The Bond Maid Essay, Research Paper
In the novel The Bond Maid, written by Catherine Lim, it proves that lover is not always as grand and as wonderful as it may seem. It has horrifying side effects that takes a toll on any human brain. Love can either destroy or mend a human s soul. Love is also a pattern: First you fall in love, then you get hurt. It does not matter how love ends because it will always end in pain.
As children, Han, the main female character, and Wu, the main male character, were constantly around each other. Han comes from a poor and powerless home. She was sold at the age of 4 to the house of Wu, where the young master Wu lives to serve as a bondmaid. Wu s family was rich and powerful so if ever the two should fall in love and wanted to be married, it would never be allowed. It was because of their status. He had a higher-class status and she had a lower class status. If it were the other way around it would have been all right to marry. At the very first encounter with Wu, Han had fallen in love with him, as he was fond of her creativeness and courage. She would always be blamed and punished on behalf of the young master Wu mistakes, but she would always take the beating with courage because she knows that he will be waiting for her. As time passed by and they both grew older the young master Wu loss interest in their little childhood affair and that left them devastated at the loss of childhood love. She lost her faith in Sky God.
Now as a teenager everyone shunned Han because they were jealous of her closeness with the young master Wu. She sacrificed having her own friends just to be with him. He on the other hand had sacrifice nothing. Han did not care though as long as she had Wu on her side she would fear nothing not even the hard slaps and pinches that crashed down on her young body. Han loved Wu so much that it blinded her from reality. From the reality that would not accept them being together. Han loved him to distraction even if he ignored her or pushed her away when she came to him. Just knowing that he knows that she was still alive she would he content. Soon after she became a teen he was to leave to another country to become a scholar. Han who was oblivious to the leaving of their young master found out that he was leaving on the same day that she found out. The older head bond maid who disliked Han gave her a lot of chores to do that was far way from the area that Wu would be. It worked, because by the time Han got to the house Wu had just left. Han wasn t mad at the bondmaid who hid the news from her because the only thing on her mind was how bad it hurt that he never went to look for her to say goodbye. He didn t even write a note to her he just left as if she wasn t even there. Once again Han is left with unspeakable throb of pain.
Five years later there is news of him returning home and once again it is hidden from Han. She is determined to find out why the household is in such frenzy so she went to the matriarch. The matriarch is the female dominant of the household and is also the grandmother of the master Wu. Throughout the five years than and the matriarch have become friends. Han found out that all the frenzy were caused by the preparation for the young master to come home. Han has waited five years for this day to come and now it has arrived then lingered around the front of the house to get and glimpse of him when he returned. Unfortunately she missed him because she was called away by one of her younger bondmaid who was goring through a crisis. Still three days later she still had not been able to see him and he had never even went to look for her. Han felt devastated that her beloved Wu had not sent for her and had not even uttered her name aloud. Had he forgotten her, had the five years erased all of his memories of her and their past? Had he stopped loving her? Once again she was cast away in the dark shadows of pain.
As the months rolled by so did the days to the wedding came. The master Wu was getting married to Miss LiLi who was the daughter of the House of Chang (another rich and very powerful household). Before Wu got married he wanted to experience the sex life first and that s when he called for Han to go to his room. Wu had just been drinking and was ripping a Han s shirt. She stabbed him with a knife and said to him, If I let you rape me, you will never love me. Right there and then, Wu realized that she loves him and would move heaven and earth for him. That s when he realized that he loved her, but it was too late because he was to be married in a week. So they both agreed that they will meet by the pond once a month to make and declare love for each other.
After the third month they were caught by one of Lili spies. Han was kicked out if the house of Wu and went to live with her brother (who was a pimp) and pretended to be a prostitute. Wu came looking for her and begged her to go back to the household but she said that if he went back to his wife and grandparents and told them that he wanted her, the bond maid to become his secondary wife then she cannot be with him, they agreed. He went to tell his wife and she told him she was pregnant. He went to his grandmother and she said don t tell your grandfather for he was old and weak. He said he had to but he could not because LiLi was already there and she told him that she was pregnant and Wu could not bear to bring it up because it would break his grandfathers heart. He was still going to make Han his secondary wife and not tell his grandfather, but LiLi had a fall and was bleeding badly and was in critical condition. Wu decided to stay by her side. A messenger was sent to Han saying that he could not see her anymore. Han was left in the dark once again the only thing different was that she s pregnant too and did not have the chance to tell him.
Drawing near to the end of the novel the plot has a sad twist that sends its reader into turmoil of emotions. In the end Han gave birth to a boy and Lili a Girl. Having been rich as Lili she paid a good amount of money who can find her a son before her husband found out that she borne him a girl instead of a boy. After birth Han was exgusted and delirious. She sent someone to deliver a bracelet to Wu meaning that she has born him a son. When she found out her baby was switched she went to the pond and asked the goddess for help. Han saw the goodness, who has been thrown into the pond by the Sky God, at the bottom of the pond. Han went in to try to save her, but she almost drowned. She knew that Wu had came to her rescue and was happy. She had a lot of water in her lungs so Wu knew that she would die soon. He told her he loved her and cannot live without her, so she could not die. For that moment while he held her she refused to die. It only lasted for a little while before she died. Three years later Han’s little boy died of a strange fever as well has LiLi s little girl. It was said that there was a c1urse upon the house by the spirit of the bondmaid Hand. The only way to escape is to move over great bodies of water because curses cannot travel across water. Both households decided to move to china. The only person who stayed behind was Wu. Torn apart by grief he vowed to stay and take care of the goddess shine that was said to have been the bondmaid Han. Wu later died when his little hut caught fire. Wu didn t mind though because he would know that she would come for him someday.
You see there is always consequence far falling in love, and that consequence is pain.
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