The bone-breaking incident also sparks LuLing’s belief that her daughter can commune with the spirit of Precious Auntie. Ruth’s writing on the tray of sand evokes memories of how LuLing and Precious Auntie once communicated, and makes it seem possible that a voice is being channeled through Ruth and into the words she writes. The lack of communication between mother and daughter is what makes this whole mistake possible. Ruth has no idea what her mother is talking about when her mother begins to rant about curses, bones, ghosts, and unburied bodies. In Ruth’s mind, this confirms that LuLing is either mentally unstable, hopelessly superstitious, or both. She is unable to recognize the truth in LuLing’s words because she does not understand her mother’s history.

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