Parallelism in the Novel The Bonesetter’s Daughter: Representation of East Women who are in the West

Parallelism in the Novel The Bonesetter’s Daughter:

Representation of East Women who are in the West

Hiqma Nur Agustina, SS, M. Hum, M. Si

Dosen Tetap Yayasan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris FKIP UNIS Tangerang

Abstrak

Banyak novel karya penulis perempuan Cina beredar di tengah-tengah penikmat sastra dewasa ini. Karya penulis perempuan Cina ini sedikit banyak mengetengahkan beragam isu dan permasalahan yang berkaitan dengan tradisi dan budaya Cina. Seperti halnya novel yang menjadi bahasan dalam tulisan ini yang berjudul The Bonessetter’s Daughter karya Amy Tan juga memaparkan konflik para perempuan Cina yang mewakili perempuan Timur yang tinggal di wilayah Barat. Barat disini direpresentasikan oleh Amerika, sebuah wilayah yang kita kenal sebagai wilayah yang menjunjung tinggi pola hidup dan pemikiran yang liberal. Konflik yang mengemuka dipaparkan dalam bentuk parallel atau kesamaan nasib antara perempuan yang muda usia dan yang sudah berumur dan juga representasi perempuan muda Cina yang tinggal dan berada di wilayah Barat.

Key words: Parallelism, Representation, East, West

Introduction

            Parallelism is the aspects in human’s life which can be formed as the background, the conflict or problems that happened in coincidence or not. According to Cuddon, parallelism is a matter that stay contiguous one to another. The novel The Bonesetter’s Daughter is a novel written by a Chinese woman, Amy Tan which reveals about parallelism between the main characters, Ruth Young and her mother, Luling Liu Young.

            The similarities or parallelism of destiny and the conflict of life between these characters made the novel are really interesting. Tradition and the Chinese culture are represented well connected with the position of the writer that is a Chinese. She does really understand about the detail of her tradition and culture and that made this novel can present the unity of Chinese culture.

            This writing has purpose to discuss the parallelism in the novel The Bonesetter’s Daughter and the representation of East Women who are staying in the West. The representation of East Women is revealed as an effort to show the characterization of women who are searching for their personality and identity in the country which is full with multiculturalism aspect.

The Bonessetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan

           

            The Bonessetter’s Daughter tells about Ruth Young is a Chinese woman stayed in America and worked as “a book doctor”, one term for someone who is able to translate and help other people to put one’s idea or thought into a book. Sometimes Ruthie or Lu Yi (a nick name called by her mother because she can not pronounce Ruth correctly) can produce a better book that the person who order it.

            The The Bonesetter’ Daughter tried to describe the relationship between a mother and her daughter (Luling and Ruth Young) who are not close and harmonious because of her mother burden in the past time which is haunted her all the time. It made their relationship was stuck in a long time. They always have different opinion and way of thought in facing one matter. To understand one to another is not easy for them, they have to passing through all the journeys and conflicts become united.

Parallelism in The Bonesetter’s Daughter

            The matter will be discussed in this paper is about parallelism which is able to arise irritated problem among the characters. The first parallelism in this novel is alike a curse that is pre-marriage relationship between Luling’s mother, Precious Auntie and her lover. From this pre-marriage was born Luling. The same thing also happened by Ruth and her lover, Art. They were not bound in the legal or legitimate marriage. They live together because they have sameness in the name of love, friendship and wish in the beginning of their relationship. Those could make their relationship everlasting.

            The conflict arose when Art’s children (Fia and Dory) from his first marriage always think that Ruth is the main person who makes everything become complicated and difficult for their life.

            It is based on Ruth’s habits which tend to count every action in the number of one until ten. As we know, this tradition is inherited by Chinese culture. The differences between Ruth and her mother in the first parallelism is the presence of a child in Luling’s mother and her lover, Baby Uncle that is Ruth. Meanwhile the love relationship between Ruth and Art does not get descent. It was because they were not young anymore at that time so it is impossible to have a baby from their relationship.

            The feeling of uncomfortable and shame born from pre-marriage relationship is enough disturbed Luling. She felt really depressed and she kept revealing her background of life through writings not communicate direct with her only daughter, Ruth. The difference point of view in thinking about Luling’s fact is “a child from pre-marriage” also made the different factor for Ruth and Luling.

