Abstract

 Since the publication, the novel, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, has received widespread attention as well as acclaim, which deals explicitly with mother-daughter relationships as her previous masterpiece, The Joy Luck Club. However, unlike The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan unfolds the story throughout emotional experiences of the three women generations belonging to one typical family. Overall, the family conflict is performing as a plot device in the novel, which mainly resulted from family values indeed. The complexity and diversity of family values in Tan’s novel are exactly the value of this thesis.

Based on various family values embodied in the novel, the thesis take a traditional Chinese family and a western family as an example to analyze family relationships including parents-offspring relationship, mother-daughter relationship, marital relationship, so as to answer the question about how to bring diversified family values into coexistence in a multicultural society.

First, the thesis analyzes the continuity and transformation of Chinese family values held by the three women. The family values represented by the three women generations, the precious aunt, LuLing and Ruth, are mutual products shaped by family members and the time. In parents-offspring relationships, there is no exception that they have dedicated all of their love to their children, harsh but selfless, with finial piety in mind, which shows the continuity of family values. However, they have different views of marriage, demonstrating the transformation of family values.

Second, the thesis compares the family value in a western and a Chinese family respectively, which lies in their attitudes towards parents-offspring relationship, marriage and finial piety. Ruth is the third generation in the novel who has been so profoundly affected by Chinese family value that a majority of her daily behavior and thoughts have been deeply formatted by Chinese family value. For example, she gives priority to other family members, shouldering the responsibility of taking care of the old and chasing for a registered marriage. In contrast, Art is a spokesman for the western family value, who believes that the right of each family member should be equality guaranteed and expects a love relation without bondage. When LuLing is diagnosed with dementia, he doesn’t consider it as something that he should take care of.

Last, the thesis concludes that different cultural backgrounds are the major cause of distinctive family values, while the family education leads to the continuity of family values. China has been deeply influenced by Confucianism. In the west, different cultural backgrounds result in different family values, which accounts for Art’s pursuit of absolute fairness. The globalization has created numerous opportunities for people from different culture backgrounds to communicate with each other. Cases of transnational marriage and immigration have been more and more common and the family conflicts will only keep increasing, so the thesis offers a key to family reconciliation-- mutual understanding. 

Key words: The Bonesetter’s Daughter; family value; Amy Tan; family conflict

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 A Brief Introduction to the Novel-1

1.2 Literature Review-1

1.3 Significance of the Study-4

2. The Continuity and Transformation of Chinese Family Values Held by the Three Women-5

2.1 Major Parts of Chinese Family Values that Remain Unchanged-5

2.1.1 Family Responsibility Invariably Existing in Three Generations-5

2.1.2 Finial Consciousness Invariably Existing in Three Generations-6

2.2 Views of Marriage Taking Different Shapes in Three Generations-7

2.2.1 Precious Aunt’s View of Marriage—Departed from the Traditional Practice-7

2.2.2 Luling’s View of Marriage ---Fettered by Backward Social Values and Unrest-7

1.2.3Ruth’s View of Marriage—Extreme Pursuit for Love and Freedom-8

3. The Conflicts between Western and Eastern Family Values-9

3.1 Different Views of Parents-offspring Relationship-9

3.1.1 The Equality in Views of Western Parents-offspring Relationship-9

3.1.2 The Patriarchy in Chinese Views of Parents-Offspring Relationship-9

3.2 Different Views of Marriage-10

3.2.1 The Spirit of Freedom in Western Views of Marriage-10

3.2.2 Responsibility and Material Condition in Chinese Views of Marriage-10

3.3 Different Views of Finial Piety-11

3.3.1 Imprint of Finial Piety in Chinese Family Value-11

3.3.2 Invisible Trace of Finial Piety in Western Family Value-12

4.  Major Causes and Key to Rapport of Distinctive Family Values-13

4.1 Cultural Backgrounds-13

4.2 Family Education-13

4.3 Mutual Understanding-14

5.Conclusion-17

Reference-18