Chinese Cinderella Essay

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Traditions can be a humongous part of one’s life. This is especially true in the past, where superstition was strong and change was very little. The Chinese are known for long-lasting traditions, some dating back to 2000 years ago, that still survive today. It is not surprising then, that Adeline Yen Mah, whose childhood was around the 1940s, had her character and personality developed by these traditions. The bigger traditions that affected her childhood include: the preference for boys, superstition, special occassions, and the ‘head of the family’. Preference for boys dates back to the medieval times and did not occur in China, but all around the globe. This was due to the difference in physical strength, women could not do farm work and was therefore not valued. Therefore, women are constantly married off to other families usually to gain favors or money. This is shown not just in “Chinese Cinderella”, but in other stories which are set 50 years and back, such as “Romeo and Juliet”. An example of this is how Adeline’s three brothers were all sent to England to study in contrary of how her big sister was married off. This preference forced couples to have a lot of children, trying to get a boy. This had both positive and negative effects. The positive effect is that Adeline was born and would probably not exist at all if this tradition is not around, since her parents would have stopped at three or four children. However, it also has the negative impact. In a large family, the youngest one is usually bullied; this is also part of tradition. The fact that Adeline is both a girl and the youngest children in her family (excluding Niang’s children because they are constantly protected by Niang herself) contributes to her being hated by her siblings. Though being the smallest child is part of the reason of why Adeline is loathed, it is overshadowed by a bigger
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