In the second stanza, the true state of the grandmother is revealed to us. She is “helpless (and) hopeless”. This bleak outlook is described by “chin sharp as a knuckles”. She has not, by all means, led a fulfilled life and this is made known through the “fan … half-opened”. Her unhappiness and futility to lead a fruitful life is recounted further in the third stanza when the cause is made known to us; her movements are dependent upon handmaids. Through another cultural reference brought on by the poet, foot binding, readers witness the most blatant and poignant example of the inequality faced by Chinese women in the past.
In stanzas five to six, the foot binding process is described. Foot binding was an ancient custom in China, lasting from the 10th century until 1911, when it was made illegal by the government. This tradition involved tight, painful binding of the feet and toes using bandages in order to keep the feet as small as three inches, known as “Golden Lotus”. This is alluded to in “like lotus in the tight hollows of celestial lakes.” The practice of foot binding started when a girl was anywhere from four to six years old, during which time a mother would bend her daughter's toes under her feet and tightly tie bandages around the feet to keep them from growing. As a result, the toes would grow into the sole of the foot in a misshapen manner, like “yellow petals of chrysanthemum”, destroying the normal arch and making normal use of the feet totally impossible. The practice rendered the feet practically useless, confining the woman to her home. This process took several painful years to finish, and often caused infection, gangrene, and even death. Girls were finally unbound when the feet stopped growing, leaving them with useless three-inch "Lotus Feet."
In exploring the relationship between the poet’s grandfather and grandmother, readers get a glimpse of another example of the Chinese culture which favour males over females. In traditional Chinese culture, the relationship between father and his sons is considered to be the most important relationship in the family. This could explain why the grandfather waited until his sons were married to obtain a wife. The poem does not say about the grandfather’s previous wife but we can assume that she is deceased as it is considered inappropriate in the culture to divorce one’s wife without good reasons. But there is an old Chinese saying which states that it is alright for a man to have “three wives and four concubines” thus making it possible for an older man, especially if he is rich, to obtain a young girl as a second or third wife. We are made aware that the grandfather is a well to do man as he could afford handmaids for the grandmother to lean on. The grandmother in this poem is described as a girl, and it appears that she is young and has never been married. One clue that points to this is that the poem states that the grandfather “bought the young face, (with) small knobby breasts.” The grandfather’s decision to not have children, “he swore he’d not dress (her) in sarong of maternity” bespoke the tyrannical influence a man has over the decision-making process. This may be due to the fact that having more children after all of one’s children are grown is looked down upon in Chinese culture. This is because it is thought that the duty of continuing the family line is passed on to the man’s children when they are grown.
Thus far, we have come to a better understanding of the unhappiness evinced by the grandmother. Relieved of the role to provide continuity to the family name, she is destined for a life of non-fulfillment due to the “barrenness” enforced upon her. Through the word “bought” and the descriptions in the last stanza, we now see that her husband’s treatment towards her veered on the side of male selfishness. He sees her mainly as a sexual object to satisfy his lust more than anything else. This is in conformation to the notion of eroticism linked to foot binding as well as that women are second-class citizens in the Chinese male-centered society, denied of the opportunity to education and independence, to be bought and sold as servants or consorts.
In addressing foot binding, a bold issue, as for many Chinese people the practice is so linked to sex and sexuality that it makes them uncomfortable to discuss it or talk about it seriously, Shirley Lim has reaches back in time, tracing her roots to ancient China and delving into her childhood experiences growing up in 1940s Malaysia Malacca, to address issues of gender, race and complex relationships. The many cultural references used by the poet in “Ah Mah” reflect a desire on the poet’s part to find a voice for her work and her worth as a woman through a deeper understanding of her cultural background. Through her poetry, with “Ah Mah” being a notable example, Shirley Lim is searching for an identity for herself as she does not want to be a woman like “my absent mother or silent stepmother, not the punitive nuns or my friends’ mothers, nor the rubber woman my bothers laughed hysterically at, not jealous Mandy or acquiescent Kim.” This is very important to her as she offered in her memoir, “From Among The White Moon Faces” (1996) : “My name birthed me in a culture so ancient and enduring “I” might as well have not been born. Instead, “we” were daughters, members of a family that placed its hope in sons. Something condescending and dismissive, careless and anonymous, accented the tones in which we were addressed. … Unnecessary as individuals, girls need concern nobody, unlike sons, especially first sons, on whose goodwill mothers measured their future.”
Work Cited:
Cultural References in "Ah Mah", http://web2.mgc.peachnet.edu/bayres/Journals/BrainSplash/Brain.html#Shanna Adams
One Thousand Years of Chinese Footbinding: Its Origins, Popularity and Demise,
San Tsun Gin Lian,
Wan Roselezam Wan Yahya, Ph. D. (2001) BBL 3211 Unit 1-4/12 New Literatures in English.
University Putra Malaysia: Selangor
Women and Foot Binding in China,
Women Writers of Color.
