Our February book was Snow Flower And The Secret Fan by Lisa See. This book takes place in 1850's plus China and is the story of two women, Lily and Snow Flower, who are pledged to be "old sames". Lily is the main narrator and she takes you through the story of their lives. You really get a good look into the life of women in China during this period of history. The foot binding stories will make you wince. The story is sad but lovely. Our book club really liked it. We gave it four stars. Again I will attach the discussion questions in the comments.
3 comments:
1. In your oponion, is Lily, who is the narrator, the heroine or the villain? What are her flaws and her strengths?
2.Do you think the concept of "old sames" exists today? Do you have an "old same," or are you part of a sworn sisterhood/brotherhood? In what ways are those relationships similar or different from the ones in nintteenth-century China?
3. Some men in nineteenth-century China apparently knew about nu shu, th esecret writting described in the book. Why do yoiu think they tolerated such private communication?
4. Lily writes her story so that Snow Flower can read it in the afterworld. Do you think she tells her story in a convincing way so that Snow Flowere can forgive and understand? Do you think Snow Flower would have told the story differently?
5. When Lily and Snow Flower are girls, they have one intimate- almost erotic- moment together. Do you think their relationship was sexual, or given the times, were they simply girls who saw this as an innocet extension of their friendship?
6.Having a wife with bound feet was a status symbol for men, and thus having bound feet increased a woman's chances of marriage into a wealthier household. Women took great pride in thier feet, which were considered not only beautiful but their best and most important feature. As a child would you have fought against having your feet bound, as Third Sister did, knowing you wuld be consigned to the life of a servant or a "little daughter-in-law"? As a mother, would youhave chosen to bind yoiur daughter's feet?
7. The Chinese character for "mother love" consists of two parts: one meaning "pain" and the other meaning "love." In your own experience, as a parent or child, is there an element of truth to this discription of mother love?
8.The author sees this book as a novel about love and regret, but do you think there is an element of atonement in it as well?
9.In the story, we are told again and again, that women are weak and worthless, but were they really? In what ways did Snow Flower and Lily show their strength and value?
10. Although the story takes place in the nineteenth century and seems far removed from our lives--we don't have our feet bound, we are free and mobile--do yuo think we are still bound up in other ways; for instance, by career, family obligations, conventions of beauty, or events beyond our control such as war, the economy, and natural disasters?
11.Because of its phonetic nature, nu shu could easily be taken out of context and be misunderstood. Today, many of us communicate through e-mail or instant messanging. Have you ever had an experience where one of your messages has been misunderstood because of lack of context, facial or body gestures, and tone of voice?Have you ever been on the receiving end of a message that you misinterpreted and your feelings were hurt?
12.Madame Wang, the matchmaker, is a footbound woman and yet she does business with men. How is she different from the other women in the story? Do you think she is considered a woman of status or is she merely a necessary evil?
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