In the book, Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, Adeline herself tells her first hand story about how family can affect relationships with other people, and self-esteem. She also talks about how loneliness and abandonment as a child can affect a person's life to a great extent with emotional and trust issues. However, at the end of the book she shows that if she teaches people that if someone have positive encouragement they can do anything, even with negative things that might be happening in their life, you can become a successful human being with a successful future. In the book, Adelines birth caused her mother to pass away and in the Chinese culture you are looked at as bad luck for this. Because of this many of her family members …show more content…
Her stepmother's name was Niang, Niang treated Adeline very poorly. She treated her like nothing better than a rag. Niang even treated her dog better than she treated Adeline, the dog got fed better too. This led Adeline to feel lonely, she even said, ¨They tossed me aside like a piece of garbage.¨ (143) They would also often forget about her, on the first day she lived with her father and Niang after several months of not living with them, they forgot that she needed a ride to school and left her at home by herself, which for her was a big deal because the other thing she had going for her at this point was doing well in school. They also forgot to pick her up on the same day and still did not realise that she was missing until she called several hours later. With all these things happening her self-esteem was not great for many reasons, she did not feel valued, she did not feel wanted, and she did not trust anyone so she had all these emotions bottled up inside of her. She expressed what she thought of herself when she said, ¨I am nothing. Less than nothing. A piece of garbage to be thrown out.¨ (207) That is just a little glimpse on her life day and day out trying to get her family's acceptance and find self
She was seduced at an early age and then fell in love with a preacher, but was overcome by an exciting younger man. She experienced every form of lust and desire as well as loss. Somehow though all the hardship she was able to come out on the other side a more complete woman and ironically did so without any of these
...he shows us her character, not by how she gives herself respect, but by the continued respect that she gives to others: even her tormenters. Her secret shame was kept inside, and it was an impossible burden to bear. She was brave.
No matter how much he put her through, she kept fighting for her life. I was confused by this because, in my eyes her life was completely over. I did not see how she could ever live a functioning life after all of the things that she went through. I would have thought that this reality would have been a reason for her to give up and choose fiction. Fiction would have been the easy way out of the pain, loses, and suffering that she faces and would continue to face. Then I thought to myself that is what makes humans amazing. Being able to endure the challenges of life and keep going. Originally, I thought she was a fool to keep going then I realized that she was strong. If I was her I would have chosen my reality
Firstly, the relationship expectations in Chinese customs and traditions were strongly held onto. The daughters of the Chinese family were considered as a shame for the family. The sons of the family were given more honour than the daughters. In addition, some daughters were even discriminated. “If you want a place in this world ... do not be born as a girl child” (Choy 27). The girls from the Chinese family were considered useless. They were always looked down upon in a family; they felt as if the girls cannot provide a family with wealth. Chinese society is throwing away its little girls at an astounding rate. For every 100 girls registered at birth, there are 118 little boys in other words, nearly one seventh of Chinese girl babies are going missing (Baldwin 40). The parents from Chinese family had a preference for boys as they thought; boys could work and provide the family income. Due to Chinese culture preference to having boys, girls often did not have the right to live. In the Chinese ethnicity, the family always obeyed the elder’s decision. When the family was trying to adapt to the new country and they were tryin...
