Bonesetters Daughter Essay

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The Bonesetter’s Daughter – Critical Analysis Essay One of the most recognized poets of the nineteenth century is Emily Dickinson. Her unique style is what makes her different from every other poet (Haung). Her use of wording is what helps her place meaning into the poems she wrote. Such as, “Much Madness is divinest sense”. When reading this poem it seems short and a bit confusing to the reader, but once the reader finds something to apply it to, doors open to many new meanings. The poem contains a theme of madness against sanity, and remains open to a variety of deeper meanings. I applied this poem to Amy Tans book, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, because both the poem and the book contain a theme of rebellion, as well as madness. The Bonesetter’s Daughter focuses on the relationship experienced between a mother and her daughter. The book goes through three different time phrases from modern day California to the lives of Precious Auntie and Luling, and then transitions to Ruth understanding more about her mother and the wonderful person she didn’t see her for when she was growing up. When putting these three phases together it becomes clear that the true mystery behind this book is surrounding Luling and her attempts to remember the name that will bind her past to her future (“Bonesetter’s Daughter Review”). Memory appears to be the main issue of the novel, but in fact it turns out to be one of the most inspiring aspects of the novel. Ruth always saw her mother as difficult, oppressive and odd, with her talks of death, bad luck, ghosts and curses (“Bonesetter’s Daughter Review”) – typical of the Chinese culture that Luling saw herself very connected to. Growing up Ruth hated having to explain everything to her mother. She found herself embarrassed by her mother’s eccentric behavior (“Bonesetter’s Daughter

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