Bound Feet, Bound Hearts

Kwei-lan, raised in the strict traditions of a Chinese aristocratic family, is taught from birth to be obedient, silent, and beautiful—her feet bound, her desires suppressed. Her mother, a figure of stoic wisdom and sadness, prepares her for an arranged marriage, emphasizing submission and the arts of pleasing a husband. Kwei-lan's sense of self is inseparable from her family's customs and the expectations of womanhood. She is proud of her small feet and delicate accomplishments, believing these will secure her husband's love. Yet, beneath her calm exterior, she is anxious, longing for affection and fearing inadequacy. The world outside her courtyard is distant and strange, but change is coming, carried on the winds of the West.

A Marriage of Strangers

Kwei-lan's wedding is a collision of expectation and reality. Her husband, educated abroad, is a stranger in his own home—tall, somber, and clad in foreign clothes. On their wedding night, he speaks of equality and friendship, not possession. Kwei-lan is bewildered; her training has not prepared her for a man who rejects the old hierarchies. She tries to please him with beauty and obedience, but he is distant, absorbed in his work and Western ideas. The rituals of Chinese marriage—serving tea, honoring elders—are upended as her husband insists she not serve his mother as a servant. They leave the ancestral home, moving into a modern house, where Kwei-lan feels lost and invisible, her old skills useless.

The Foreign Wind Blows

In their new home, Kwei-lan struggles to adapt. The Western house is bright and bare, its customs alien. Her husband's indifference wounds her; her beauty and culinary skills go unnoticed. He asks her to unbind her feet, calling them unhealthy and unfashionable. Kwei-lan is devastated—her suffering for beauty dismissed as ugly. She visits her mother, who urges her to please her husband, even if it means abandoning tradition. Kwei-lan's world is shifting, and she is forced to choose between the comfort of the past and the demands of the present.

Home and Mother's Shadow

Kwei-lan's return home is bittersweet. Her mother, worn by years and disappointment, is consumed by her son's rebellion—he refuses to marry his betrothed, longing instead for Western science and freedom. The household is a tapestry of women—concubines, servants, children—each shaped by their place in the hierarchy. Kwei-lan's mother is the axis, her authority unchallenged but her heart heavy. She counsels Kwei-lan to bend to her husband's will, recognizing that the old ways may not survive. The family's future is uncertain, threatened by the tides of change.

The Unbinding Pain

Kwei-lan, desperate to win her husband's affection, agrees to unbind her feet. The process is agonizing, both physically and emotionally. Her husband, for the first time, tends to her with tenderness, and a new intimacy is born from her vulnerability. As her feet heal, Kwei-lan discovers a new freedom—she can walk, run, and even laugh at her own awkwardness. She begins to learn about Western customs, science, and the broader world, her mind opening alongside her body. The pain of transformation is the price of love and growth.

Learning to Love Differently

As Kwei-lan adapts, her relationship with her husband deepens. They become companions, sharing knowledge and affection. She learns that love is not submission, but partnership. The birth of their son cements their bond, and Kwei-lan finds joy in motherhood. Yet, the struggle between old and new persists—her husband insists on Western practices for their child, while the family elders demand tradition. Kwei-lan stands between two worlds, forging a new identity as both Chinese and modern woman.

A Son for the Future

The arrival of Kwei-lan's son is a moment of triumph and anxiety. He is the hope of the family, the bridge between generations. Kwei-lan's joy is tempered by the knowledge that her child will belong to the clan, not to her alone. Her husband defies tradition, insisting their son remain with them, not be raised by his grandparents. This act of rebellion secures Kwei-lan's gratitude and love. The family's future is now tied to the choices of the present, and the old order is further eroded.

Brother's Rebellion

News arrives that Kwei-lan's brother, studying in America, wishes to marry a foreign woman. Their mother is devastated, her hopes for a traditional heir shattered. The family is thrown into turmoil—letters fly, tears are shed, and the weight of filial duty clashes with the pull of love. Kwei-lan, torn between sympathy for her mother and understanding of her brother's desires, becomes a bridge between generations. The brother's return with his foreign wife will test the limits of acceptance and the resilience of family bonds.

