The main theme throughout The Bonesetter's Daughter is the importance of communication in relationships, and how without communication, relationships suffer. Tan shows us this in several different ways, through: Mothers, daughters and spouses. She shows us how concealing our past, feelings and intentions lead to misinterpretations of actions and the weakening of relationships. Tan focuses mainly on mother daughter relationships, and how damaging miscommunication is to both mother and daughter and their relationship.
There are several mothers and daughters, who suffer though their uncommunicative relationships, throughout The Bonesetter's Daughter: Ruth and her mother LuLing's; Ruth and Art's kids; LuLing and Mother; and finally LuLing and Precious Auntie.
The most important and main relationship would have to be between Ruth and her mother, LuLing. LuLing always kept very strict rule over Ruth, and was very critical of everything she did. This wasn't because LuLing didn't trust Ruth or wasn't proud of her, LuLing was just raised where these behaviors meant that the person giving the rules and criticism cared and wanted only the best for the other. Ruth didn't understand this because unlike her mother, none ever explained that to her. Ruth always felt LuLing didn't trust her and didn't approve of anything she did. The fact that Ruth never told her mother that she felt this way mad it so her mother didn't know that her way of showing love was not getting the point across. LuLing also kept secrets about her past, about her mothers identity, how she changed her age, and what she went through in China. Those secrets took away the opportunity for Ruth to relate to her mother or understand her more. It also led Ruth to believe her mother was loosing her mind at an alarming rate, after being diagnosed with brain Dementia, when really LuLing was for the most part only forgetting to keep up with her lies.
LuLing and her relationship with her real mother, Precious Auntie, was also filled with communication faux pas. The biggest issue that precious Auntie kept from LuLing had to be that she was actually her mother, not just a nurse. Not telling LuLing this skewed LuLing's priorities. LuLing didn't know who she was to look up to or who she was suppose to try to impress and live up to that persons expectations of her. If LuLing had known that her Precious Auntie was truly her mother, she would have found that she had all the love and encouragement she needed, instead of trying to get it from Mother.
The author uses different points of view to create tension in the story. The mom acts in a way that neglects the daughters interests. This makes them both feel less connected and leaves the daughter feeling hopeless. In paragraph 9, “‘It’s strange actually. I wasn’t expecting it, but then at the last minute the funding came through.’ She folded her arms across her waist. ‘I’m going to Costa Rica to finish my research.” This made the narrator/daughter angry and flustered with her mom’s actions. She has trouble remaining connected with her parent because they both want different things which leaves on character feeling betrayed. “Opportunity? For me? Or for you?” (34). Both of their actions and responses create tension in this story. Their communication lacks and this results in pressure on both
The theme of, mother daughter relationships can be hard but are always worth it in the end, is portrayed by Amy Tan in this novel. This theme is universal, still relevant today, and will be relevant for forever. Relationships are really important, especially with your mom. “ A mother is best. A mother knows what is inside you”
No matter what actions or words a mother chooses, to a child his or her mother is on the highest pedestal. A mother is very important to a child because of the nourishing and love the child receives from his or her mother but not every child experiences the mother’s love or even having a mother. Bragg’s mother was something out of the ordinary because of all that she did for her children growing up, but no one is perfect in this world. Bragg’s mother’s flaw was always taking back her drunken husband and thinking that he could have changed since the last time he...
Growing up, Ruth had a rough childhood growing up in a very strict jewish household. Her family was poor, her mother was physically handicapped, her father was verbally and physically abusive, and she faced prejudice and discrimination from her neighbors and classmates because she
Ruth led a life broken in two. Her later life consists of the large family she creates with the two men she marries, and her awkwardness of living between two racial cultures. She kept her earlier life a secret from her children, for she did not wish to revisit her past by explaining her precedent years. Once he uncovered Ruth's earlier life, James could define his identity by the truth of Ruth's pain, through the relations she left behind and then by the experiences James endured within the family she created. As her son, James could not truly understand himself until he uncovered the truth within the halves of his mother's life, thus completing the mold of his own identity.
