Summary Of An-Mei

“And even though I taught my daughter the opposite, still she came out the same way! Maybe it is because she was born to men and I was born a girl.” (241)

An-Mei feels like that her daughter is just like her because of how her marriage is turning out. An-Mei thought that she had cursed her daughter and because she was born a girl. Since in China, girls were not worth as much as boys. Every family wanted their child to be a boy instead of a girl. This was why An-Mei feels like that her daughter’s marriage is falling apart. I feel like that it was falling apart because her daughter was unable to stand up to herself. While An-Mei tried to raise her daughter into a better person, it didn’t work out since she turned out like her.

“Throw your life away? If you follow this woman, you can never lift your head again.” (245)

An-Mei’s uncle warned her that if she follows and leaves with her mother, she will end up just like her.

Her uncle felt like that her mother was worthless because of the rumors that were spread around. She was also worthless since her husband has died. An-Mei would also turn worthless if she decides to follow her mother. I feel like that An-Mei should still follow her mother since she was the reason why An-Mei is alive. Even though her uncle may see her as something worthless, her mother would still love her. Since An-Mei’s mother is worthless, her uncle believed that she would turn her into a horrible person. I don’t think that would happen since she had lived with her mother her whole life and if something bad did happen, An-Mei wouldn’t still love

her.

“When the poison broke into her body, she whispered to me that she would rather kill her own weak spirit so she could give me a better one.” (271)
An-Mei’s mother sacrificed her life so An-Mei could have a better life. When her mother dies, An-Mei would gain freedom. Her mother doesn’t want her daughter to be like her so she decided to kill herself by using opium. I feel like that her mother loves An-Mei so much that she was willing to give up her life for her freedom. An-Mei would soon turn into a powerful and independent woman. An-Mei had learned how to stand up for herself after her mother had died since that was what her mother had wanted. I believe that this had turned An-Mei to a better person.

“And when she returned to her brother’s house and kowtowed three times to say good-bye, her brother kicked her, and her own mother banned her from the family house forever.” (267)
After the second wife spread horrible rumors about An-Mei’s mother, it made her life miserable. Her mother would be seen as a disgrace to her own family. I believe that was the reason why her mother doesn’t like the second-wife. I feel like that her family would understand if they her An-Mei’s mother’s side of the story if they listened. I think it was wrong of her own family to disown her because they haven’t heard her side of the story but listened to rumors instead. It was not her fault that the second-wife had tricked her into getting into the same bed as Wu Tsing. I believe that the second-wife and Wu Tsing are horrible since they had made An-Mei’s mother’s life miserable.