Girl In Translation Analysis

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Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok is the story of eleven year old Kimberly Chang and her mother’s immigration to America. They struggle through poverty and difficult living and work conditions, but Kimberly eventually blossoms into an intelligent and successful woman. Towards the ending of the novel, Kim encounters one of her biggest dilemmas. After a tryst with Matt, the charming Chinese boy who she is in love with, she becomes pregnant. She has to decide if she wants to get an abortion, or keep the baby, as well as deciding if she wants to tell Matt or keep it a secret. On one hand she has just gotten into Yale and has great things ahead of her, but she also has to think about Matt and what he might want. In the end, Kimberly makes the right …show more content…

“But I wouldn’t have been happy on your journey, and I know you wouldn’t have been happy on mine,” (pg 317) Kimberley says as she tries to explain to Matt why she left him. The fact that she and Matt lead very different lives, and have completely disparate dreams for the future is a huge part of her decision. Matt was completely fine staying in Chinatown, reliving his parents lives, but if Kimberly had the baby and stayed with him she would never have gotten to go to Yale and become a doctor. This would be a decision that she would regret forever. Another major aspect of her life that heavily influences of her decision is her unsteady financial situation. “I felt as if we were all hanging on to a tiny piece of flotsam that could never take all of our weight.”(pg 317) Kimberly and Matt would have had to provide for themselves, Kim’s mom, Park, and the baby, depending on if they kept him or not. Even if Matt was alright with Kimberly going to Yale and becoming a doctor, they would have to struggle to support everyone, and there would be no way to have the nice life that Kim longed for. “In that moment, I started to love him, Matt’s child. And mine forever.”(pg 125) The ultrasound is the thing that ultimately makes Kim decide to keep the baby. When she sees the image of the fetus moving around on the monitor, she realizes for the first time that there is something real and alive inside …show more content…

There is no way that she could get an abortion and not tell Matt. “I was there too, remember, when we made the baby?”(pg 317) Matt already knew that Kimberly was pregnant, so he would’ve known that she had gotten an abortion, even if she never said anything to him. If Kim got an abortion, and did tell Matt, he would be mad about the fact that she did it without talking to him about it first, but would eventually get over it, because of his love for her. He would persuade Kim to stay with him, and his old fashioned morals about men always taking care of the women would keep Kim from reaching her full potential. If she kept the baby and did tell Matt, then he would convince her to stay with him and that they would be able to raise a family. Kim would once again be limited, and she would not be able to provide her child with the nice life she dreamed of. When she has Jason and doesn’t tell Matt, it allows her to go to Yale, become a doctor, and achieve most, if not all, of her

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