The White Umbrella By Gish Jen Analysis

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The White Umbrella “The White Umbrella” by Gish Jen is a very reflective realistic fiction story of a chinese american girl’s youth. When the girl was young, her mother went to work without telling anyone. Her mom didn't even tell her father. The narrator and her sister just assumed normal life when their mother started coming home late. The story picks up one day when the two sisters are at their piano lesson. The older sister becomes envious when her piano teacher (Mrs.Crossman) applauds Eugenie (the girl whose lesson was before hers) on her playing. When the Eugenie leaves, the narrator notices that Eugenie has left her umbrella. Before she can react, Eugenie gets in her car and drives away. When the …show more content…

One of those traits is jealousy. The narrator shows jealousy when at her piano lesson she thinks “I stared at the umbrella. I wanted to open it, twirl it around by its silver handle; I wanted dangle it from my wrist on the way to school the way the other girls did”. She is jealous of the other girls and their possessions because she cannot have such nice things.Another trait the narrator shows is stubbornness. After the narrator's piano lesson she demonstrates this trait when she refuses to believe that her mother is not coming soon. Every time Ms.Crossman asks her if she wants to come inside because her mother clearly isn't coming, the narrator refuses the offer even though she knows her mother isn't coming. In addition, the narrator refuses to let her sister, Mona, go inside because of the false belief that her mother is coming soon.The final trait that is possibly the most compulsive, is shamefulness. When she was given the umbrella from Ms.Crossman she said something no one should ever say. She said “I wish you were my mother”. Immediately after she said this, her mother drove up. Out of shame, she quickly whisked her sister away into her mother’s

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