She connects stories of different multicultural relationships between a man and a woman, and then continues on to compare the women and men from each story to each other. Social class is also mentioned in the story of Ruth and Boaz. Boaz was very wealthy and Ruth was found in his fields taking food for Naomi and herself. Traditionally, an individual that is born into a family of wealthiness is able to take care of their loved one- which is what Boaz does for Ruth after
3. Ruth - Mama is unable to accept the fact that Ruth might find it necessary to have an abortion.
Over the summer, after taking a break from reading a novel just for entertainment, I sat down to read How to Read Literature like a Professor and it was the exact novel to refresh and supplement my dusty analysis skills. After reading and applying Foster’s novel, How to Read Literature like a Professor, towards The Bonesetter’s Daughter I found a previously elusive and individualized insight towards literature. Although, The Bonesetter’s Daughter is full of cryptic messages and a theme that is universal, I was able to implement an individual perspective on comprehending the novel’s universal literary devices, and coming upon the unique inference that Precious Auntie is the main protagonist of the novel.
Cecilia was diagnosed with cancer while Ruth was in high school and the day before her daughter’s graduation, she passed away (Salokar & Volcansek, 1996). One of the greatest influences on Ruth’s life was her mother and the values she instilled in her from a young age. Two of the greatest lessons that Ruth learned from her mother was to be independent and to be a lady, and by that she meant not to respond in anger but to remain calm in situations (Reynolds, 2009).... ... middle of paper ... ...
Ruth has an intriguing personality. She is very loving towards her family. She will do all in her power to improve the lifestyle of her family. When it appears that the deal for the house in Clybourne Park will fall through, she promises to dedicate all of her time to make the investment work. “Lena-I’ll work… I’ll work 20 hours a day in all the kitchens in Chicago…I’ll strap my baby on my back if I have to and scrub all the floors and wash all the sheets in America if I have to-but we have to MOVE!” she pleads to her mother-in-law (Hansberry140). Her plan is unrealistic and idealistic, but the well being of her family is more important to her than anything. Ruth is also witty and sarcastic at times. She cracks jokes to lighten the mood of her family when they’re worried. “Well that’s the way the cracker crumbles. Joke. (121)” When Beneatha and Mama are stressing over the neighborhood they are moving into, Ruth makes a witty joke to improve the mood. Ruth supervises the daily routine and well being of her family. She makes sure that everyone does what they are supposed to and stays on track. ...
...character with qualities of her own as well. During most of the time the play was written and when it was produced, Hansberry herself was in her thirties, as Ruth was. Ruth was the middle ground of the three women, sharing personality traits with both Mama and Beneatha. Hansberry most likely wrote Ruth and Beneatha with traits from her past, in Beneatha, and her present, in Ruth. As far as Mama’s character development source, I say that Hansberry was basing her off her own mother, or even grandmother. The play written was based off an event that actually happened within her life, as noted by the author of “Literature for Composition” on page 1127, and Hansberry drew from that experience to help her develop the story. This is one reason why so many people praised it portraying a true African-American family; she wrote the characters after herself and family members.
With this in mind, the mother, or the narrator of the story describes herself as a big-boned, manly woman with hands so rough from years of physical labor. She is a tough parent, taking the role of both mother and father for her daughters and providing for them. Taking into account that they are a poor family and most of them are uneducated. By her mother’s observation and words she describes Maggie as shy. “Maggie walks chin ...
Jamaica Kincaid has taken common advice that daughters are constantly hearing from their mothers and tied them into a series of commands that a mother uses to prevent her daughter from turning into "the slut that she is so bent on becoming" (380). But they are more than commands; the phrases are a mother's way of ensuring that her daughter has the tools that she needs to survive as an adult. The fact that the mother takes the time to train the daughter in the proper ways for a lady to act in their time is indicative of their family love. The fact that there are so many rules and moral principles that are being passed to the daughter indicates that mother and daughter spend a lot of time together.
Ruth is Walter's wife. Her dream is to have a happy family but she also wants to be wealthy.
Alice Walker paints the picture of a family that has a young daughter, an older daughter, and a mother. These women are all from the African-American culture. Dee, being the oldest daughter. Maggie, being the younger of the two. And Mama.