Chinese Cinderella Quotes

Adeline encounters many hardships but always perseveres, similar this quote, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” (Maya Angelou). In the novel, Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, Adeline and Aunt Baba have a close relationship in which they both depend on each other in similar ways. In the story, they both rely on each other for love, acceptance, and making each other feel better.

Throughout the novel, Adeline and Aunt Baba’s relationship grows because of their love for each other. In the book the author states, “Keep in mind always, always [...] that you are important wherever you may be…” (Yen Mah 195). In part of the book, Aunt Baba tells Adeline that she will always be there and love her. This quote shows that they both sincerely love each other and will always be there for the other. To prove that they both care so much about each other, the author demonstrates it by writing, “What happened to you? [...] Baba hurried over, held out her

arms and rocked me back and forth…” (Yen Mah 78). In this part of the story Adeline loses PLT and is about to bury her until Jackie bites her wrist and Aunt Baba bandages it. Aunt Baba cares cares about Adeline enough to be conscious about her needs, instead of just herself. Even though Adeline was having a tough life at a young age, she was helped by her Aunt Baba because of their love for each other.
In the book, both Adeline and Aunt Baba struggle for acceptance, but they both seem to fit in together. To prove this statement, the author wrote, “Aunt Baba rummaged through a pile of folded towels and pulled out the safety deposit box [...] that’ll make us both feel better…” (Yen Mah 78). Even though the other family members did not care about Aunt Baba, nor Adeline’s feelings, they both looked to each other and accepted each other. They both helped each other feel better because they knew the others wouldn’t. The author also wrote, “At this rate nobody going to college can have a better foundation [...] you can be anything you set your mind to be…” (Yen Mah 78). In this quote, it shows that Aunt Baba accepts Adeline for who she is and tries to put hope into her life. Aunt Baba also reminds her that even if she isn’t currently accepted, she is still bound to have a fantastic future. Adeline and Aunt Baba both band together to show that they don’t need to be accepted by anyone else in their family, except themselves.
To make each other feel better, they rely on themselves to do this.

“...Aunt Baba sitting by the dressing table, crying. I crawled into her lap and put my arms around her to comfort her.” (Yen Mah 19). This shows that Adeline truly cares about Aunt Baba even from a young age and aims to make her feel better when she is distraught. It also shows that Aunt Baba also admires Adeline for her strength to get past this horrible event. In the book it states, “Your future is limitless and I shall always be proud of you…” (Yen Mah 197). This means that Aunt Baba knows that Adeline will go on to do great things in her life and makes her feel better about her current situation. She shows Adeline that even though she is facing a hardship now, it will still pay off later. Aunt Baba truly make Adeline feel better about herself and along the way makes herself feel

better.
Aunt Baba and Adeline’s relationship has grown throughout the timeline of the book. Both Aunt Baba and Adeline have relied on each other through life. They have grown through their love for each other, accepting each other, and making each other feel better for their benefit.