Daughter of the Moon Goddess

As the novel reaches its climax, all of the themes and most of the symbols make final appearances. First, Xingyin openly acknowledges The Value of Freedom. Her previous experiences gave her an intellectual understanding of the importance of freedom, but it isn’t until she experiences the loss of her own that she fully understands Chang’e and the dragons’ suffering. Now that she herself has experienced imprisonment, she is more determined than ever to free them. She sacrifices herself for both: She gives blood, magic, and lifeforce for the dragons and takes Sky-fire bolts for her mother. She succeeds in both; freeing the dragons leads to freedom for her mother, though she earns the Celestial royals’ wrath in the process.

The theme of Honesty, Loyalty, and Honor in Interpersonal Relationships appears in a few different ways. Wenzhi brings up loyalty; he claims that Xingyin has been marked as a traitor, which is proven true upon her return to the Celestial Kingdom. However, her bonds of loyalty remain strong, and her closest friends protect her. Shuxiao and Jianyun bring the army to support her during her audience with the emperor, and Liwei defends her verbally and physically, shielding her from the emperor’s Sky-fire and insisting that his father keep his promises.

Liwei, ever loyal, accompanies Xingyin when she returns the dragons’ spiritual essence—an honorable deed that showcases her honesty. Presenting the magic-less pearls to the emperor forces him to make a choice: Since he did not tell Xingyin that he actually sought the dragons’ essence, he must admit that his true goal was not the pearls themselves, but instead authority over the dragons. The army’s support of Xingyin forces him to honor their bargain. Even though he does not get what he wanted, the emperor does so reluctantly to maintain a façade of honor and fairness. Lastly, because her story has become famous throughout the realms, Xingyin can finally be honest and open about her identity.

Xingyin’s actions contrast with Wenzhi’s deceit and reinforce karmic justice. By upholding honor and acting honestly, Xingyin and her allies achieve their goals and justice is served; their bond strengthens in the face of adversity. Since Wenzhi is dishonorable, disloyal, and dishonest, he fails at all of his objectives and destroys his treasured relationship with Xingyin, leaving him alone and miserable.

When Xingyin returns to the moon, she frees Chang’e from her imprisonment, thus fulfilling her Familial Duty. Familial duty takes a new form for them; they visit Houyi’s tomb and clean it, honoring him and reaffirming their loyalty and love for him despite the fact that he is dead. Chang’e’s description of her sacrifice demonstrates her devotion to her daughter, even though “betraying” Houyi caused her great anguish. Cleaning Houyi’s tomb is a traditional way of honoring ancestors (Tomb-Sweeping Day is a designated holiday for this purpose); the fact that Liwei helps (490) signifies that Chang’e accepts him as part of the family via his relationship with Xingyin. Even before Xingyin’s return to the moon, Prince Yanxi’s own protectiveness over his brother allows him to empathize with Xingyin’s determination to free the dragons and thereby free her mother (453). Family is one of the most important values in Chinese culture, so it is not unusual for much of the novel’s ending to center on this theme.

Chang’e quickly perceives Xingyin’s romantic relationships with Liwei and Wenzhi, though she does not press Xingyin about them (481-82). Liwei breaks off the betrothal with Princess Fengmei—realizing his feelings for Xingyin—and openly courts Xingyin on the moon, showing The Influence of Romantic Love. Although Liwei has been direct and honest about his feelings throughout the novel, he has matured enough to let Xingyin make her own choice about their relationship, and he shows that he will respect it. Rather than kiss her with each confession, Liwei chooses to spend quality time with her instead: music, painting, trips, walks, and so on. In this way, he shows he cares without forcing her to decide before she is ready.

Although Wenzhi also reaffirms his love for Xingyin, his presence is always a forced intrusion. Rather than supporting Xingyin’s choice to return the spiritual essence to the dragons, he still desires their power (462); his subsequent invitation for Xingyin to join him therefore rings hollow, even if—as he insists—his love for her is real (464). By visiting her in her dreams on the moon, he also invades her mind, as she never consented to the vision. The unsettling appearance of the hairpin adds to the discomfort of the interaction; Xingyin’s rejection of his hairpin gift symbolizes her rejection of him, and she carries her bow with her afterward for a sense of security (495).

The moon returns as a symbol for family and home with Xingyin’s family reunion. It has “a powerful rejuvenating energy” (487) that helps her recover from the dragon pearl ritual, making it a place of healing and comfort. Being at home surrounded by loved ones often provides its own mental and emotional comfort, and this holds true for Xingyin on the moon. Among other things, the moon provides an environment for Xingyin to be herself and be accepted for who she is. The only time that this comfort is marred is when Wenzhi invades her dreams, and she quickly strengthens the moon’s protection wards to prevent it from happening again.

Lastly, the qin and flute appear briefly to signify Xingyin’s own uncertainty with romance. She plays both of them around Liwei while he courts her, but they represent her lack of an answer to Liwei’s latest confession: She admits to herself that she “no longer [knows her] own heart” (497), which is clear from the fact that she alternates between both instruments. Despite this, she is still happy, as love—as she once declared—does not define who she is. By the end of the novel and through her own choices, she is known across the realms not as a prince’s lover but as “the daughter of the Moon Goddess, and of the mortal who had slain the suns” (498).