Auntie Lois Character Analysis – Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng
Overview
Auntie Lois is Cora Zeng's devoutly Christian aunt who forces Cora to attend church and insists on forgiveness even in the face of racist violence. She represents religious hypocrisy and the trauma of forced reconciliation. While she financially supports Cora by paying half her student loans, her brand of faith feels conditional and transactional: Cora must confess and appear "normal" to receive her aunt's approval. Auntie Lois contrasts sharply with Auntie Zeng, who offers spiritual acceptance without judgment.
Plot Role
Auntie Lois appears mainly in Chapter Four of the novel (the Sunday church scene). She compels Cora to attend mass despite the pandemic, expects her to confess according to a typed list of sins, and publicly forgives Delilah's murderer in front of the congregation—an act that devastates Cora. After a white man spits on Cora outside the church, Auntie Lois's immediate response is to urge forgiveness rather than comfort. She later drags Cora away from the confession booth after a disastrous mix-up with a crime scene photo. Her role is largely antagonistic: she embodies the pressure to perform piety and suppress grief.
Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions
Auntie Lois is motivated by a desire for control and social respectability. She writes Cora's student loan check exactly at noon after confession, tying financial support to religious compliance. She prepares a typed list of sins in alphabetical order, implying she believes Cora is inherently sinful. When Cora accidentally shows the priest a photo of a murdered Asian woman, Auntie Lois's reaction is shame and anger, not concern—she says, "I told Lyla to put you in Sunday school earlier," blaming Cora for the embarrassment. She speed-walks through Manhattan clutching her purse, revealing her fear and prejudice toward urban spaces she deems uncivilized. Her public forgiveness of Delilah's killer is performed for the congregation's admiration, not rooted in empathy for Cora.
Chronological Arc
Auntie Lois's arc is static: she does not change or learn over the course of the novel. In earlier chapters she establishes the conditional love and religious pressure. Later, Cora deliberately avoids calling her, knowing "Auntie Lois sure as hell isn't going to understand the story about the serial killer" (Chapter Twenty-One). By the end, Cora has rejected Auntie Lois's God and found a more genuine faith through Auntie Zeng's traditions. Auntie Lois remains a figure Cora must escape rather than reconcile with.
Relationships
- Cora: The central relationship is one of obligation and fear. Cora attends church only because Auntie Lois controls her finances. She feels unheard: "God is not listening to her, but she can't really blame him" because her aunt also doesn't listen. Yet Cora still craves her approval, imagining the life of a "Good Christian Girl" she might become.
- Auntie Zeng: The two aunts represent opposing spiritual paths. Auntie Zeng tells Cora, "It's not about my gods or your Auntie Lois's God being the right one. It's about deciding which doors you want to open." Auntie Lois would never offer such freedom.
- Delilah: Auntie Lois barely knew Delilah in life but uses her death to perform forgiveness. Cora thinks bitterly, "technically she wasn't even her niece and Auntie Lois never called her that until she was dead."
Key Decisions and Consequences
| Decision | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Forces Cora to attend mass during the pandemic | Cora feels abandoned by God and suffers a racist attack outside church |
| Publicly forgives Delilah's murderer | Cora feels betrayed; the act dismisses Cora's trauma and prevents genuine healing |
| Insists Cora use a sin list in confession | The mechanical approach to sin causes Cora to accidentally hand over a gruesome photo, leading to public humiliation |
| Responds to Cora being spat on with "God wants us to forgive" | Cora internalizes the message that her pain is not valid and that she must suppress her anger |
Theme and Symbol Connections
Religious Hypocrisy: Auntie Lois preaches forgiveness but shows no compassion toward Cora's actual suffering. She cares more about appearances—the congregation's opinion, the priest's reaction—than about Cora's wellbeing.
Forced Reconciliation: The novel critiques the idea that victims must forgive their oppressors. Auntie Lois's forgiveness of the killer serves the comfort of the community, not Cora's healing.
Christianity vs. Chinese Spiritual Traditions: Auntie Lois's God is silent and conditional; Auntie Zeng's hungry ghosts are real and messy but responsive. Cora ultimately chooses the latter.
Control and Survival: Auntie Lois tries to control Cora's grief through religious ritual. Cora's arc involves breaking free from that control to embrace her own spiritual experiences.
Questions and Answers
1. Why does Auntie Lois force Cora to attend church during a deadly pandemic?
She views church attendance as non-negotiable for salvation and for Cora to become "normal." Her transactional arrangement—confession in exchange for loan payments—shows she prioritizes religious performance over Cora's physical safety.
2. What does the typed sin list reveal about Auntie Lois's character?
It reveals her belief that Cora is inherently sinful, her need for control, and her lack of genuine spiritual guidance. The list reduces sin to a checklist rather than fostering moral reflection.
3. How does Auntie Lois's public forgiveness of Delilah's murderer affect Cora?
Cora feels deeply betrayed and angry. She thinks, "If God cannot love Cora unless she forgives, then Cora will die without His love." The act invalidates Cora's trauma and makes her feel unheard.
4. What role does Auntie Lois play in the theme of religious hypocrisy?
She preaches forgiveness but reacts with shame and anger when Cora accidentally causes a scene. Her faith is performative: she wants to be seen as a good Christian, not to actually help Cora heal.
5. How does Cora's relationship with Auntie Lois evolve over the novel?
It does not improve or deepen. Cora eventually stops seeking her approval and turns to Auntie Zeng instead. By the end, Cora finds her own spiritual path, rejecting the conditional love Auntie Lois represents.