, Luling’s life is turned upside down by her own mother’s memoir, which reveals that Precious Auntie is in fact her birth Mother. Tan seems to be using her own experience of chronicling family stories to convey the importance of looking back in time in order to better understand one’s present.
love and marriage
The book features a number of instances where love or marriage is transactional whereas in other cases there is a feeling of real connection. Luling’s marriage to Kai Jin stands in stark contrast to Gaoling’s relationship with both Fu Nan and Edmund. Although Edmund is undoubtedly a better husband, the fact that the wedding came about due to the need for American citizenship casts doubt on the sincerity that underpins it. Similarly, we are unsure that Ruth is in a fulfilling relationship with Art, as she seems to be constantly taken for granted and filled with feelings of inadequacy. It is only after their time apart and when they learn of Luling’s life story, that Art is inspired to marry Ruth in order to show his devotion to her.
ghosts, superstition and curses
Due to the conflict between Chinese and American culture, the presence of ghosts or curses may seem outlandish and nonsensical to readers born and raised in the West. Yet Ruth, who is American by birth, seems to possess an undecidedness about whether or not these superstitions have some grounding. It is more likely that ghosts or curses are actually the abstract manifestation of some past trauma in the lives of the characters. Whatever they are called, the characters manage to overcome these by the end of the book and lay their ghosts to bed.