Self Reliance and Privacy in the Bonesetter's Daughter

Dhika Try Marthadi Nugroho
125110101111046

After reading from some websites, I understand what “Self-reliance” is. All I get, self-reliance is having reliance or believe in ourselves, in our own abilities.
In Ruth case, she has found the individualism in Emerson’s self-reliance. Especially, when she declares herself as an American to LuLing.
There’s a gap there between LuLing and Ruth. They have different perspective about what ‘privacy’ and ‘individualism’ are.
Individualism
In my opinion of the American individualism, it means the American parents always respect children’s ideas and seldom intervene their decisions or developments. While in China or the orient society, people treat family status seriously. For Chinese, children or youngsters’ decisions should be taken parents’ considerations. And Chinese parents regard it as their responsibility to look after their children’s study and life.
Privacy
Americans respect others’ privacy. For example, they seldom talk about their pretty close topics in their chatting, such as ages, incomes or marriage. However, these topics are general in China. Chinese neighborhoods always talk about private secrets between them to show their close relationship. Besides that, visitors without appointments, even their parents, are treated as impolite in American. While in China, sometimes the sudden visiting will create an surprise feeling.
Because Ruth was born and growing in America, of course there are differences in how she thinks about things with how LuLing thinks about things. In chapter seven, Luling caught Ruth smoking and angry with Ruth. Ruth doesn’t accept it and get so upset, because she thinks she has right to do anything and she’s right.(American perspective). But, LuLing is also not wrong. She thinks it’s her responsibility to keep her daughter from bad thing like that (Chinese perspective).
The second