            These differences were from the time where they lived and their way of thinking. Ruth lives in the modern time and tends to think modernly while Luling was from the past period and tent to think about superstitious, ghost, and curse. Those matters were always believed by Luling. She has a way of thinking in conventional way.  

            In the time when Luling knew some truths kept secret about who is her real mother, the story about her mother, Precious Auntie, and her status which is very different with her own mind become the paradox with her condition that lives in the super power country, America. America is a symbol of freedom for everybody who really need and dream about it. America is also a representation of a liberal country that famous with the people who never influence too much in other’s people business.

            The second parallelism in the novel is the conflict happened in the relationship between mother and child. The first conflict is between Precious Auntie – Luling. This conflict arose because Luling does not know who Precious Auntie and her position in her family is. Since the tragic event was experienced by Precious Auntie that is the death of Baby Uncle, the candidate of husband and father for her baby in her stomach made she is introvert to other people. Another event was the attack done by the mask robber before her weeding is meant to fail it. One of the suspects is Chang, the maker of dead box who felt bad hurt and bear a grudge when his proposal refused by Precious Auntie.

            Knowing Baby Uncle and her father were killed in that attack. Precious Auntie also intended to kill herself by drinking hot ink liquid. As the result, her beautiful face changed into burnt and ugly face. Moreover, she got a name a Burnt Wood, a Fried Mouth and many more. This name actually for a joke for Ruth, but for she herself it was really cruel and improper.

            There was a specific moment before Precious Auntie killed herself in tragic way, she wrote a letter for Luling. The letter consists of a message explained that she is Luling’s real mother, not the mother that Luling has known for a long time before. Precious Auntie was also a mother for Gao Ling, a first child from her first uncle and her wife. But because of the self-ego owned by Luling, she insisted to get married with Chang’s son, someone who already killed her father. Since that moment, Luling always be haunted by the guilty feeling. For Luling, the ghost of Precious Auntie always asked her responsibility. This matter made her keep trying to kill herself if her daughter, Ruth started not to obey her.

            The second conflict is about the relationship between Ruth – Luling. They do not have a compatible and harmonious relationship, Luling never tried to understand Ruth’s need and it also happened to Ruth. It is because Ruth always postpones in searching a translator to translate the pieces of paper consists of her mother background of life.

            Luling was told married twice in the novel, the first was with Pan Jaik King, a geologist; and the second was with Edwind Young, Ruth’s father. Kai Jing died because of the cruel abuse done by Japanese soldier. This soldier insisted him to tell where the Communist gone. There was Japanese’ colonial over China which brought great impact for Chinese at that period.

            Little Ruth felt that as the only child for a widow, she always being insisted to become the communicator for Luling. Her ability in speaking English is very minimal and she needs Ruth as her translator. And Ruth never realized that her ability in organizing words because of the training done by Luling. Ruth’s father, Edwind Young was died because of the car’s accident. A car hit him when he was passing through the pedestrian’s way. As the result, Luling guessed the death of her husband because of the curse again. The same curse also made little Ruth’s elbow was broken when she was playing in her school.

            The third parallelism in the novel is when Precious Auntie hides her status as the real mother of Luling. She did this way to cover her scandal because she had a daughter without a husband. The same thing done by Luling; she also hides her status as a daughter of unmarried spouse to Ruth. According to Ruth, a secret for her mother is really shame and become an incredible disgrace which cannot be consumed by the public but not for her. It is because Ruth stays in America which is accustomed with the tradition of living together without the bound of legally marriage.

            Did she fear that her own daughter would be ashamed that Luling was illegitimate? Ruth would have assured her that there was no shame, that it was practically fashionable these days to be born a love child (p. 32).

           

According to Luling, having a predicate as “ an illegitimate child” became a great disgrace that is really embarrassing. One huge blessing she got when she could write a Chinese beautiful words from Precious Auntie. This great talent is needed by China immigrant who tried to get luck to stay in America. The strong will and her tight character made her getting upset, envy and angry to Gao Ling, her cousin that she thought as her brother. Luling felt she never gets a fair threat from her mother in law. It was happened since the death of Edwin, her husband. In the reality, because Luling did not have a son from her marriage so her daughter can not continue to bring the name of the family. In Chinese tradition, only the son will continue and bring the name of family and it does not happen to the daughter. In other side, Gao Lin’s husband, Edmund Young was thought as the descent which had a bigger part of the inheritance.

