THEMES
I consider the major theme of the book to be emancipation from oppressive traditions. We can see this theme arising through the childhood anecdotes Aileen, the main character, recounts. The most representative one, which I also regard as the hook and key symbol of the story, is her process of foot binding: five-year-old Aileen is forced into this ancestral practice that prevents her from walking freely just to be “well-married” in the future.
The following are three minor themes I associate with the former mentioned:
Child abuse
Aileen describes many scenarios in which children are verbally and physically abused by some adults who claim children owe them respect, and therefore, they have to do as grown-ups wish no matter what. I relate this theme to the major one as parenthood rules are culturally determined. That being the case, we can see in the book that treating children poorly is a matter of tradition. It follows the line of thought “I raise you how I was raised.”
Some excerpts from the book:
“I love stories in which someone small triumphed over a big bully.”
p.52.
“ ‘Respect!’ cried Mother’s voice. ‘Children owe respect to their parents! We don’t have to earn it!’
‘But you can lose it,’ said Second Sister.
Another slap. I peeked out from behind the bush and saw Mother grabbing Second Sister by the hair with one hand and slapping her with the other.”
p.33.
“Big Uncle no longer tried to hide his fury. ‘Do you know that I am the head of the Tao Family and that I have the right to order you to be strangled and your body thrown down a well?’.”
p.73.
Machismo
There are many situations in the book in which we can see how men’s wishes prevail over women’s rights. Women don’t have access to the same education, they’re forced to get married, they are not allowed to work outdoors or even talk in the presence of men, and most shocking of all, they have to bind their feet just to please them.
Some excerpts from the book:
“Often, when father had male guests for company, my sisters and I ate separately with Mother or Grandmother. Tonight Big Uncle was joining my parents for dinner, but since he counted as family, we womenfolk could eat with them.”
p.21.
Why was it all right for boys to run but not for me?
p.19.
China’s political revolt
Part of the story develops around the year 1911, a critical period for China as it was beging to endure the transition from being an empire to being a republic. In the book this theme is largely discussed through Aileen’s father and uncle perspectives. On the one hand, Aileen’s father agrees the change was needed so the country could finally thrive out of the monarchical rule of the empire. On the other, Aileen’s uncle refuses to accept it as he thinks abandoning the traditional political organization of the country will assure its decay.
Some excerpts from the book
“Big Uncle was all in favor of a new dynasty ‘That would be an improvement over this wishy washy republic we’ve got. With an emperor, we might get some stability at last. Our country needs a firm leader in control’.”
p.43.
“ ‘It seems strange not to have an emperor, murmured Second Sister’. ‘For more than two thousand years our country has always had an emperor.’
‘Things can change,’ said Father (…)
(...) I hope father was right. If things changed, maybe girls wouldn’t have to have their feet bound. I was all in favor of Revolution, whatever it was.”
p.36.
Other minor themes I’ve found within the book so far that I would like to explore later in another post are: women empowerment, xenophobia, death, illness, love, friendship, identity, marriage, isolation, education, nationalism, parenthood, and fear towards change.
The significance of this book in the literary world, at the time it was published and thereafter
Ties That Bind, Ties That Break is highly regarded in the literary world. It has won awards like: ALA Best Books for Young Adults, California Young Reader Medal, and Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List. Besides, the book has also received positive reviews which highlight its historical accuracy and touching narrative, for instance:
"Atmospheric and closely informed...this colorful novel has the force and intensity of a memoir."–Publishers Weekly, Starred.
"Emotionally and historically illuminating."–Booklist, Starred.
From my point of view, this book continues to be relevant as it reminds us of how important it is to break free from any kind of oppression. It encourages us to fight against it as other people did in the past to enjoy the freedom they have today.
In order to identify the major theme I used the title as guidance. Therefore, I consider it has two possible meanings. The first one may refer to how harmful it is to enchain someone as it can get to the point of breaking them deeply with no turning back. The second may remark that chains are temporary because sooner or later people will find a way to set themselves free
Reference sources:
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/119716/ties-that-bind-ties-that-break-by-lensey-namioka/9780440415992/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_(1912%E2%80%9349)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty
https://literarydevices.net/theme/
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