Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Week 5, Post A

“Only she can guarantee the perpetuation of the family line, which, in turn, is the ultimate duty of every son. This is the supreme way he completes his filial duty, while sons are a woman’s crowning glory. I had done all this and I was ecstatic (151). A stark difference between traditional Chinese and American culture is the importance placed on having a son in the family. Mothers, like Lily, hope and pray to have sons so they can become higher members of society, because giving birth to a son gave the mothers a sense of belonging in their husband’s family. Once Lily gave birth to her son, her husband’s family became much nicer to her. Her mother-in-law brought her soups, and her father-in-law gave her expensive cloth so she could make a coat for her son. Even Lily’s husband began to talk to her more.