Book Report on The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan

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Lily Luo 09 December 2002 Language Arts/ Period 3 Mrs. Ethridge Book Report on The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan The main characters in The Bonesetter’s Daughter are Ruth LuYi Young, LuLing Liu Young, “Precious Auntie” or Liu Xin Gu, GaoLing Young, and Art Kamen. The book’s settings include San Francisco, California, in the years 1998 and 1999, Immortal Heart, China, from 1916 to 1938, and Hong Kong, China, in 1939.   The novel’s conflicts include man vs. man and man vs. himself. One conflict is between Ruth and her mother LuLing. Ruth, who is born in the United States, struggles to understand her mother and her mother’s actions toward her. In Ruth’s childhood, Ruth’s mother, who grows up in China, often goes into fits of rages, threatens to commit suicide, and is very harsh on Ruth. As LuLing grows older, her memory falters and she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In a trip to the doctor, Luling tells the doctor she was born in 1916 instead of 1921, as Ruth believes. Ruth tries to distinguish truth from fiction by translating a manuscript written by LuLing that describes her life in China. Another conflict, which is internal, involves Luling. Luling deals with her guilt of being ashamed of her mother, “Precious Auntie”, and not knowing that “Precious Auntie” was her real mother until her death. LuLing is the
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illegitimate daughter of “Precious Auntie” because “Precious Auntie’s” lover was killed on her wedding day. “Precious Auntie” then acts as the nursemaid of LuLing and LuLing’s aunt is named as her mother. Throughout the novel, Luling tries to talk to the ghost of her mother and all her actions stem from what she thinks “Precious Auntie’s” ghost would allow her to do. An additional conflict in the novel resides between Ruth and her boyfriend, Art. Ruth has lived with Art for ten years, but is fearful that she is drifting away from him because of her increased attention to her ...

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