Contents

Acknowledgments

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Introduction to Amy Tan-1

1.2 Introduction to The Bonesetter’s Daughter-1

1.3 Research Status of The Bonesetter’s Daughter-3

1.4 Thesis Structure-4

Chapter Two Conflicts between Mothers and Daughters-5

2.1 Conflicts between Lu Ling and Precious Auntie-5

2.2 Conflicts between Ruth and Lu Ling-6

2.3 Conflicts between Ruth and Her Step-daughter-7

Chapter Three Causes for Mother-Daughter Conflicts-8

3.1 Differences between Chinese and Western Cultures-8

3.1.1 Different Family Cultures-8

3.1.2 Different Social Cultures-9

3.2 Lack of Communication-10

3.3 Plight of Chinese American Women-10

3.3.1 Low Social Status-10

3.3.2 Identity Crisis-11

Chapter Four From Conflicts to Reconciliation－Solutions to Mother-Daughter Conflicts-13

4.1 Mutual Understanding-13

4.2 Sincere Communication-13

4.3 Awareness of Intercultural Communication-14

Chapter Five Conclusion-15

References-16

Abstract

Amy Tan is a famous Chinese-American female writer, and in 1989, Amy Tan successfully became one of the mainstream American writers with The Joy Luck Club. Later, she has launched the The Bonesetter’s Daughter, The Kitchen God's wife, A Hundred Kinds of Mysterious Feeling and other works. The Bonesetter’s Daughter is an autobiography, about the relationship between Chinese immigrant mother and daughter, revealing the complicated relationships between the two generations of women in a Chinese immigrant family in the United States. And the purpose is to retrieve the mother's memory and find alienated Chinese culture.

Domestic and foreign scholars on the study of The Bonesetter’s Daughter research mainly focus on feminism, female growth, love and marriage, identity construction and other aspects, but few interpret it from the perspective of mother and daughter relationships in an comprehensive and systematic way. On the basis of previous studies, this thesis will focus on the contradictions and conflicts between three generations of mothers and daughters in the novel through literature review and close reading, to explore the deep reasons for mother-daughter conflicts from the perspective of cultural conflicts and integration and self-recognition of cultural identity, so as to further analyze Chinese-American women’s survival plight and status crisis.

Keywords:  Amy Tan; The Bonesetter’s Daughter; the mother-daughter relationship