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Lily

The narrator of the novel. From a young age, Lily longs for love, first from her mother and later from Snow Flower. However, as girls are seen as worthless in her culture, Lily believes she must work hard for this love and tends to view love and affection as transactional as she grows older. Encouraged by the prospect of marrying into a family with a higher social status, Lily endures her footbinding without complaint. Though she is indifferent toward her sisters, Lily feels great affection for her cousin, Beautiful Moon, and admires her laotong, Snow Flower, when they are girls. As Lily grows older and rises in social status, she places great importance on cultural norms and traditions. Often unable to express her true feelings, Lily buries her emotions when she feels someone has wronged her, treating them with cold indifference.

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Snow Flower

Lily’s laotong, or contracted lifelong friend. Snow Flower comes from a family who once had a high social status, though fell out of favor after her father had to sell their lands to pay for his sisters’ bride prices and became addicted to opium. Due to her upbringing, Snow Flower has sophisticated manners, which Lily admires, though she has no experience in regular household chores. Knowing how much Lily values class, Snow Flower worries about what Lily will think of her when she discovers the truth about Snow Flower’s family. In contrast to Lily, Snow Flower does not care much for customs or traditions. Unlike other women, Snow Flower enjoys sex with her husband and grieves her stillborn daughters. When Snow Flower fears her sorrows have become a burden to Lily, she turns to a group of sworn sisters in her village, though she never stops loving Lily.

Read an in-depth anlaysis of Snow Flower.

Mama

Lily’s mother. Mama is determined to ensure that her daughters marry well, and becomes ambitious when Madame Wang suggests that Lily could marry well above her class. Mama is emblematic of many mothers in Lily’s culture, as she displays her “mother love” by binding Lily and her sisters’ feet, inflicting pain on them so that they may marry well and have sons. Mama keeps Snow Flower’s secret from Lily, which Lily blames on Mama instead of her friend.

Read an in-depth anlaysis of Mama.

Elder Sister

Lily’s older sister and Mama’s oldest daughter. Elder Sister is known for her quiet obedience. For this reason, Lily is shocked when Elder Sister weeps about the abuse she suffers from her in-laws after she is married. As Lily and the other girls believe such a fate would never befall them, Elder Sister’s experience shows their relative innocence and naivete about the realities of the world.

Third Sister

Lily’s younger sister and Mama’s youngest daughter. Lily notes how Third Sister complains as they endure their footbinding, believing she is simply seeking attention and unable to withstand the pain of womanhood. However, they discover that Third Sister has developed an infection from the footbinding. Even after this, Mama forces Third Sister to continue with her footbinding, showing how a woman is better off dead than considered unmarriageable. Third Sister ends up succumbing to her illness before the footbinding is complete.

Aunt

Lily’s aunt, Mama’s sister-in-law, and Beautiful Moon’s mother. Lily notes that Aunt is unattractive, yet she often acts happy and is known for making jokes about enjoying sex with her husband. However, Aunt reveals the suffering she has endured when Elder Sister begins complaining about her own marriage. Aunt experienced several miscarriages and stillbirths, and deeply loves her only living daughter.

Madame Wang

The matchmaker from Tongkou and Snow Flower’s aunt. Madame Wang arranged the laotong relationship between Lily and Snow Flower to improve her niece’s social standing. Though Lily does not like Madame Wang at first, she grows to respect her for her good business sense and the way she looks out for Snow Flower.

Beautiful Moon

Lily’s cousin and the daughter of Aunt and Uncle. Beautiful Moon is close to Lily, and undergoes her footbinding at the same time as Lily and Third Sister. Beautiful Moon dies from being stung while she sits outside with Lily and Snow Flower working on their embroidery.

Madame Gao

The local matchmaker in Lily’s village. Lily sees Madame Gao as bawdy and rude. Madame Gao is angry that Madame Wang took business from her, and attempts to get revenge and pick fights with her, often insinuating the truth about Snow Flower’s family.

The Butcher

Snow Flower’s husband. Lily judges his profession as a butcher, considered one of the dirtiest jobs. He is abusive toward Snow Flower, blaming her for each of her miscarriages or stillbirths. However, Lily grows to respect his ability to ensure everyone’s survival as he slaughters animals to eat in the mountains.

Baba

Lily’s father and Mama’s husband.

Next section Lily

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