In Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You and Ken Liu’s “The Paper Menagerie”, there are many differences and few similarities. The bond between mother and child is one of the many contrasts within the two. Along with the relationship of how child treats their mother, the child not really knowing their mother 's past, and the mother’s expectations of their child. Although these characters have similarities, the difference is how parental expectations can really make them who they are. Lydia feels it 's an obligation to constantly say yes and please her mother. For example, Lydia “ She would do everything her mother told her,”(Ng 137). This promise will constantly weigh her down for the remainder of her life. With this promise Lydia causes As a result, Jack distances himself from his mother, who knows only her oriental culture. Although Jack loves his mother he is lead to believe she is nothing but an oriental women bought from Hong Kong “‘It probably cost more than what your dad paid for your mom!’”(Liu 68). With this statement thrown at Jack it 's as if though his mother is nothing and will continue to be nothing but an oriental women and this causes backlash to Jack which causes him to resent his mother. Jack feels that his mom 's race isolates him, thinking that “[other] families don 't have Moms who don 't belong”(Liu 69). Once these words are spoken the relationship between mother and son are ruined. The expectations that society have leads Jack to believe that losing his relationship with his mother is far better than to be known as oriental. Which seems like nothing to Jack now causes him great heartache in the They both discuss how child treats their mother, the child never really knowing their mother 's past, as well as the mother’s expectations of their child. These characters both touch upon the fact that your relationship with your mother amongst other things has a huge impact on your life. The characters explore this fact in many different ways but it comes down to the fact that parental expectations shape them into who they become whether it be now or
The children also argue with their mother often. The children think that their mother, with no doubt, will be perfect. They idealize their mothers as angel who will save them from all their problems, which the mothers actually never do. The children get angry at their false hopes and realize that their mothers aren’t going to...
One theme is two-way relationships that both pull parents and children together whilst pulling them apart. This is illustrated when the mother describes an “old rope, Tightening about my life”. This represents a submerged rope (representing the invisible forces of attraction between the mother and daughter) attached to a boat in a harbour (representing the mother and daughter). It may seem like the boat and harbour are free, but when they try to go their own ways, the rope tightens and pulls them back together. This is not the only theme that reveals the complexities of the parent-child relationship. Another theme is how parents can be torn when their children grow up. The mother seems to be happy that her child is growing up and becoming independent but also seems to resist it. This can be seen from the description of traffic lights. The cars “taking turn” could represent the mother and daughter going on their own paths. The traffic lights alternate between letting and not letting cars through. The lights mirror the sporadic emotions of the mother. It is like they can’t decide to let the girl go on her own independent way in
...re the reader is not able to make any solid connection with any of these characters. It is arguably only through the stories foreshadowing where both authors prepare us with little details like the mileage of the car written down by the grandmother in O’Connor’s story likewise the boys preparation of the stones in Jackson’s Lottery that would inevitably help the reader to comprehend how both these author’s reached the horrifically shocking climatic endings in both short stories. I believe the authors similar use of these three variables help the reader to understand the message being delivered through these stories of the human condition and its effects on a society that only embraces its traditional moral beliefs and values.
... overall themes, and the use of flashbacks. Both of the boys in these two poems reminisce on a past experience that they remember with their fathers. With both poems possessing strong sentimental tones, readers are shown how much of an impact a father can have on a child’s life. Clearly the two main characters experience very different past relationships with their fathers, but in the end they both come to realize the importance of having a father figure in their lives and how their experiences have impacted their futures.
For many of us growing up, our mothers have been a part of who we are. They have been there when our world was falling apart, when we fell ill to the flu, and most importantly, the one to love us when we needed it the most. In “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, it begins with a brief introduction to one mother’s interpretation of the American Dream. Losing her family in China, she now hopes to recapture part of her loss through her daughter. However, the young girl, Ni Kan, mimics her mother’s dreams and ultimately rebels against them.
The most prominent concept that can be noticed in both stories is that both of the stories revolve around relationships that have been affected by ethnicity. In the story by Gish Jen, the most obvious relationship that suffers is between the mother and daughter. The Chinese immigrant grandmother, who is depicted as Natalie’s mother in the story and the narrator, has a very strong character due to strong instilled morals. For instance, she states that “creative” is not a word they talk about in China. Creativeness is linked with the connotations of being very accepting and flexible. By her stating that there is not Chinese word for “creative”, the author implicitly states that the culture is very rigid and strict. This rigidity in Grandmother’s character is also noted when she describes how she believes Sophie, the grandchild, should be raised. She promotes the idea of hitting Sophie. Although this may seem improper, it is a very common practice among nonindigenous people. The misbehaved child takes her clothes off, and the grandmother believes the only way to fix this problem is to hit her. The mother is against this punishment; this is the main source of tension within the relationship. Grandmother represents the old world. The new world or new generation mother d...
