Ties That Bind, Ties That Break

With the ordeal of foot-binding and her initial act of rebellion over, Ailin must now deal with the consequences of her actions. However, she still has the support of her father until his death in Chapter 6. The main events of this section focus on Ailin’s schooling and her introduction to the outside world, which includes foreigners and her new friend, Xueyan, who is much like her—but with a more supportive family. These are events that play into the formation of Ailin’s identity as she continues to defy tradition, even standing up to her uncle when it comes to her going back to school.

Family remains a major focus here. Two major events in Ailin’s life take place that change all the dynamics: Her grandmother dies. Then her father, who is the main supporter of her educational goals, also dies. This leaves her basically in the charge of Big Uncle, whose stricter traditionalist nature has already been noted. These family members have controlled her whole life, but her father and even her Grandmother’s rule have been more sympathetic to her point of view even when Big Uncle was in charge. This section of the narrative starkly outlines how little power Ailin has over her life when residing with her blood relatives, based on traditional family dynamics and Chinese custom. It takes courage for her to confront her uncle, but the conversation leaves no doubt who is in charge. Her independent nature angers Big Uncle to the point where his first wife escorts Ailin to safety—an unusual occurrence that shows bravery on the part of the wife, too. Readers also experience, along with Ailin, the funeral ceremonies of Grandmother and her father.

Traditional gender roles are focused upon, as the family discusses whether it is a good idea for Ailin to attend school. Grandmother is opposed to it, saying, “Too much studying is unhealthy for a girl!” (45). She and Ailin’s mother mention Ailin’s unbound state several times in arguing about the logistics of getting Ailin to school. When Grandmother says Ailin will ruin her reputation by walking there, Mother says that her reputation is already ruined by having unbound feet. Grandmother points out that an educated girl with unbound feet will be impossible to marry off. In this situation, Ailin will have two gendered strikes against her, according to the older women in her family.

Again, the political situation plays a large role in this section. Ailin learns about what’s happening in the world through her father and Big Uncle. They speak of Yuan Shikai, who became provisional president of China in 1912. Yuan did indeed make himself emperor as Big Uncle wanted, dissolving the new elected bodies and attempting to create another Chinese imperial dynasty in 1915-1916. He became the Hongxian Emperor, but open protests took place and revolutionary Republic of China hero Sun Yat-sen, known as the “Father of the Nation,” helped organize efforts to overthrow him. Historically, Yuan’s short-lived reign is considered negatively; though he tried to modernize China, he also weakened national morale and the country’s international standing. It was after this that China descended into chaotic warlordism. Big Uncle, naturally, supports Yuan’s imperial ambitions, while Ailin’s father has a more optimistic view of the foreigners coming to China. He says, “There is a lot we can learn from them” (44).

In defending Ailin’s right to go to school, her father uses the political situation to point out that ignorance led to China’s defeat in the Boxer Rebellion. He is referring to the fact that the Boxers, a group of martial-arts activists in Shandong province who were in conflict with Christian missionaries just before the turn of the 20th century, believed themselves immune to knives, guns, and cannons—and that they would be assisted by soldiers from heaven. They were outgunned in the conflict, and Ailin’s father believes the playing field would be leveled if Chinese people also learned how to make and wield those weapons. The events of the 19th century Opium Wars were still fresh in Chinese consciousness, and with Western powers moving in and carving up parts of China, the prospect of Western colonization was a major cause of unrest at this time. The result of the ill-fated Boxer Rebellion was the opposite of what its instigators wanted; Western countries brought in more troops and advanced their agendas to gain land and power in China, as Grandmother points out.

This history also plays into the stereotypes that Ailin has about her teachers, and which the teachers, who are part of the missionary community in Nanjing, have about Chinese children. Cultural conflict is another theme that shows up significantly here for the first time in the book, as readers meet several Americans and the misunderstandings between cultures play a small role in the narrative. Specifically, Miss Scott clearly believes the Chinese culture is corrupt and oppressive to women, even though Ailin and Xueyan try to bring up arguments against it.

The text specifically mentions powerful women such as Wu Zetian, Empress of the Zhou Dynasty (690-705), the notorious Empress Cixi of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-111), and Hua Mulan, who is known to many modern children because of the Disney movie from 1998 (which came out before this novel did).There is also social conflict between Ailin and her classmates based on the fact that she has unbound feet. Yet Ailin’s education is forwarded by her teacher, Miss Gilbertson, who also introduces her to another foreigner who will eventually become her employer and the instrument of her release from the yoke of tradition and family.

The symbolism of the silk cocoons becomes clearer here. In the first section of the book, Second Sister likes the green one because it is different. As she is getting ready to leave to her new family in Chapter 4, as is expected of girls once they are married, she points out that silk weavers dislike the different ones because they spoil the uniformity. They destroy the ones that are not white. However, in considering Second Sister’s warning, Ailin wonders whom her sister is referring to—herself, or Ailin?