I'm going to hurry and post now so that Danielle can use my copy of the book for her post.
Although I liked Snow Flower better than The Good Earth (Karen Buxton, was that your choice, too?), I found the book extremely depressing. The Chinese attitude toward women is so frustrating - and I know they are not the only culture with these attitudes. Women are only good for bearing sons - bearing daughters is a disgrace. ARGH! Guess what? Without bearing daughters, there would be no one to bear sons. A woman's identity is based only on her husband and her sons? Women have their own identity, whether they are married or single, whether they have children or not. I found The Three Obediences (pg. 24) to be especially annoying: "When a girl, obey your father; when a wife, obey your husband; when a widow, obey your son." This quote on page 151, "Sons are the foundation of a woman's self. They give a woman her identity...," really ruffled my feathers, as well.
The descriptions of the foot binding experience were excruciating - thanks, Karen B., for the pictures. I had a hard time imagining what the finished product would look like. "Foot size would determine how marriageable I was," (pg. 34).
Lily, who started out as a sympathetic character, became someone I really couldn't like. However, I don't think her story is unique. How many times in history will a person, or a group of people, change with prosperity? As Lily become more prosperous (partly because of her laotong, Snow Flower), she also became proud, judgmental, and pompous. "Now you have abundance in your life, Lady Lu - an abundance of malice, ingratitude, and forgetfulness," (pg. 226). I really couldn't blame Snow Flower for no longer wanting to hang out with Lily. Friends are supposed to love you no matter what, are supposed to help you aspire to be a better person WITHOUT criticizing your every choice.
Of course, from the beginning we knew that something happened between Lily and Snow Flower. I knew on page 69 that it would have something to do with nu shu, the secret language of women - "Much tragedy could result from a wrong reading." Lily might have been able to salvage her friendship with Snow Flower in time if there had been open communication instead of the infestation of bitterness in her heart. I guess that's something we could all do better - instead of being passive-aggressive and harboring ill feelings, COMMUNICATE.
Thanks for choosing this, Karen. I had purchased this book a long time ago to read, but hadn't done so, yet.
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Claude Monet
Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir created beautiful paintings of women reading...both called "La Liseuse" (the reader). This National Book Club, founded in September, 2005, will honor this passion for reading.
La Liseuse
Claude Monet
Les Liseuses book list
- The Hunger Games
- The Angel's Game
- The Princess Academy (Danielle W)
- Little Bee (Michelle)
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Katie)
- Columbine (Danielle P)
- The Shack (Danielle P)
- Can't Wait to Get to Heaven
- The Gospel According to Larry
- The Alchemist
- Three Bags Full
- The Wednesday Wars
- Northanger Abbey
- Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!
- Crow Lake
- The Kite Runner
- Eat, Pray, Love
- Jane Eyre
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
- The Book Thief
- These Is My Words
- Eclipse
- The Stranger
- A Girl Named Zippy
- A Train to Potevka
- Twilight
- Second Glance
- Fablehaven
- The Persian Pickle Club
- 1632
- Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo
- The Giver
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- My Sister's Keeper
- Peace Like a River
- The Good Earth
- The Red Tent
- On Basalisk Station
- Sarah Plain and Tall
- The Confessions of Max Tivoli
3 comments:
Katie,
I, too, couldn't help but think that without women there would be no sons. I don't understand how people in certain times and places have skipped right over that fact. A lot of it has to do with tight social wrappings. When you are told something is true from everyone you know, if you are an average human being, you tend to believe it. Obviously, for women of our day in our country, it's more startling to hear about.
I guess what Lily did was play the game. She had the perfect feet, perfect obedience. She, somewhat like the girl from "These is My Words," did what she had to do to survive in her world. She perhaps did not exhibit the characteristics we today tend to think of as noble or admirable, but she was a success for her time.
Then again, Lily herself expressed remorse and later even made amends to Snow Flower's family for the cruel slander of her childhood friend. In the end, maybe it's a book about growing up.
I appreciate Danielle's thoughts here. It certainly is a book about growing wisdom and perspective.
My parents recently went to Korea. In the guidebook it says that abortion has seriously affected the population of women in the country because of this- only sons are important attitude. Truly it is tragic. Ironic that Abortion is supposed to be an increased "Right" for women but instead it destroys future women.
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