45 to go one more hour, one more day, one more week, reminding me of the
rewards I would have if I carried on a little longer. In this way, she taught me how to endure—not just the physical trials of footbinding and
childbearing but the more tortuous pain of the heart, mind, and soul. See, 2005: 1-2
By the quotation above, it can be seen that Chinese women are forced to
achieve their beauty and grace even though the pain is almost more than they can bear. As truly Chinese women, they obey it without questioning. They understand
very well that their life is to obey, obey, and obey then they get the rewards. Their filial piety will lead them to a bright future after all.
b. Pride
According to Bullon, pride has two major meanings. The first is about the feeling of pleasure. Pride is a feeling of pleasure in what has been achieved. The
second one is about respect. Pride is described as the feeling that someone respects or likes herself and that she deserves to be respected by other people p.
1298. From the beginning, Lily had the pride in herself since the diviner told her
family that she was different from other girls. “But your daughter has something besides smallness from famine. Her
foot has particularly high arch, which means that if the proper allowances are made now, her feet could be the most perfect produced in our county.”
See, p. 24
Having the most perfect feet throughout the county must be a proud thing for her and her family. The perfection of her feet also gives her a feeling that she has at
least a glance of chance of having a good life. If her feet develop as hoped, all the village would hear of it. Then, it would be heard too by the neighboring villages.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
46 Thus, the good family of the village will consider having an arrangement for
marriage. For the good families, it is a proud thing having a daughter-in-law who has beautiful feet. On the other hand, Lily is proud that by having a pair of perfect
golden lotuses, she can improve her status and her family status as well. Moreover, all the arrangement fees will be the groom’s family’s responsibility. It
shows that having a pair of tiny feet can be so beneficial. The following quotation supports this.
“Old Father,” Madame Wang responded smoothly, “if your daughter’s feet end up as I imagine, I can rely on a generous fee being paid by the
groom’s family. You will also be receiving goods from them in the form of bride-price. As you can see, you and I will both benefit this
arrangement.” See, p. 25 The prediction that Lily will be married into a good family is true. Her tiny
feet bring her to be engaged to a son of the best family in Tongkou. Just as Madame Wang predicted, the perfection of my golden lilies led me
to a fortuitous betrothal. She arranged for me to be married into the best Lu family in Tongkou. See, 2005: 86
Snow Flower, however, is not so fortunate. Her golden lilies are not as
perfect as Lily’s feet. If she had a pair of perfect tiny feet, her fortune would lead her to the best family as well. Yet, she is arranged to be married to a butcher.
“I will be marrying out to nearby Jintian Village, just as Auntie Wang said, but my husband’s family”—again she hesitated—“they are butchers.”
See, p. 160
Snow Flower feels embarrassed to tell Lily about her new husband’s condition. Indeed, to be a butcher is considered as an improper occupation since what they
do is unclean and disgusting. However, Snow Flower must accept her situation for she does not have something to be proud of, especially her feet.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
47 The ability of writing nu shu is also considered as something to be proud
of. In spite of the fact that nu shu is kept away from the influence of men, in the Lu household it is not much of a secret. In the Lu household in which all men are
literate in men’s writing, nu shu becomes the common thing they encounter everyday. This is supported by the quotation as follows.
They wore it on their embroidered shoes. They saw us weaving our messages into cloth. They heard us singing our songs and showing off our
third-day wedding books. Men just considered our writing beneath them. See, 2005: 201
The quotation above shows that as literate people, the men in the Lu
household are able to recognize nu shu though they do not object to. This is different from what happens in Lily’s natal household in which all men are
illiterate. Therefore, Lily is a little bit surprised that nu shu is not something they must hide from men. For men in the Lu household, it is a pride for their wives to
be literate in nu shu. The following quotation supports this: The men in the Lu household were proud of their wives’ fluency in nu shu
and dexterity in embroidery, though these things had as much importance to survival as a pig’s fart. See, 2005: 201
Both footbinding and women’s secret writing are important since they give
the positive impact for Chinese women to be proud of. In addition to the sense of pride which relates to having a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction, they consider it
as the way they can respect themselves and be respected by others.
c. Knowledge