The Foreign Bride Arrives

Kwei-lan's brother returns, bringing his American wife, Mary. The family is stunned by her appearance, manners, and independence. She is both admired and resented, her presence a living challenge to tradition. The mother refuses to accept her, and the household is divided. Kwei-lan, initially wary, comes to see Mary's humanity and strength. The two women, so different in upbringing, find common ground in their roles as wives and mothers. The old and new worlds collide, and the outcome is uncertain.

Collision of Two Worlds

The family's struggle intensifies as Mary's pregnancy is revealed. The mother's health declines, her spirit broken by disappointment. The father, indifferent and self-absorbed, refuses to recognize the foreign marriage. The clan demands the brother marry his Chinese betrothed. Faced with rejection and loss of inheritance, the brother chooses love over duty, renouncing his family and name. Mary, isolated and misunderstood, finds solace in her husband's devotion. The couple's exile marks the end of an era and the birth of something new.

The Mother's Last Stand

Kwei-lan's mother, the embodiment of tradition, succumbs to grief and illness. Her death is mourned with ritual and reverence, but her passing signals the final collapse of the old ways. The family fractures—concubines vie for status, the ancestral home loses its center, and the future belongs to those willing to change. Kwei-lan grieves, but also recognizes the necessity of letting go. The world she knew is gone, replaced by uncertainty and possibility.

Exile and New Beginnings

Kwei-lan's brother and Mary, now outcasts, build a life together in a modest home. They are joined by the loyal nurse, Wang Da Ma, who brings a thread of continuity from the past. The couple's love, tested by sacrifice and loss, endures. Mary gives birth to a son—a child of two worlds, neither fully Chinese nor Western. Kwei-lan, visiting them, sees hope in this new family, even as she mourns what has been lost. The future is uncertain, but love persists.

The Birth of a New World

The birth of Mary's son is a moment of profound significance. He is the living symbol of union between cultures, the product of love that defied boundaries. Kwei-lan, now Mary's sister in spirit, embraces the child as kin. The two women, once separated by language and custom, are united by motherhood and shared experience. The story ends with hope—the next generation will inherit both the pain and the promise of their parents' choices. The East wind and the West wind have met, and something new has been born.

Characters

Kwei-lan

Kwei-lan is the novel's narrator and emotional core, a woman shaped by centuries of Chinese tradition. Raised to be obedient, silent, and beautiful, she is initially passive, her identity bound to her family's expectations. Her arranged marriage to a Westernized husband shatters her certainties, forcing her to confront her own desires and limitations. Through pain—both physical, in the unbinding of her feet, and emotional, in her struggle for love—she grows into a woman capable of change. Kwei-lan's journey is one of self-discovery, as she learns to balance respect for her heritage with the courage to embrace new ways. Her empathy and adaptability make her a bridge between generations and cultures.

Kwei-lan's Husband

Kwei-lan's husband is a product of both East and West—Chinese by birth, but Western in education and outlook. He rejects the old hierarchies, seeking partnership rather than dominance in marriage. His insistence on equality and modernity confuses and wounds Kwei-lan, but also opens the door to transformation. He is compassionate, if sometimes impatient, and his love for Kwei-lan deepens as she adapts. His struggle is emblematic of a generation caught between filial duty and personal fulfillment, tradition and progress. Through his actions, he challenges the boundaries of family and culture.

Kwei-lan's Mother

The First Lady of the family, Kwei-lan's mother is a figure of strength, wisdom, and sorrow. She embodies the virtues and limitations of the old order—dignified, self-sacrificing, and unyielding. Her life is defined by duty: to her husband, her son, and the ancestors. The rebellion of her children—her son's refusal to marry his betrothed, Kwei-lan's embrace of modernity—breaks her heart. Her death marks the end of an era, her passing both a tragedy and a release. She is a symbol of the costs of change and the pain of letting go.

