blog




  • Essay / Explanation of Chinese Culture in The "Spring Moon" by Bette Bao Lord

    Chinese culture and traditions are well known, based on modern writing, for their originality and distinctiveness. The book Spring Moon by Bette Bao Lord offers a rigorous explanation of this type of lifestyle through the story of a young Chinese girl named Spring Moon, her family and their customs. Throughout the story, the author reveals everyday aspects of Chinese life using different characters to represent his philosophies. One of the main characters, Bold Talent, Spring Moon's older uncle, shows during the first 12 chapters of the novel his commitment to Chinese traditions, even if he is sometimes forced to deviate from rigid practices. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of the story, Bold Talent is enjoying life in San Francisco, where he was sent by his father to study games. Western sciences. Back in his native country, he feels his freedom disappearing because of the obligations he must respect. This type of behavior was unusual, as many men in Bold Talent's company would not have had such thoughts in their minds. However, Bold Talent comes home with American influences, particularly in its elimination of the transcendent queue hairstyle. The queue represents Chinese nationalism and faith in Chinese culture, and because Bold Talent had interrupted it, the citizens of Soochow perceived it as a disappointment to their town. The proof of this status can be seen in chapter 1: “Stranger! The looks… the crowd behind” (Lord, 1981, p. 50). Here, the text shows the astonishment of the crowd through the way the author uses descriptive and powerful adjectives. Lord depicts Bold Talent's awkwardness and discomfort through his body language, such as how he forces himself to laugh and how he tries to remain confident and strong towards his citizens. After arriving, Bold Talent feels obligated to follow tradition. and the honor of burying the patriarch forty-nine days after his death. Once the matriarch, his mother, decides to do things differently, Bold Talent is forced to accept her decision. He follows tradition by accepting his mother's orders and not confronting them, showing that while he wanted to fight for his father's wishes, he knew he had to follow the rules he had been taught all along. throughout his life. This mentality can be demonstrated in chapter 2, “She grimaced...thought much? (Lord, 1981, p. 56), when Bold Talent expresses the respect he has for his mother by the way he speaks to her formally, accepting her wishes in a polite manner. This also shows how dramatic and self-centered the matriarch is, as she dramatically sighs for a pointless cause, making it even harder for Bold Talent to oppose her. Weeks later, after the funeral of his father, Bold Talent, the true patriarch. , goes against tradition in a more radical way. He teaches Spring Moon to read and write, although he is well aware of the consequences of this measure. Educating women was dangerous because it spoiled the chances of a good marriage and disrupted the harmony of a home. Knowing this, he places no importance on what the Matriarch will say, significantly showing his opposition to tradition in a way never before seen in a typical Chinese household. To illustrate this idea, in chapter 2, “Too much... a hope”. (Lord, 1981, p. 79), the author uses deep, detailed and serious language to show how reading and writing are supposed to be dangerous and.