Citing specific evidence from the text, discuss how the characters’ cultural beliefs shape their understanding of family. How does Napoli examine and challenge these views to emphasize The Importance of Familial Support and the Harm of Neglect?

The novel alludes to a legend about fish that become dragons, the moral of which is that “[s]truggle has its rewards” (24). How does this legend resonate with the carp motif, the protagonist’s character arc, and the novel’s overall message?

How does Xing Xing and Wei Ping’s relationship change over the course of the story? What does their shifting dynamic reveal about the themes of The Violence of Beauty Norms and the importance of familial support and the harm of neglect?

Consider the significance of the nicknames the supporting characters give Xing Xing. What do these nicknames reveal about her relationships, and how do they contribute to Napoli’s thematic focus on female autonomy?

Throughout the novel, Napoli uses imagery to capture the sights, sounds, and other sensations Xing Xing experiences. Citing specific examples from the text, analyze how this literary device shapes the novel’s setting and mood.

The late Ming dynasty saw a rising interest in women’s poetry. Research this era’s women writers and their works. How do the verses composed by Xing Xing resemble or differ from these ancient poems? How does this historical context inform art’s importance as a motif of the struggle for female autonomy in patriarchal society?

What plot events and other elements does Napoli borrow from the traditional Chinese version of the Cinderella fairytale? How does this story diverge from the fairytale in terms of plot, setting, and characterization? How do these differences shape the novel’s overall meaning?

Compare and contrast Bound with other “Cinderella” retellings for young readers, such as Gail Carson Levine’s Newbery Honor-winning fantasy novel Ella Enchanted (1997) and Marissa Meyer’s dystopian science fiction novel Cinder (2012)? How do these authors translate the Cinderella story to different genres and settings, and how do they use elements of the traditional fairy tales to express their own distinct themes?