Cultural Identity in The Bonesetter’s Daughter
Individual’s culture is shaped by his or her environment. Similarly, family habits and customs are determined by their cultural roots. Tan showcases this by introducing a teenager girl who is at the crossroad between Chinese and the American culture. The girl was born and raised in America while her parent have been nurtured under the Chinese culture. The environment the girl is experiencing at home is different from what she sees from her peers in schools and outside. This puts her in a constant fight with herself in identifying her ideal culture. To showcase how the poor girl is uncomfortable and dislikes her Chinese culture, Tan, the author uses humorous and poignant approach. THIS IS A PREVIEW ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW
In exploring the Chinese cultural identity, Tan starts by creating in imagery in the minds of the readers. This create mental images among the readers on how the events unravels upon the visitation of the minister’s family. Tan has used euphemism to denote how the disturbed girl describes her mother’s efforts to make sure she prepared food that will please their guests. From the lens of the teenage girl she says, ‘On the Christmas Eve, I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu, (Tan 75). The girl in the novel appears to praise her mother, but in satirical manner. She is saddened since knows very well her mother is unable to prepare the American food but she wants suit in culture that do not totally suit her. This is well illustrated when she says, “The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food” (Tan 75). She uses an angry tone when describing her mother’s actions to please their invitees.
Tan goes further by using humorous tone to present Chinese eating culture at the dining table. She comically builds a laughing image through the behavior of the Chinese relatives when food is brought on the table. The Chinese girl says, “Dinner threw me dipper into despair. THIS IS A PREVIEW ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW
Works Cited
Tan, Amy. The Bonesetter’s Daughter. United States: Random House, Inc, 2001. Print.