Bones: Analysis of Language

The part of the novel that struck me as the most interesting was this idea of language difference. There were many points throughout the novel in which Leila, the main character, had trouble recalling or understanding the Chinese language. There seemed to be a battle going on in which many of the characters were trying to combine their English and Chinese speaking lives. Again, though many characters were described in this way, as struggling with both languages, Leila had the most interesting description of her language "problem."

There were many moments throughout the novel where Leila described the difference between her two languages. One such moment was when she was describing the gossiping women's discussion with her mother over the death of Ona. "But Ona jumped too close to the New Year. She made it hard for us. It sounds harsh in English, almost as if I'm saying she did it on purpose, that she wanted to make trouble. But that's not what I mean. All I wanted was to "finish one thing." When Soon-ping said it in Chinese, the phrase sounded true and soothing" (103). This phrase is a great juxtaposition between the two cultures/languages. Leila is attempting, throughout the novel so far, to juggle everything. She feels she is unsuccessful. She sees the differences in her family, the different path her sister, Nina, takes, and the differences of the other Chinese-Americans around her.   She is attempting to combine all these concepts and people in her life, but she cannot make sense of them.

This discussion of certain phrases not making sense in English, or not translating correctly from or into Chinese, seems to be a minute comparison of the inability for Leila to juggle both of her cultures. It also represents her struggle to maintain all of the responsibilities to the new parts of her life and to maintaining her allegiance and service to her family. The above quote is just one example, but there seem to be many in which people don't understand a certain phrase in Chinese, or they cannot find the correct translation into English. It works to show the divide between the two cultures. It demonstrates that, for Leila, maintaining both cultures fully is impossible. Instead, it seems that only a hybrid of both will be possible. I'm interested to see how these combining and colliding cultures play out in the second part of the novel.