Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Bonesetter’s Daughter, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Secrecy and Misunderstanding
Memory, Culture, and the Past
Storytelling
Women’s Solidarity
Summary
Analysis
LuLing claims that she “became an evil person” in 1929, when she turned 14. That year, scientists come to Dragon Bone Hill at the Mouth of the Mountain to dig in the quarries and caves. They also buy all the old bones in the medicine shops. A rumor begins to spread that the scientists have discovered that some of the supposed dragon bones are actually human teeth. Soon, people stop buying bones from the medicine shops.
The novel has already revealed that Precious Auntie died when LuLing was 14 and that LuLing feels responsible for the death. LuLing's admission that she “became an evil person” when she was 14 suggests that the death might occur soon, perhaps in this chapter. The excavation of dragon bones suggests an ideological shift from past to future—from the traditional to the modern. The dragon bones that LuLing’s family has used for generations as medicine suddenly take on a new role as instruments of research and scientific advancement.
Themes
Precious Auntie still has a few bones from her trips to the Monkey’s Jaw. One night, her father comes to her in a dream and tells her the bones belong to an ancestor who died in the cave. The ancestor has cursed their family for using his bones, and that the only way to stop the curse is to return the bones to the cave.
Precious Auntie’s dream about the curse contextualizes the beliefs that will rule over LuLing in her old age. The dream is the origin of LuLing’s fear that Precious Auntie’s ghost haunts her for not returning her bones to their proper resting place.
Themes
Precious Auntie leaves early the following day and is gone for the entire day. When she returns, she appears relieved. However, her good mood vanishes when the scientists working near the cave announce that the human teeth belong to a skullcap from one of humanity’s oldest ancestors, the one-million-year-old “Peking Man.” Determined to find the rest of Peking Man, the scientists offer rewards in exchange for villagers willing to give them their dragon bones. Soon, the whole village is obsessed with the possibility of new wealth, and nobody can buy the bones for medicinal use any longer.
This section incorporates real historical events into the novel. “Peking Man” refers to the remain of a Homo erectus, a subspecies of archaic human that scientists uncovered in a small village near Peking in the 1920s. The juxtaposition of Peking Man, which represents scientific discovery and empirical research, with Precious Auntie’s traditional beliefs about dragon bones emphasizes the way some of Precious Auntie’s wisdom clashes with the increasingly modern world in which LuLing comes of age.
Themes
LuLing recalls the bones Precious Auntie returned to the cave and suggests they retrieve and try to sell them, thinking the family will like Precious Auntie better if she makes them rich. Precious Auntie scoffs at the idea, reasoning that the curse will return if they remove the bones from the cave. She makes LuLing promise not to touch the bones.
LuLing is attracted to the possibility of wealth and respect that the dragon bones might bring her family. She doesn’t understand how meaningful the bones are to Precious Auntie, who sees them as a symbol of the bonesetting traditions of her father—traditions that will die with her, since her inability to claim LuLing as her child prevents her from passing the tradition down to the next generation.
Themes
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Meanwhile, LuLing grows increasingly jealous of GaoLing, who repeatedly receives more attention and praise than she. At this point, LuLing still doesn’t know that she is not Mother’s daughter and can’t understand why she favors GaoLing, who is younger. Furthermore, the older LuLing grows, the more she begins to regard Precious Auntie as a simple, powerless servant. She also begins to hate Precious Auntie’s ongoing talk of curses. As LuLing’s respect for Precious Auntie dwindles, her respect for Mother grows.
This section of LuLing’s narrative slowly builds a case for how LuLing became (in her earlier words) evil. Her desire to be accepted by the extended Liu clan gradually persuades her to abandon her allegiance to Precious Auntie. Instead, she begins to fixate on Precious Auntie’s flaws—her lower-class status, powerlessness, and extreme superstitious beliefs—while ignoring the love Precious Auntie has for her.
Themes
One day, sometime before Spring Festival, Old Cook comes by the compound and announces that Chang would soon be rich from the bones he sold to the scientists, who had verified that the bones were indeed human. The rest of LuLing’s family sits in the ink studio and praises Mr. Chang, who sells them wood. They believe Chang helped Precious Auntie after the bandits killed Baby Uncle.
The bones Chang sold to the scientists likely came from Precious Auntie’s dowry, but Precious Auntie’s silence and lowly status prevent her from telling the truth about Chang’s true character.
