In this book, Pruitt was able to show us a traditional view of women’s role in the Chinese society. According to the tradition, a good daughter is to obey her parents. When she ge

It is essential to recognize the importance of the family throughout the Chinese culture. From the book, we learned that Ning spent her lifetime trying to remain close to her children and grandchildren. It was a great pride for the elders to see her children and grandchildren growing up and doing well. The family value weighed more than anything. We see that Ning had given up many opportunities and good offers, because she had to care for her family and could not leave them behind. She wanted to make the best of her daughter’s life, so she arranged her marriage with a young man who was expected good fortune. But it turned out that the son-in-law was “useless” (159). Ning protected her daughter like a mother would and helped to raise her grandchildren. She had only wished for the best for her daughter and she felt the sadness for her daughter’s marriage. Even though Ning’s family was poor, they were always close to her and she was thankful for heaven had given her a good family.

I find that Ning, although she believes that her destiny had been set for her, had gained more control of her own life as she grew up, only she did not realize her future was in her own hands. At the beginning of the book, she repeatly stated that she was “young” and “did not know enough even to beg” (55). So she sat at home, starved while waiting for her husband to bring home money to feed her. But she turned from a young woman who thought that she knew nothing, to a workingwoman who served many families, while trying to raise her children. She was forced to “go out of the court” to be independent and not rely on her husband. In the last part of the book, she had mentioned her husband but he was no longer a significant part in her life. She became an independent woman who could support her own children. She worked hard to give her chi

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