Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
Plot Summary
As the 19th century waned, China began to buck Western Imperialism, Russia was
experiencing a revolution, and the nations of the world inched toward the first
global war. With these epic events as the boisterous backdrop, Kathryn Harrison
has crafted an ironic, lyrical, shocking novel about the secret lives of women,
the universal search for home, and ultimately, the power we have to direct the
course of our own lives -- and the lives of those we love.
The center of
The Binding Chair is May Li -- an upper class Chinese woman
who, as a child, was subjected to the ancient ritual of foot binding. Exotic and
beautiful, complex and compelling, May Li's childhood was consumed with
preparations for marriage. May accepted its inevitability, even indulging in
romantic fantasies about her potential mate. But when the rich silk merchant to
whom she was delivered turned out to be a sadist, May breaks free from her
husband's house, goes to Shanghai, changes her name, supports herself as a
prostitute, and masters the English language. May has a plan: to land a wealthy
English husband, procuring for herself security, love, and an escape from her
Chinese heritage. Opportunity arrives in the unlikely form of Arthur Cohen, the
Jewish philanthropic brother-in-law of a wealthy businessman. Arthur goes to the
brothel with a specific purpose -- to emancipate a victim of foot binding.
Instead, he is utterly captivated by May's tiny, fleshy appendages and marries
her.
May's affect on the Cohen family is hypnotic and total. Arthur's niece, Alice,
fixates on her mysterious opium-smoking aunt. Dolly, her high-strung mother,
attempts to squelch their relationship by sending Alice to boarding school in
England. The separation only intensifies Alice and May's connection. Alice
crusades to fix May's crippled feet. May crusades to prevent Alice from becoming
trapped by the passion that so often ensnares the young. May, Alice finds,
revels in hobbling around on her deformed feet. In turn, Alice is enthralled by
the rush of her own life, of new love, of the exotic. Alice's and May's stories
are brilliant counterpoints to one another, illustrating that while two
individuals may be born in a different time and place, the profound questions
that compel them to spend their lives searching for answers are universal.
Discussion Questions
- Discuss May's relationship to the foot binding ritual. Did you perceive
her as being a victim? Do you think that May thought of herself as a victim?
Why or why not?
- If you could identify one event as being the one that influenced the path
that May's life took, what would it be?
- How did the third person narrative affect the tone of the novel? How would
it have been different if the reader had seen the world specifically through
May's eyes, or even Alice's?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Harper Perennial.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
