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
Footbinding and women’s secret writing also reflect the knowledge that a woman has. This can be said so because the rewards they achieve, as Hornby
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48 defines in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, knowledge is dealt with are the
collaboration of the information, skills, and understanding they can gain through learning experience 2005, p. 854.
Lily and Snow Flower are successfully passing their footbinding process and very fluent in nu shu. It shows that they are knowledgeable about it. They
understand well through these things they will become the true lady. Snow Flower does not become a lady, but she has become a true woman actually. Through pain
and hard work, they achieve it. At least, by having the knowledge, they have already avoided being a servant and they are marriageable.
Binding the feet can be said to be a savior of their future life. No matter who will become their husbands later, it makes them marriageable. They will not
embarrass their natal family. Meanwhile, if a woman is literate in nu shu, she is considered as an educated woman.
d. Identity
Identity is defined as the qualities and attitudes that a person or group of people have, that make them different from other people Bullon, 2004: 805.
Both footbinding and women’s secret writing give identity to those who bind their feet and are able to write and read nu shu. This identity shows their identity as
women as well as making them different from other people who do not bind their feet.
The identity that a woman had attached to has a relation to the social stratification that they achieve in their new family and the society. As stated in
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49 Chapter II, social stratification is dealing with the differentiation of society that
forms a hierarchy in which people are organized into different levels of importance from highest to lowest Edgar and Sedgwick, 2002, p. 366.
By possessing a desirable golden lotus, Lily lifts up her status and her family’s status into the higher level by marrying into a family which has a good
reputation throughout the village. Her husband’s family status is the highest in the village since his family owns many fields and hires many servants. Still, Edgar
and Sedgwick explain that in feudal societies, the estate status is determined through land ownership and bondage 2002: 366.
The symbolic status that Lily possesses is categorized as assigned status. As mentioned in Chapter II, assigned status is a status that is given by a person
with higher status. Formerly, there must be an effort to achieve it. Lily improves her status to a higher level since she faithfully survives and is an obedient girl.
Moreover, her faithfulness in obeying Confucian ideals and her perseverance in learning women’s secret writing also lead her to reach upper-class status.
The obligation of binding the feet is “de rigueur, the only right-thinking thing to do for a daughter” Fairbank, 1986: 69. They will be careful to maintain
her bound feet. Similar to maintaining their bound feet, persevering in women’s secret writing is also important as a way to gain prestige and to be considered as
educated women. Hence, perfect small feet and ability in women’s secret writing are prestigious possessions that a woman has. Both are very valuable for Chinese
women since these are the mark of gentility and upper-class status.
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50
B. Male Domination in Chinese Women’s Footbinding and Secret Writing
Talking about male domination, it is closely related to the gender issue. Gender role is seen from a sociological perspective as, “The expectation for
behavior and attitudes that the culture defines as appropriate for men and women. These roles are learned through the process of socialization.” Andersen, 1997, p.
31. According to definition, gender roles are determined by the culture and certainly this is what we see in life and in this novel. Even though different
cultures may have different gender roles in their societies, the focus of gender roles is still the same. The main focus is the appropriate expectation regarding
men and women’s behavior and attitudes. Chinese’s life is really influenced by Confucian ideals. In accordance with
the Confucian system, Gelber 2008 states: “the harmony would be displayed in the behavior of the superior man” p. 16. He means that men are regarded as the
superior one especially in the family. Men should be obeyed and prioritized to create harmony as Confucius taught. As a father is the superior person in the
family, other family member are the subordinates that should obey the leader of the family.
Hsu in Kitano 1985 states that the duty of woman is “…to please her husband, his family, and to provide sons” p. 223 which means the position of
women in China is infinitely weaker than that of men. The yin and yang also rule in Chinese women life. Yin represents the men, whereas yang is the women. As
Fairbank 1986 states: “All things bright, warm, active, male, and dominant were Yang while all things dark, cold, passive, female, and yielding were Yin” p. 68.
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