Mad marriage arrangements as an allegory for the bad side of tradition
Tradition is often celebrated, but to the participants of a culture, sometimes tradition can be tyrannical. In the novel, Spring Moon's arranged marriage is the source of tremendous dread, and even when she kind of gets what she hoped for, the effect is still not encouraging. There is a problem with the influence of tradition on her rights as a woman to marry who she loves.
The motif of world influences
This motif refers to the many instances when a new philosophy gains traction, threatening the traditional system. Christianity and Communism each make the short list for these, but even competing views about duty and honor disturb the social order.
Lustrous Jade's feet as an symbol for a higher justice than tradition
Spring Moon's baby is a girl, and according to Chinese custom of that time, in order to make the child fashionable, she should wrap her feet in tight binding, causing her daughters feet to appear small and feminine. This was regarded as a competitive advantage in China's marriage customs. So when Spring Moon decides against the traditional practice and spares her daughter the pain, she is showing a transcendence of tradition, not allowing tradition to harm her, just as she doesn't allow other forces her sway her. This is a symbol for higher justice and the ability to think for herself.
The baby as a symbol for the future
When Lustrous Jade chooses to follow the forces of Communism and Christianity in the new, strange China, Spring Moon has to experience her actions in a new iteration, where she is being left behind while her young daughter chooses a path that is different than Spring Moon's. Therefore, the child represents the relentless progress of time and change, and the limitation of traditions.
The motif of Chinese rites and rituals
Several times throughout the story, the reader bears witness to the strange practices of ancient China, some of them beautiful, some of them unfortunate. By including specific moments for rituals, Lord demonstrates the true power of tradition to shape our experience of the world, and the way something objectively bizarre can seem so normal if that's all you've seen.
