... The story is set against a background of life in Japanese-occupied China and the civil war between the communists and nationalists which followed Japan's defeat at the end of the Second World War. There are some fascinating snapshots of the old way of life such as the binding of Grandmother's (Nai Nai) feet which had been the custom in China for over a thousand years. When Yen Jun-ling is born her mother dies, and that is the catastrophe of her life. Not only does her father turn from the five children he had by his first wife when he marries again, but her three brothers and sister also despise Jun-ling for being the cause of their own neglect. Her third brother tells her, "It all stems from our mama dying when you were born. Big Sister and our two older brothers knew her better than I did. I only ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now