Themes
When Precious Auntie enters the studio and realizes who they’re talking about, she flails about and tells LuLing about Chang’s evil deeds. However, LuLing thinks Precious Auntie is lying. Precious Auntie tries to make LuLing believe her and tell the others the truth about Chang, but LuLing refuses to comply. Precious Auntie runs from the room, and LuLing feels horrible. Mother and the aunts talk about Precious Auntie and how lucky it is that she can’t speak and embarrass them. LuLing realizes that the women will turn on Precious Auntie once the superstitious Great-Granny dies, and they no longer have to worry about the supposed curse. Knowing this makes LuLing feel horrible for mistreating her nursemaid.
LuLing’s refusal to believe Precious Auntie’s claims about Chang reflect how wholly she has turned on her. Of course, if LuLing knew Precious Auntie’s full story and saw herself as part of the legacy that Chang dishonored by stealing and selling the bones, she likely would be more sympathetic. However, because she remains ignorant about her connection to Precious Auntie and the whole truth surrounding Chang’s attack, she can’t fully appreciate how profoundly it hurts her to see Chang profit from her family’s long-held traditions.
Themes
The following month, Great-Granny hits her head and dies. When Mr. Chang delivers the coffin, Precious Auntie curses him from her room. LuLing looks at the seemingly friendly man and finds herself doubting Precious Auntie’s accusations about him yet again. Mr. Chang notices LuLing staring at him and compliments her on growing big. Wanting to impress Mr. Chang, she tells him about the bones she once had and promising to take him to the cave with Precious Auntie. When Father returns to pay Mr. Chang for the coffins, he appears pleased that someone as important as Mr. Chang is paying attention to LuLing.
LuLing’s desire for acceptance supersedes her loyalty to Precious Auntie. She inadvertently offers to show Chang the hidden bones Precious Auntie believes are central to her ancestor’s curse on her family. Chang’s sudden interest in LuLing indicates that he sees her as a means to an end. To Chang, LuLing is a tool to procure him additional wealth, much like how he saw Precious Auntie years before, when she was beautiful and had the respectable status of being the daughter of a famous bonesetter. History is repeating itself, but LuLing’s ignorance about that history leaves her unable to stop tragedy from striking again.
Themes
Great-Granny’s funeral takes place a few days later. Fearing that the old woman’s ghost is still around, Mother allows Precious Auntie to remain at the compound. A few months later, Mother receives a letter from Old Widow Lau, a cousin of hers who lives in Peking. Lau tells of a family interested in arranging a marriage with LuLing and explains that the two families are to meet at the ink shop in Peking to see if the match will work. Lau also explains that her daughter specifically ordered that Precious Auntie not accompany LuLing to Peking, since she thought Precious Auntie’s ugliness would dissuade the family from approving the match.
Old Widow Lau’s letter confirms the scheme Chang was plotting in his head as he stared at LuLing the other day: he wants to arrange a marriage between LuLing and himself or someone in his family, clearly wanting to gain possession of the dragon bones. Chang specifies that Precious Auntie must not attend the meeting between LuLing and her prospective in-laws because he knows that Precious Auntie knows the truth about him and might try to convince LuLing to reject his offer.
Themes
Mother decides that LuLing will go to Peking in a week. Precious Auntie urges LuLing to convince Mother to let Precious Auntie accompany LuLing to Peking, but LuLing ignores her, not wanting to upset Mother. In their room, Precious Auntie scolds LuLing and reminds her of the danger of going to Peking alone, but LuLing refuses to heed her warnings. A fight ensues, and LuLing tells Precious Auntie she’s only alive because Baby Uncle’s family pitied her, and that Baby Uncle was lucky he died before he could marry her.
LuLing’s rejection of Precious Auntie reflects her desire that Precious Auntie have no place in the new life she will live, should the marriage proposal go through. She believes she has outgrown her anxious nursemaid and her superstitious beliefs about ghosts and curses. She wants to become her own person with her own future. There’s an obvious parallel here between LuLing’s desire for independence and Ruth’s desire for independence. Seeing the similarities helps the reader understand why LuLing is so panicked when she sees Ruth adopt the same self-assured, naively confident behavior she displayed as a young girl.
Themes
The next morning, Precious Auntie refuses to help LuLing pack for her trip to Peking. When Mr. Wei comes by with his donkey to escort LuLing to the city, Precious Auntie refuses to see her off. LuLing’s journey is long and arduous, and LuLing doesn’t have any food to eat. They reach Peking later that afternoon. The big, bustling city overwhelms LuLing. Eventually, they arrive at Old Widow Lau’s house. Lau criticizes LuLing’s disheveled appearance and orders her to clean up for dinner, which is about to start. At dinner, LuLing feels lost and confused without Precious Auntie around to tell her which foods to eat and which foods to avoid. Later that night, she feels queasy. As LuLing prepares her cot for bed that night, she realizes this is the first time she’s slept by herself.
