In addition, a 'moon sickle' is an agricultural tool used for harvesting, that when used on people, may cause agonising pain, correlating with what Pleasure Mouse will experience later on in this passage. After the binding, Lady Guo Guo intones a prayer to her 'venerable ancestors.' This implies that this ritual has been continued through many generations, thus introducing the theme of tradition and religion. In the prayer, Lady Guo Guo also wishes that her daughter 'may marry well,' implying that it is culturally and socially favourable to have bound feet. This also raises the issue of health implications and wellbeing in association with traditional practices and rituals. Pleasure Mouse's wellbeing is then questioned in the second paragraph when the 'leather thongs' are untied and Pleasure Mouse is 'released.' The author's use of the verb 'release' gives the sense that Pleasure Mouse was initially 'imprisoned' or 'trapped' against her will, touching on the subject of human rights, and where the line is drawn for a person's rights when cultural practices are involved. .
Also in paragraph two, there is a significant contrast between the names of the characters. Lady Guo Guo and Lao Bing have quite oriental names, whereas Pleasure Mouse and Honey Tongue, who we are later introduced to, seem to have names that have been directly translated from traditional Chinese. This suggests that there is some sort of divide between the characters, possibly with their views on foot binding, or by the separation of generation. Honey Tongue is presented as this apparition that seems to only be seen by Pleasure Mouse, and her actual position in the story in relation to the other characters is quite ambiguous. It is possible that Honey Tongue is simply a character that Pleasure Mouse has created in her mind to help her deal with the pain, hence the similarity in name structure.
