Brittany Bennett
Brown Mackie College-Atlanta
Saving Sourdi” by May-Lee Chai, discusses a plot of the metamorphosis from childhood to adulthood. Chai writes “Saving Sourdi” in first person point of view told by Nea, who is also the protagonist of story. The purpose of this essay is to examine the conflict, setting and theme of “Saving Sourdi” to tell the story of two sisters.
In Saving Sourdi, the two main characters Sourdi and Nea develop in contrast with each other. Nea, the younger sister, has problems maturing into her own life, as well as her sister’s life progresses. Her naïve mind, anger, and anxiety influence her decisions throughout the story in a negative way. Chai’s character is easy to relate to because everyone has had a point in their lives where they didn’t want to mature. The story’s conflict surfaces in the tension between reality and fantasy. Sourdi exemplifies what Nea hates, by taking life for what it is and that infuriates Nea because of how strong her love is for Sourdi. Nea wants Sourdi all to herself and does not like the bond between Sourdi and her husband. Nea’s dreams and memories that Chai embodies throughout express Nea’s wants for Sourdi. Within Nea’s conflict with reality and men, her relationship with her sister is tested.
The setting of this story takes place in South Dakota where the struggling Asian family operates a bar. The setting of the bar plays a key role in developing the protective characteristics of Nea. The theme of companionship ties in greatly with the setting of the story. This is present in the beginning of the story because the girls are growing up as sisters living together. They develop their friendship and love for each other as they mature together. Nea matures slower than her sister, but she is also younger than her sister, which is ironic because Nea feels protective over Sourdi. The setting changes as Sourdi moves away after her arranged marriage to Mr. Chhay. This places burden on the relationship between the two characters. Sourdi is growing up and starting a new life with her husband. This is the opposite of Nea, who tries to persuade Sourdi’s husband mother that their relationship is bad. Toward the end, the separate settings of Nea and Sourdi cause’s Nea to realize that her sister wants her independence and does not need her protection. This infuriates Nea because it changes the companionship between her and Sourdi. Sibling love, shows the relationship between Nea and Sourdi. Their relationship goes back and forth between good and bad. “Uncle fired Duke… It was during the Saturday lunch rush when Sourdi and I were not working and could not witness what had happened” (Chai, 2011, p. 74). This is good because they get to see each other and spend time together. “Now when I crept into Sourdi’s bed at night, when she talked about running away, she meant Duke and her” (Chai, 2011, p. 74). This is not a good situation because her older sister talks about running away with Duke. If this happened, Nea would never get to see her sister anymore. Having a strong bond with your sister is important because sometime it is easier to talk to your sibling verse you parent in a time of crisis.
Family protection, displays what Nea would do to save her sister. “I grabbed the knife and ran back out to Sourdi” (Chai, 2011, p. 70). Nea takes a knife and comes back out to the bar and protects her sister by stabbing the guy troubling her. “I would walk on bones for my sister, I vowed. I would put my bare feet on rotting flesh. I would save Sourdi” (Chai, 2011, p. 81). Nea describes the heights she will go for her sister and that shows how much she cares for her. Basically, Nea shows the she will do anything for her sister and that family should always come first.
Chai’s protagonist in “Saving Sourdi”, Nea, is naïve and implusive. She is unchanging and narrow-minded. Nea’s journey seems based on saving her sister when in actuality she is trying to find excuses to avoid growing into her own life. The hero makes up false accusations to go along with her desire to be needed by her sister who has moved on with her life. Nea feels abandoned because Sourdi matures while she remains childlike. Chai sets up the elements of storytelling to display a good description of how two sisters can grow apart.
References
Chai, May-Lee. “Saving Sourdi.” Literature to Go. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s. 2011. 69-84. Print.
References: Chai, May-Lee. “Saving Sourdi.” Literature to Go. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s. 2011. 69-84. Print.
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