Precious Auntie gives LuLing the cold shoulder much in the same way LuLing will give Ruth the cold shoulder when they argue many years into the future. LuLing’s realization that she has never slept alone reveals how young and naïve she is. It recasts her bratty behavior toward Precious Auntie as reasonable, or, at least, undeserving of the extreme guilt she feels decades into the future. This emphasizes the tragedy of LuLing’s life—of feeling the need to atone for things that she was too young to be fully responsible for when they occurred.
Themes
The following day, Old Widow Lau explodes at LuLing, who, without Precious Auntie to guide her, has packed all the wrong clothes for her meeting with her potential in-laws. Old Widow Lau hurriedly finds some old clothing for LuLing to borrow, and they depart for Father’s ink shop.
LuLing’s inability to pack appropriate clothing further highlights how young and inexperienced she is. Again, this suggests that whatever responsibility she feels for her actions during this time are likely blown out of proportion by her immense guilt.
Themes
At 5:00, Old Widow Lau and LuLing “accidentally” run into LuLing’s prospective mother-in-law outside the ink shop. The woman is younger than Mother and wears lots of jewelry. Old Widow Lau points out the success of the family business, and Father tells the woman they have her husband to thank, since they buy their wood from him. At that moment, LuLing realizes her family has arranged for her to marry into Chang’s family. She imagines Precious Auntie’s displeasure but can’t hold back her excitement, imagining how jealous GaoLing will be to hear that LuLing will marry into such a wealthy, important family.
LuLing’s attitude toward her potential wedding also highlights her young age. She’s hardly mature enough to marry if her initial thoughts are about how jealous the marriage will make her sister. A patriarchal society has thus pushed LuLing into marriage before she’s ready. She’s even too young to discern how ill-prepared she is to undertake such an endeavor. Chang is interfering in LuLing’s life to render her powerless and controlled just as he interfered in Precious Auntie’s life years before. Again, history repeats itself.
Themes
The adults decide that Father, Old Widow Lau, and LuLing will visit a house in Peking that belongs to Chang’s cousin. LuLing knows this means the Changs are seriously considering her as a prospect. Two nights later, they go to the house for a Viewing the Moon party. Mr. Chang is there, and he and Father discuss Peking Man. Chang addresses LuLing, suggesting that the two of them find some more of Peking Man together. LuLing eagerly agrees. The next day, LuLing returns to Immortal Heart, overjoyed at being accepted by the Changs and bringing honor to her family. Though she hasn’t met the Changs’ fourth son, she knows he is only two years older than her and apprentices in the coffin-making family business.
LuLing’s eagerness to please the Liu clan and finally gain their acceptance clouds her brain. It enables her to dive headfirst into what is clearly a scheme on Chang’s end to acquire Precious Auntie’s ancestral dragon bones and add to his wealth. In her efforts to distance herself from Precious Auntie, LuLing forgets one of the most important things her nursemaid (and mother) has taught her: to be curious and observant of the world around her, always asking questions and never taking things at face value.
Themes
As Mr. Wei and LuLing near Immortal Heart, LuLing is overwhelmed by a sudden desire to see Precious Auntie. She runs inside the ink studio where Mother and GaoLing are working, but Mother hardly greets her, not bothering to stop her work when she informs LuLing that the Changs will likely accept her as a daughter-in-law. LuLing finds Precious Auntie working in the root cellar. Precious Auntie greets her affectionately, but LuLing finds herself recoiling from her touch.
LuLing rejects Precious Auntie, even though she, and not Mother, is the one who offers her love and affection. Perhaps this is why LuLing will later be more cautious about showing affection to her own daughter: she understands the pain of rejection she caused her own mother and can’t bear to be hurt in the same way by Ruth, so she deprives Ruth of affection to deprive herself of Ruth’s rejection.
Themes
When LuLing tells Precious Auntie about her engagement to Chang’s son, Precious Auntie makes a sound like she is dying. She forbids LuLing from going through with the marriage and begins to beat her. LuLing fights back. Finally, she angrily turns away from Precious Auntie, insisting that she has to help Mother and GaoLing in the ink studio.
LuLing’s desire to marry Chang seems to stem more from an obstinate drive to disobey Precious Auntie. She wants to be in control of her own life. Ironically, the way Ruth believes she will achieve this control—marrying into a family with a history of violence and dishonesty—will only lessen her ability to control her own life.
Themes
