Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Week 2, Post A

“My talking always gets me in trouble because I often don’t think before I speak, while you will be an ideal wife, always choosing your words with great care” (49). This line was spoken by Snow Flower, Lily’s “laotong”, to Lily. A “laotong” means “same-old” and the two girls basically had an arranged friendship that is extremely strong. Snow Flower is aware of her excessive talking and how that will probably lead her into problems in the future, especially with men. It is obvious through Snow Flower’s speech that in Chinese society, a man values a wife who is quiet and subordinate to him. This is really interesting because in American society, it isn’t absolutely necessary for a woman to marry a man and if there is a marriage, the roles of men and women in a family are fairly equal.