The tragic pride of Anowa
In life there is place in between adolescents and adulthood where many decisions that are made will ultimately direct the path of life. There are times when a decisions is made it leads to a great life and other times it leads to a destructive path just not for one person but affects everyone around them. In the story of Anowa the main character Anowa is in the place where every decisions she makes leads to a turning point in her life that sets the trap for a great demise. Anowa’s pride leads to her fall and causes those around her great pain.
First, Anowa being a strange woman who refuses to get married and when she finally does decide to get married the man whom she picks is not fitting of her mother’s expectations this is the rift that starts the fall of Anowa. In the Global Crossroads World Literature Badua tells Anowa that “Marriage is like a piece of cloth… and like cloth; its beauty passes with wear and tear” (Iglesias, Mays, and Pierce103). The cloth signifies strength and beauty of a marriage but without the proper consideration and care it will not last. Badua tries to tell her daughter that what may look good today later on may not be so pleasant and may very well rip apart in time ; but because Anowa’s pride she replies to her mother “I like mine and it is none of your business. I do not care, Mother. Have I not told you that this is to be my marriage and not yours?”(Iglesias, Mays, and Pierce103). Anowa’s determination to follow through with her decision seems to be just like many young ladies today who refuse to adhere to the voice of their mother and although the decision they make may be wrong they would rather be stubborn than to admit that the truth of their m...
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...ave children, but the whole time he was the reason they could not have children. Instead of leaving well enough alone she says, “Now I know. So that is it. My husband is woman now and she giggles” (Iglesias, Mays, and Pierce155). Anowa prideful attitude has lead to the death of her husband, herself and the sorrow of her mother and father. She not only killed his manhood but caused him to commit suicide.
In conclusion, every decision Anowa made lead to her tragic demise and pride was the ruler of every decision she made. The life of Anowa showed how pride is selfish, stubborn, and disrespect. Anowa could not see how her attitude determined her altitude. Had she learn how to be temperate and showed concern for others she would have not cause herself and other s sorrow and death. Anowa life teaches a valuable lesson that pride will only lead to a destructive path.
For Foua, a Hmong mother, the United States was a complete opposite to the life she was use to living and right now preparing this wedding shows the skills that she possess even if they are not very relevant in her new home, “‘I [Foua] am very stupid.’ When I [Anne] asked her why, she said, “Because I don’t know anything here. I don’t know your language. American is so hard, you can watch TV all day ad you still don’t know it” (Fadiman 103). This wedding bought Foua and Anne close in a different way, it created a new level of understanding and appreciation. Anne is starting to discover what it is like to be from another country where the language is different, the clothes are different, the entire way the people live is different. Basically, the world has been flipped upside down and the people need to find their new source of living. It is never easy to pick up a perfectly settled life and suddenly decide that moving and changing it all around is exactly what we need to do. But that was not the case of Foua, her family was forced to move to the United States. This would have made it even harder to adjust. Everything is suddenly thrown at Foua and there is no looking back only forward and the forward might be a lot more difficult. This is why this wedding is like a dream to Foua, it combines her old life with her new life. Although, the skill of creating a Hmong wedding might not be useful in the United States they still create a lot of joy and this joy can lead people to understand one another in a new found way. A new joy that was found in the new life of the bride and groom, but also there was the connection between two cultures. There was a greater understanding and
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