Before her first words she is already considered a disappointment, “a girl child is Mo Yung- useless” (32). From the time she is born, her grandmother, “the old one” (choy), relentlessly tells her how the world will treat her as a girl. She explains to Jook-Liang, ‘“If you want a place in this world… ‘do not be born a girl child’”(31). She is cast aside before she is given a chance and is never given the same opportunities as her brothers. Instead she is forced to help take care of her little brother (insert quote). The excitement surrounding a baby is always extreme, and it doubles in Chinese culture when that baby is a boy. When her little brother is born, she is truly considered to be nothing in the family. “ I recalled how Sekky had received twice the number of jade and gold bracelets that I had got as a baby, and how everyone at the baby banquet toasted his arrival and how only the woman noticed me in my new dress, and then only for a few minutes to compare Poh Poh and step mother’s embroidery”(32). She is a ghost in her own family, and treated as nothing from the moment she is born. It is because of her gender that she is looked upon as a burden and never given the same opportunities as her brothers so that she may excel in life. Through the shadowed life of Jook Liang one can see how gender roles are enforced by cultural
Throughout Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, the reader can see the difficulites in the mother-daughter relationships. The mothers came to America from China hoping to give their daughters better lives than what they had. In China, women were “to be obedient, to honor one’s parents, one’s husband, and to try to please him and his family,” (Chinese-American Women in American Culture). They were not expected to have their own will and to make their own way through life. These mothers did not want this for their children so they thought that in America “nobody [would] say her worth [was] measured by the loudness of her husband’s belch…nobody [would] look down on her…” (3). To represent everything that was hoped for in their daughters, the mothers wanted them to have a “swan- a creature that became more than what was hoped for,” (3). This swan was all of the mothers’ good intentions. However, when they got to America, the swan was taken away and all she had left was one feather.
The complexitities of any mother-daughter relationship go much deeper then just their physical features that resemble one another. In Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club, the stories of eight Chinese women are told. Together this group of women forms four sets of mother and daughter pairs. The trials and triumphs, similarities and differences, of each relationship with their daughter are described, exposing the inner makings of four perfectly matched pairs. Three generations of the Hsu family illustrate how both characteristics and values get passed on through generations, even with the obstacles of different cultures and language.
Immanuel Kant is steadfast in his belief that before anyone can do anything absolutely moral, they must reason what would occur if every person on Earth did this exact thing, or as he puts it, “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law” (Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, 30). This philosophy seems sound, but is actually inherently flawed, as when it comes into conflict with his opinions on lying, it makes both points to be somewhat impossible to live by. It also does not account for different people operating in different situations all over the world, instead opting for some sort of absolute, infallible morality. This casts ethics in a disturbingly black and white
She struggled with depression and anxiety, she was afraid to be around male figures, she was diagnosed with PTSD and had issues with her self-esteem, confidence and body image. She talked about how her past relationship has made her fear to ever love again. Although she described many negative effects she also talked about how her outlook on life was transformed. She was appreciative to be alive and to have her son. She began finding more reasons to smile, although still suffering from mental and emotional trauma she knew this was a new beginning for her
‘Now I’ve lost her forever’”(84), her actions such as “tears welling up” creates a melancholic tone in the book. Readers are able to make connections to Adeline’s thoughts and the common situation
Adeline was sent away to boarding school to be kept away from her Aunt Baba. She was also left in Tianjin when the rest of her family moved to Hong Kong. She was mistreated and despised. Yet she battled through all of the anger and convinced her father to allow her to study in England where she became a doctor. These two stories incorporate loss, mistreatment, and wishes to bring together Adeline Yen Mah and Ye
Chinese Cinderella is one of the most depressing book ever. The book is about how a girl named Adeline's life is it is so stressful for her. Mostly there is a lot of people or animals that die that she loves. Such as PLT and mother Ye Yeand more.
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah is an inspirational story because it shows how Adeline has courage, she steps out of her comfort zone, and she inspires others to overcome their struggles. Adeline is a courageous young girl, who overcomes her rough childhood through her education. Adeline's autobiography proves she has courage and is willing to take risks because no one will help her. For
Adeline's Ability to Love - Essay Love is a very powerful force that anybody can acquire, but Adeline's ability to love is outstanding. Her capability to love is what helps her to survive her treacherous childhood. Throughout the text "Chinese Cinderella" written by Adeline Yen Mah, Adeline has the ability to love those around her, and embrace her current situation. She also demonstrates the power of forgiveness throughout the book. Education; encouragement from those around her; having gratitude and hope, are some of the key things that help her survive her childhood.
Chinese Cinderella was written by Adeline Yen Mah. This little Chinese girl began her life tragically after her mother died. Soon after that the Chinese culture marked her cursed as ‘bad luck.’ her new mother displayed distrust towards her and she fought through struggles to find a place where she belonged. These few chapters in the book remind me about how our world is still very similar to this girl’s story.