Throwaway Daughter Identity
Chevonne Chiu
Ms. Bertoni
ENG10D
December 18, 2014
In Search for the Truth, We find Ourselves
Throwaway Daughter by Ting-Xing Ye tells a story of a girl who has adamantly rejected her Chinese origins for most of her life. The novel is narrated in a first person perspective, through the eyes of the protagonist, Grace Parker. Left on the steps of a Chinese orphanage and is haunted by the cold fact that she was unwanted; Grace separates herself from her Chinese heritage. The traumatized feeling of being rejected affects Grace to adulthood and develops as a struggle and reveals the theme of identity in the novel. It is not until a massacre happens in Tiananmen Square, where Grace begins to journey back to China in search for her birth parents. …show more content…
Xia and her biological mother, Chun Mei in China.
Dong Mei, also known as Grace Parker, is the protagonist who struggles between her Canadian and Chinese background. In a way, Grace sees her Chinese roots as an insult. Since she is raised in a Canadian family, she does not understand the importance of her Chinese roots, which is her true identity. When her parents enlighten her about a note given to them during adoption, the note informs them, “Dong Mei means Winter Plum-Blossom. And Chun-Mei, Spring Plum Blossom, is the name of your birth mother. Obviously, the names are very important to her or she wouldn’t have taken such a risk [...] It’s a stupid name; I don’t want to be named after some dumb flower. As far as I was concerned, the note as well as my Chinese roots could wither in hell” (5). Due to the deep hatred Grace has for her identity, the note’s significance falls short upon Grace’s eyes; though it was the only thing her biological mother left with her, at the orphanage. As a reminder of her true identity, the note symbolizes
Ms. Bertoni
ENG10D
December 18, 2014
In Search for the Truth, We find Ourselves
Throwaway Daughter by Ting-Xing Ye tells a story of a girl who has adamantly rejected her Chinese origins for most of her life. The novel is narrated in a first person perspective, through the eyes of the protagonist, Grace Parker. Left on the steps of a Chinese orphanage and is haunted by the cold fact that she was unwanted; Grace separates herself from her Chinese heritage. The traumatized feeling of being rejected affects Grace to adulthood and develops as a struggle and reveals the theme of identity in the novel. It is not until a massacre happens in Tiananmen Square, where Grace begins to journey back to China in search for her birth parents. …show more content…
Xia and her biological mother, Chun Mei in China.
Dong Mei, also known as Grace Parker, is the protagonist who struggles between her Canadian and Chinese background. In a way, Grace sees her Chinese roots as an insult. Since she is raised in a Canadian family, she does not understand the importance of her Chinese roots, which is her true identity. When her parents enlighten her about a note given to them during adoption, the note informs them, “Dong Mei means Winter Plum-Blossom. And Chun-Mei, Spring Plum Blossom, is the name of your birth mother. Obviously, the names are very important to her or she wouldn’t have taken such a risk [...] It’s a stupid name; I don’t want to be named after some dumb flower. As far as I was concerned, the note as well as my Chinese roots could wither in hell” (5). Due to the deep hatred Grace has for her identity, the note’s significance falls short upon Grace’s eyes; though it was the only thing her biological mother left with her, at the orphanage. As a reminder of her true identity, the note symbolizes