12 to forget their own rebellions completely. The gap between mother and children
becomes wider with the fact that the mother is an immigrant. Children of the immigrants are like the first generation born in a new country. They cannot
understand when their parents’ talk about the past because those children have no access to their parents’ past. Therefore, sometimes there are misunderstandings or
conflicts between them.
b. The Importance of Mother-Children Relationship
Interactions between mother and child set the stage s for the development of the attachment bond. This bond seems to be crucial in the development of
healthy and happy relationships at all stages of the life cycle. In fact, according to Sirjamaki 1953: 6, parents attend not only to the physical needs of their children,
but also to the society and culture in which they have their being. In addition, Anshen 1949: 204 states that mother is the first teacher of a child. The child
learns to respond to other persons from hisher mother who is the first person to set the child’s cultural patterns.
Noller and Fitzpatrick 1993: 199 say that the attachment bond between mother and child is formed to maintain proximity between mother and infant. The
maintenance of proximity is a mutual endeavor of both the mother and the child and is sometimes initiated by one and sometimes by the other.
Children’s relationship with others is affected by their understanding of their relationship with their mother. The mother-children relationship can also
affect the mother herself to deal with others. Therefore, the relationship between children and mother is very essential for the sake of both of them.
13
B. Review on Cultural Backgrounds
It is important to review the cultural background s of The Kitchen God’s Wife
in order to comprehend the story and its cultural context better. This part review Chinese and American culture.
1. Review on Chinese Cultures
Chinese people are famous for their beliefs in superstitions. They believe that everything which happens in their life is affected by supernatural factors.
Meyer 1978: 42 says that the Chinese are considered as superstitious people, for supernatural things influence their daily lives. The Chinese has never made the
separation between myth and reality as the Westerners do. They believe that everything that happens is the result of their obedience to their ancestors or gods
in the past. Chinese people believe in astrology. It is the most well-known element in
Chinese traditional culture. According to the Chinese astrological system, a person’s character is determined by the year of his or her birth. Personality traits
are categorized according to the 12 year calendar cycle in accordance with the Chinese zodiacs. Each year of the cycle is associated with different animals, as a
story when Buddha invited all the animals in creation to come to him, but only twelve showed up: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey,
cock, dog and pig. Buddha rewarded each animal with a year bearing its personality traits Giles, 2001: 10-19.
Fortune telling is also popular among the Chinese. They have developed many kinds of divinatio ns Bloomfield, 1989: 123. Hook 1991: 288 says that
the cosmological interpreter services fortune teller and geomancer are required PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
