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Bound
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Plot Summary of Bound
"Xing Xing is a small child who is coping with the recent death of her kind-hearted potter father. Her mother died years ago from illness, which forced her to live with the stepmother her Father had married with her Half-Sister Wing-Pei.
The "Family" lives off selling what remains from Xing Xing's Father's collection of unsold pottery, Xing Xing fears she may be sold into slavery once the supply runs out as her step mother as threatened her with. Step Mother's increasing vainity is shown early on by her obsession with Wing-pei undergoing the painful procedure of "feet binding".
Feet Binding is a painful procedure where all the bones of a womans foot are shattered via blunt-force trauma and re-arranged as to appear smaller and more "beautiful". Xing Xing's Father was greatly against such a horrific procedure, but now against his wishes his daughter Wing-pei is put through it.
Xing Xing finds solace and seculsion from the torments of Stepmother who forces her into servitude and border-line slave work through practicing chinese writing "Caligraphy" as well as reading and seeing "Mother Fish". Mother Fish is her pet of sorts who seems to be a reincarnation of her late mother.
The book depeicts Xing Xings' struggles as well as an adventure she must go on for the sake of Wing-Pei. Xing Xing begins to learn the ways of the world and through her own cunning and intellect learn a way out of her horrible prediciment."

Alex, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Bound
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - distant past/middle ages
Inside culture (main char) - Chinese
Culture clash? - family young v. old guard
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society) - Chinese
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes
Woman's story? Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Age: - a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - Chinese
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - healthy but a geeky weakling

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 (an above average amount)
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - China
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual Style: - a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Bound
The Great Wall of China by Franz Kafka
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
The Drink and Dream Teahouse by Justin Hill
The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan
The Barbarians are Coming by David Wong Louie


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Donna Jo Napoli Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Alex  

SCHOLARS:
Louisa Bayer  


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