Who is Snow Flower from Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and what is their importance?

Snow Flower is raised in the village of Tongkou in an affluent family. Her uncle is highly educated and has provided well for the family. However, Snow Flower's father, lazy and addicted to opium, lets his farms go, and eventually loses all of their wealth. Although Snow Flower and her parents still live in a large, beautiful house, it is all but empty of furniture and is run down and filthy. Snow Flower has learned some of the finer women's arts, such as fine writing in nu shu and embroidery, but she has no idea how to cook or feed chickens or any other base, domestic chore.