Tan feels ashamed of herself and her family. She was also so ashamed of looking Chinese that she wished she had a “slim American nose”. Robert, her crush, was over for dinner and Tan was even more embarrassed of the way her family celebrated Christmas because they didn't eat the traditional American dinner. Another embarrassing moment was when her father belched after dinner to show his gratitude towards her mother for cooking. Angelou’s story is about pride.
She thought of herself as two different people, "the rancid-butter-smelling Edith of the day shift", and "the rose-scented Edith wriggling into a party dress", she wanted to forget about the rancid butter Edith, the only Edith she wished to be was the rose-scented Edith. She wanted a "perfect" job, appearance, home, family, but she didn't realize that nothing would ever be perfect unless she made it perfect, not by changing who she was, but by changing how she saw herself and other people. Manipulating the way she talked, dressed, and acted did nothing for her. Even after spending all her money on clothes, perfume, a wristwatch, and books on etiquette, Edith still didn't fit in, all she did was make herself stand out even more than she did in the first place. In order to forget who she was, Edith created an alter-ego of herself, and tried to become that alter-ego, she never really knew the difference between what was important, and what wasn't.
Looks can be deceiving and I believe this statement plays a great role in this story. The main character, Mathilde, encounters a situation where she feels as though she belongs in a higher class based off her beautiful looks. She is neither wealthy nor comes from a family of wealth but feels as though she deserves as much because of her appearance. Unsatisfied with her lifestyle, Mathilde noticeably expresses her dilemma by complaining to her husband, Monsieur Loisel that she doesn’t want to attend the special event because she has nothing of higher class to wear. Mathilde then borrowed her rich friend Madame Forestier’s necklace, and at that moment, I could already foreshadow something bad to happen.
Although Madame Loisel looks great with a new, beautiful dress worth four hundred francs, she needs the necklace because she has no jewels and thinks that it is humiliating to look poor in the middle of rich women. That can be an indication of the necklace representing great wealth as she selects the diamond necklace, “At first her eyes noted some bracelets. then a pearl necklace. then a Venetian cross in gold and gems. of marvelous workmanship”(Maupassant 31).
Only thing that makes it tolerable that I get to see Daniel again, but even that is inadvisable since I’m fat, have a spot on chin, and only desire to sit on cushion while eating chocolates and watching Xmas specials.” She reminded me of the girls that always have to be in a relationship. For a awhile in the book she couldn’t choose between Mr. Darcy and her boss Daniel. She seemed too dumb to realize that Mr. Darcy was a great guy for her. When Bridget saw Suki in Daniels apartment she was heartbroken. Bridget went home and downed a bottle of some sort of alcohol which was predictable.
Personally, I think girls with layers of make up on their faces are just saying they need make up to look beautiful. My best friend was called ugly because in her words “I don’t cake 10 layers of make up on my face”. I think that is saying something about these girls who do “cake 10 layers of make-up on”. When I usually see girls who have layers of make up on their faces, they are only worried about if their make-up looks okay and not a mess. I think they are worried more if their make-up is messed up and not about their school work.
He had suggested that she wear some flowers instead of expensive jewels, but she claimed that it was not enough for her. If she were to attend the party wearing cheap flowers, she would look even more poverty-stricken. The ladies at that party would all be rich and wealthy-looking and they would be expecting the same from her. Madame Loisel was not happy with just her expensive dress because
On New Year’s Eve, Loung has her ‘greatest dream…’ and her ‘…worse nightmare’ she dreams about sitting alone on a long table filled with her ‘…favourite food in the world’, in her dream although Loung claims that ‘…everything looks and tastes so real…’ she is anxious because she is frightened of the Khmer Rouge soldiers taking her food away. The reason behind this dream is Loung’s shame in stealing food from her family, she feels guilty ‘because she hides food from even Geak’ and she sits away from all the others in the hope that they won’t want to take her food. Loung resorts to stealing food because the Khmer Rouge rations very minimal food to her family leading to the many deaths of starvation and from food poisoning, Loung is in despair as she remembers her birthday with eating a piece of charcoal instead the birthday cakes she used to have, ‘…I pick up a couple more pieces for later and put them in my pockets as I head toward home’. Whilst Keav is at a Kong Cha Lat, a messenger comes to Ma and Pa saying that Keav is very ill and is asking for her parents. Loung, who remains at home, imagines Keav’s
A well-to-do middle class woman would aspire to velvet or silk fabrics, and because she could not usually afford mink or sable, she would wear fox, or rabbit fur to impress her friends. On the other hand, the poor bride's dress would be of linen, or fine wool, instead of the usual coarse homespun, and she would use as much fabric as she could. For brides of the lower classes, an extremely common shade of wedding gown was grey, because it was such a useful colour to re-use as Sunday best, being considered
With this act, Mathilde clearly emphasized disappointment of having that kind of social status. She believes that objects have the power to change her life. Mathilde did show up to the party with an expensive dress and a borrowed diamond necklace. She was so happy then, but her moment of happiness swift away with just a snap of the fingers. She lost the diamond necklace and must spend the next ten years paying for the pleasure of that night.