The Representation of East Women who are in the West

            Besides parallelism, this novel also reveals about representation of East Women who are in the West. Representations show the way one person can be a representation of one thing; it can be a place, a period, a tradition, a subject and many other things. This representation is showed by Luling and Ruth Young.

These two characters in this novel are the representation of East women who tried to entrust their faith and kept searching for their personality in West. West here is represented by America. For the East woman especially Chinese, Luling is described to burry her past time and tried to look for a new life in the modern country. Of course it will not be easy to be done if she kept staying in China. Luling tends to represent East culture which does not agree with the way of life in America; such as living together as a spouse without any bound of legitimate marriage. Unfortunately it is done by her daughter, Ruth.

            “Long time ‘go, you first meet him, I tell you, Why you live together first? You do this, he never marry you. You remember? Oh, now you thinking, Ah, Mother right. Live together, now I just leftover, easy throw away. Don’t embarrass. You be honest.” (p. 316).

            Meanwhile for Ruth herself, she tends to stay together with a man without any legitimate marriage. The experience of failure in having relationship with her first spouse, Paul Shinn made her thinking over in order not to marry with her legal spouse. According to her, West territory where she stays now giving many choices to determine her own life included her status of marriage with a man she loved.

            There is one interesting point in this novel, even Ruth also has contribution to determine the way of the relationship with Art but still Ruth’s position is the secondary sex. She becomes the victim of patriarchy relation and she never realizes it. Her realization arose when she decided to move and stay in her mother’s house. She realized that she never has enough time to have her own privacy time. She is only busy taking care with Art and Art’s children. The daily routines such as doing households task, preparing Art and his children’s needs and also with her busy time in working which give a huge role with her money to support the family’s needs made her forgot to enjoy her time. She really forgets to get her real happiness.

            The representation Luling as the East woman is described very clear with the belief through ghost, Precious Auntie’s embittered soul. One thing which has paradox side can we find in the modern life in America. Luling’s belief to soul and ghost Precious Auntie reduce a little bit when she gets married with Kai Jing. Kai Jing is rather able to change Luling’s way of thinking in order not to believe superstitious matters. But, it just changed when Kaing is died, Luling returns to be back with her old belief, really trust the existence of ghost that is the presence of Precious Auntie’s ghost in her life. This matter influences the little Ruth until the adult Ruth. She also becomes the victim of her mother’s influence that is really believed in the presence of ghost Precious Auntie in their life.

            The realization to returns to the real life could be achieved when Ruth realized that her missing voice that happened in every month not because of the curse. Her ability in producing her voice is not controlled by the curse, falling star or even disease. Ruth can get her ability as a writer because she felt that she has many reasons to write. She realized it much that her real mother is the person who really loves and thinks about her so many times. She never thinks about it before. Luling gets her realization and happiness when she could appreciate and thinks the importance of apologizing to others included to Ruthie or Luyi, her only beloved daughter.

Conclusion

            This novel presents the parallelisms among the characters in some ways such as the background of character themselves and also the conflicts or even the problems in daily life. The interesting part in this novel is the presentation of the way of life of people which tend to “free’ for the East women and it is applied when they stay in West (America). Freedom is the symbol of human rights that is echoed in this super power country. They are not really tight in the limitation of East culture which is full with conventional values. For example: living together without legally marriage is a taboo in East culture; but, again it does not become the biggest problem in West. Free is really “free” to determine everything they want or embody whatever, wherever and whenever. Nobody will care about other people’s business. No wonder, there is a tendency for people who live in abroad to be independent in doing many ways.

            This novel really describes the position of women not only as the helping character but they can become the main characters who really have the important portion in the story. The realization that happiness could be had when someone can reveal her secret and privacy life and become the part of someone who really in love can be a great lesson for every humans. Besides, forgetting the bad side and forgiving are the key success to get happiness; those are done by Luling and Ruth.

            The representation of East women who are in the West with all the different aspects of life also influence people’s thought. It cannot be denied that the mindset of East women who stay in East area will be different than East women who are staying in West area. Those different mindsets will bring huge impact for each people in facing and thinking one matter. The nicest part is when the characters can come to the resolution for the problems that they had and haunted their life before. 

References:

Cuddon, J. A. 1987. A Dictionary of Literary Terms. Revised Edition. USA: Penguin Books.

Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia. 2003. Edisi Ketiga. Pusat Pengembangan Bahasa Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. Jakarta: PT. Balai Pustaka.

Tan, Amy. 2003. The Bonessetter’s Daughter. New York: The Ballantine Publishing Group.