Resistance And Identification: An Analysis Of The Mother-Daughter Relationship In The Bonesetter's Daughter

Amy Tan is a prominent Chinese American writer who is best known for The New York Times bestseller The Joy Luck Club.The Bonesetter's Daughter is Tan's fourth novel,which explores the mother-daughter relationships between three generations.The mother-daughter relationship is the most symbiotic of all human relationships.In the process of the daughter's growth,the mother makes a profound impact on her,both positive and negative.The “mother complex” and “matrophobia” will influence the daughter's attitude towards her mother,which then greatly affects the relationship between the mother and daughter.Therefore,this thesis attempts to analyze the complicated mother-daughter relationship in The Bonesetter's Daughter by applying these two significant concepts,and to explore the representation of the complexity of the mother-daughter relationship Amy Tan shapes in the novel as well.This thesis is composed of six chapters.Chapter One introduces Amy Tan's personal life,themes of writings and literary achievements,as well as The Bonesetter's Daughter.Chapter Two summarizes and analyzes previous studies of The Bonesetter's Daughter by foreign and domestic scholars,and then puts forward the main research contents and critical methods used in this thesis.Chapter Three explains the two essential terms—“mother complex” from psychoanalysis and “matrophobia” from feminism,and the close link between the two concepts,as well as the important role the two concepts play in literary criticism.Chapter Four elaborates on the respective impact of the “mother complex” and “matrophobia” on the three women: Precious Auntie,LuLing and Ruth,and their impact on the two mother-daughter relationships.Chapter Five discusses the resistance and identification by LuLing and Ruth in their respective mother-daughter relationship,and the shift of their attitudes towards their mother from resistance to identification.Chapter Six summarizes the whole thesis,and reiterates the main argument of the thesis: “mother complex” and “matrophobia” exert a greatly significant impact on the resistance-to-identification relationship between mother and daughter,though cultural distinctions and generational differences are not something to be ignored.In addition,the daughter's understanding of her mother's past and her family history is crucial to the transformation of the mother-daughter relationship from resistance to identification.