Chapter 35: Golden Child — Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
In the winter of 1953, the narrator's mother gives birth to her sixth child, a son named Li-Ming, whose name means “intelligence.” The birth immediately reshapes the family hierarchy: Li-Ming displaces the older brother Chiao as the next heir of the Ang family. The grandmother, Yei Yei, insists that the family move back to Taipei so the future heir can live in the ancestral shiheyuan. The narrator, who is finishing her first semester at Shi Fan and has ranked first in calligraphy, reflects on how precarious her opportunity was. She realizes that if her brother had been born a year earlier, her father would have diverted all resources to his education, and she would never have attended Shi Fan. She also notes that her health has finally improved—she got her first period at eighteen, after years of undernourishment—thanks to the school cafeteria's abundant food.
The chapter's central conflict erupts when Ming is six months old. On a Friday evening, the narrator returns home and witnesses her mother preparing formula for Ming while giving rice water to Hua, the one-year-old daughter. Hua cries and refuses the gray liquid, but the mother insists she doesn't need milk anymore. The narrator, recalling Lan's severe malnutrition in Hong Kong, is horrified. She confronts her mother, who defends her actions by saying that Ming is the only child who will support them in old age and care for them in the afterlife. The narrator, furious, dumps the rice water and makes formula for Hua, shouting that her stipend is being used to buy the formula. The mother weeps, explaining her duty as a wife to raise Ming well. The narrator is deeply hurt, realizing that her mother loves her daughters less than her son. She understands that her mother has internalized the patriarchal norms that devalue daughters.
After the fight, the narrator decides to buy Hua's formula directly with her stipend before giving the rest to her mother. She cannot change her mother's beliefs, but she can mitigate the consequences. This act of resistance becomes her way of adapting to immovable obstacles and breaking the cycle of gender bias.
Key Events
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Mom gives birth to Li-Ming, a son, in winter 1953, displacing Chiao as heir.
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The family moves back to Taipei because Yei Yei insists the heir must live in the ancestral home.
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The narrator finishes her first semester at Shi Fan, ranking first in calligraphy, and reflects on the timing of her opportunity.
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She recovers from years of undernourishment, getting her first period at eighteen.
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A fight erupts when Mom gives rice water to Hua instead of formula, while Ming gets formula.
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The narrator intervenes, makes formula for Hua, and confronts Mom about unequal treatment.
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Mom weeps, explaining that Ming is the only child who can support them in old age and the afterlife.
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The narrator decides to buy Hua's formula with her stipend before giving the rest to Mom, as a way to mitigate the inequality.
Character Development
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The Narrator (Hai): This chapter marks a turning point in her self-awareness and agency. She moves from passive acceptance of family dynamics to active resistance. She recognizes the gendered nature of fate and free will, understanding that her hard work alone wouldn't have mattered if her brother had been born earlier. Her decision to use her stipend to buy Hua's formula shows her growing willingness to challenge her mother's authority and patriarchal norms. She also grapples with her love for her mother, acknowledging her mother's strengths and weaknesses without fully condemning her.
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Mom: The chapter reveals the depth of her internalized son preference. She genuinely believes that Ming's well-being is paramount because he is the only child who can fulfill the duty of caring for parents in old age and the afterlife. Her tears show that she feels misunderstood, but she remains oblivious to the pain her words cause her daughters. She is a complex figure—both a victim of patriarchal norms and an enforcer of them.
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Hua: Though only a year old, Hua's behavior illustrates the early conditioning of girls to accept less. She initially cries and refuses the rice water, but eventually gives in and drinks it, symbolizing the resignation that the narrator fears will become permanent.
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Lan: Though not present in the scene, Lan's past malnutrition is invoked as a warning. The narrator notes that Lan still suffers from liver and bone problems, showing the lasting physical effects of neglect.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
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Son Preference and the Golden Child: Li-Ming is the “golden child” whose birth reorders the family's priorities. He receives formula, attention, and the family's financial resources, while daughters are expected to sacrifice.
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Rice Water vs. Formula: Rice water symbolizes neglect and the devaluation of daughters; formula symbolizes privilege and care. The narrator's act of replacing rice water with formula is a direct challenge to this hierarchy.
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Gendered Free Will and Fate: The narrator contrasts her father's belief in making his own fortune with her mother's and grandmother's reliance on fate. She concludes that life is a mixture of both, but that women's choices are constrained by patriarchal structures.
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Women Enforcing Patriarchal Norms: Mom, despite having suffered as a daughter herself, perpetuates the same discrimination. The narrator observes that “men made the rules, but women often enforced them,” highlighting the cycle of internalized inferiority.
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Financial Independence as Agency: The narrator's stipend gives her leverage to assert her voice in the household. Without it, she would be “only a daughter who would marry away.” Her decision to buy Hua's formula is an act of resistance made possible by her own income.
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Breaking the Cycle: The narrator explicitly hopes to “interrupt the inheritance of our own inferiority” and break the damaging cycle of gender bias. This theme ties the chapter to the broader narrative of the novel.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is pivotal because it crystallizes the novel's central critique of son preference and its devastating effects on daughters. It shows how even a loving mother can perpetuate systemic inequality, and how the narrator's education and financial independence become tools for resistance. The chapter also deepens the narrator's character, moving her from a passive observer to an active agent of change. The symbolic act of replacing rice water with formula is a powerful moment of defiance that resonates with the novel's larger themes of survival, sacrifice, and the fight for dignity. It also sets up future conflicts and the narrator's evolving role in her family.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does the narrator's reflection on her brother's birth change her understanding of free will and fate?
The narrator realizes that her hard work and talent alone were not enough to secure her place at Shi Fan. If her brother had been born a year earlier, her father would have diverted all resources to his education, and she would have lost her opportunity. This leads her to conclude that life is a mixture of free will and fate: she worked hard, but the timing of her brother's birth was beyond her control. She contrasts her father's belief in self-made fortune with her mother's and grandmother's reliance on fate, recognizing that women often have fewer choices.
2. Why does the narrator decide to buy Hua's formula with her stipend, and what does this action signify?
The narrator decides to buy Hua's formula before giving the rest of her stipend to her mother because she cannot change her mother's beliefs but can mitigate the consequences of unequal treatment. This action signifies her growing agency and her refusal to accept the status quo. It is a practical act of resistance that uses her financial independence to protect her youngest sister from the neglect she herself experienced. It also represents her hope of breaking the cycle of gender bias.
3. How does the chapter portray the role of women in enforcing patriarchal norms?
The chapter shows Mom as both a victim and an enforcer of patriarchy. She has internalized the belief that sons are more valuable because they can support parents in old age and the afterlife. She enforces this norm by giving Ming formula and Hua rice water, even though she herself suffered as a daughter. The narrator observes that “men made the rules, but women often enforced them,” highlighting how women perpetuate the very system that oppresses them. This portrayal complicates the reader's understanding of blame and emphasizes the systemic nature of gender inequality.
Navigation
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