In order to understand what changes happen to twist the views of the 2 main characters in both novels, it is important to see the outlook of the two at the beginning of the novels in comparison ...
Parent/Child relationships are very hard to establish among individuals. This particular relationship is very important for the child from birth because it helps the child to be able to understand moral and values of life that should be taught by the parent(s). In the short story “Teenage Wasteland”, Daisy (mother) fails to provide the proper love and care that should be given to her children. Daisy is an unfit parent that allows herself to manipulated by lacking self confidence, communication, and patience.
Both stories show the characters inequality with their lives as women bound to a society that discriminates women. The two stories were composed in different time frames of the women’s rights movement; it reveals to the readers, that society was not quite there in the fair treatment towards the mothers, daughters, and wives of United States in either era. Inequality is the antagonist that both authors created for the characters. Those experiences might have helped that change in mankind to carve a path for true equality among men and women.
At the end of the story, Jack realizes that blending in with society is not ideal. He regrets the past decade that was full of loss and regret when it could've been full of trust and love. People may be tempted to make unwise decisions to blend in with society. But think about it: the world is like a crowded marketplace. If you don’t stand out, you are invisible. Unique qualities define your identity. Without them, you are not yourself. At least on Qingming, the mother’s poor spirit can rest easy, knowing her son is with her in heart, but that can never make up for the years of hurt and betrayal directed at
Kingston’s mother takes many different approaches to reach out to her daughter and explain how important it is to remain abstinent. First, she tells the story of the “No Name Woman”, who is Maxine’s forgotten aunt, “’ Now that you have started to menstruate, what happened to her can happen to you. Don’t humiliate us. You wouldn’t like to be forgotten as if you had never been born”’ (5), said Maxine’s mother. Kingston’s aunt was murdered for being involved in this situation. The shame of what Kingston’s aunt brought to the family led them to forget about her. This particular talk-story is a cautionary tale to deter Kingston from having premarital sex and to instill in her fear of death and humiliation if she violates the lesson her mother explained to her. Kingston is able to get pregnant but with the lecture her mother advises her with keeps her obedient. Brave Orchid tells her this story to open her eyes to the ways of Chinese culture. The entire family is affected by one’s actions. She says, “‘Don’t humiliate us’” (5) because the whole village knew about the pregnant aunt and ravaged the family’s land and home because of it. Maxine tries asking her mother in-depth questions about this situation, but her m...
...re many similarities when it comes to technique, characterization, themes, and ideologies based on the author's own beliefs and life experiences. However, we also see that it appears the author herself often struggles with the issue of being herself and expressing her own individuality, or obeying the rules, regulations and mores of a society into which she was born an innocent child, one who by nature of her sex was deemed inferior to men who controlled the definition of the norms. We see this kind of environment as repressive and responsible for abnormal psyches in the plots of many of her works.
The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, is a prime example of a classic drama, infusing powerful themes with compelling characters to draw the reader in and allow them to connect. William’s character Laura plays a large part in accomplishing this, particularly in Scene VII, when she converses with Jim. This scene is especially important to the story as a whole, and helps develop Laura’s character and the theme of conformity. This theme, that to be accepted by society one must conform, is prevalent throughout the story, but centers around this portion of the play specifically. The conversation between Laura and Jim is a pivotal part of the drama that is very impactive and provides substance for the theme and character development in the rest of the drama.
The values and ethics in this novel are an importance to the family because it gives the children and adults a guideline and reminder on how to act and what they strive for. From an early childhood the children are taught to be well mannered and if you?re a female, you are taught to act like a lady. Papa also taught them about their religion from when the girls were babies .
n Tennessee William’s drama play, The Glass Menagerie, the character Amanda is mostly concerned with her children's well being. After her husband abandoned her and their two children, Tom and Laura, Amanda had to raise both of them single-handedly until they were grown ups. Williams’ drama “involving only four characters, is built around Amanda and her effect upon raising her children” (Tholl, 1337). Amanda cared for her children's health, appearance, and future while also being concerned with what they do in their free time. Being the mother that she is, Amanda wishes nothing but “success and happiness for her precious children” (Williams 1996). Although her mothering techniques can be extreme and or suffocating to some degree, she is not oblivious to all of the dysfunctional nature of her family.