My Mother's stories

                                   My Mother's stories

    Ever since I was little, my mom used to talk story of her upbringing as the youngest daughter in China. She'd recount her struggles, always emphasizing the importance of hard work and resilience to secure a better future and avoid the hardships she endured. In her family of eight, with one brother and four sisters, my mother's experiences diverged significantly from the narrative in 'The Woman Warrior.' Unlike Kingston's upbringing, my mother and her siblings were deeply cherished by their grandparents. My grandparents worked tirelessly, day and night, to put food on the table, although it was hardly enough for a family of their size. My mother often shared stories of helping her mother secretly sell eggs to earn meager sums and assisting her father in raising pigeons for a few extra dollars. This struggle was deepened because of how heavily communist China was during her time. Even though she faced all these struggles, my mother decided to move America in pursuit of a bright future. Kingston's narrative, in contrast, offered a perspective that was strikingly different from the stories my mother told me. Her story portrayed the horrible treatment of girls in china, with discrimination pervading every facet of her life – from her mother to her community and even her employer. Both my mother and Kingston exhibited defiance, but in distinct ways. My mother's defiance was in her unwavering determination to break free from poverty, while Kingston's was a rebellion against societal expectations tied to her gender and nationality.