Kwei-lan's Brother

Kwei-lan's brother is the catalyst for the novel's central conflict. Educated in the West, he is drawn to new ideas and a foreign woman, Mary. His refusal to marry his Chinese betrothed is an act of defiance that shatters his mother's hopes and the family's stability. He is passionate, stubborn, and ultimately willing to sacrifice everything—name, inheritance, and clan—for love. His journey is one of self-assertion, but also of loss. He becomes a symbol of the new China, willing to break with the past to forge a different future.

Mary (the Foreign Wife)

Mary, the American wife of Kwei-lan's brother, is both catalyst and victim in the family drama. She is independent, proud, and unafraid to express her feelings. Her presence exposes the limitations of both cultures—her frankness is seen as indecorous, her longing for freedom as lawlessness. Yet, she is also vulnerable, suffering from isolation and the hostility of her new family. Her love for her husband is steadfast, and her willingness to adapt is genuine, though not without pain. Through motherhood, she finds a measure of acceptance and purpose. Mary represents the challenges and possibilities of cross-cultural union.

Kwei-lan's Father

The father is a figure of authority, but also of detachment and self-indulgence. He is more concerned with comfort and pleasure than with the emotional needs of his family. His response to his son's rebellion is pragmatic—he offers money to resolve the scandal, but refuses to accept the foreign wife. He is a relic of the old order, unable or unwilling to adapt. His actions highlight the limitations of patriarchal power in a changing world.

Wang Da Ma

Wang Da Ma, the family's old nurse, is a constant presence, bridging generations. She is practical, affectionate, and fiercely loyal, following Kwei-lan's brother into exile. Her devotion provides continuity and comfort amid upheaval. She represents the enduring bonds of care and the quiet strength of those who serve.

The Foreign Child

The son of Kwei-lan's brother and Mary is the living embodiment of the novel's central theme—the union of East and West. He is both and neither, a child of two cultures, destined to face challenges of identity and acceptance. His birth is a moment of hope, suggesting that love can transcend boundaries and that the future belongs to those who embrace difference.

The Concubines

The concubines in Kwei-lan's family represent the complexities of female experience within the traditional order. Some are vain, others resigned, a few embittered by lost love. Their rivalries and sorrows provide a counterpoint to Kwei-lan's journey, highlighting the costs of a system that values women primarily for beauty and fertility.

Mrs. Liu

Mrs. Liu, the wife of a teacher, is a model of adaptation. Educated, practical, and kind, she bridges the gap between tradition and modernity. Her friendship with Kwei-lan and Mary offers support and perspective, demonstrating that change is possible without abandoning one's roots.

Plot Devices

East-West Dichotomy

The novel's structure is built on the tension between Eastern tradition and Western modernity. This dichotomy is embodied in characters, settings, and rituals—from bound feet to unbound hearts, from arranged marriages to love matches. The arrival of Western ideas and people disrupts the established order, forcing characters to confront their values and identities. The narrative uses parallel relationships—Kwei-lan's marriage and her brother's—to explore the costs and rewards of change. Foreshadowing is present in the generational divide, the mother's declining health, and the children's choices. The story unfolds as a series of confrontations—between individuals, families, and cultures—culminating in the birth of a child who is both a product and a promise of a new world.

Analysis

East Wind: West Wind is a poignant exploration of the collision between tradition and modernity, East and West, obedience and selfhood. Through the intimate lens of Kwei-lan's life, Pearl S. Buck examines the costs of cultural transformation—not only for individuals, but for families and societies. The novel's emotional arc traces the pain of letting go—of mothers losing sons, women surrendering old identities, and families breaking under the strain of change. Yet, it is also a story of resilience and hope. Kwei-lan's journey from submission to self-knowledge, her brother's defiant love, and Mary's struggle for belonging all point to the possibility of synthesis—a new world born from the meeting of opposites. The birth of the mixed-race child is both literal and symbolic, suggesting that the future will be shaped by those who can embrace difference and forge new bonds. Buck's message is clear: love, empathy, and adaptability are the keys to survival in a world where the winds of change never cease to blow.

Last updated: September 8, 2025