Chinese Cinderella

In this portion of the book, rising action is characterized by an intensification of the abuse Adeline suffers at home and the resulting solidification of the Dichotomies Between Home Life and School Life. The distance between these two sides of herself are mirrored physically by the immense distance between her house and school. Adeline’s attempt to return home on the first day of school in Shanghai is its own odyssey, as she remembers thinking, “I must have walked for miles and miles. But where was I?” (28). Lost between two locations (home and school) and their corresponding versions of herself, Adeline’s trek home encapsulates her central internal conflict.

These formative experiences in Shanghai, which occur as Adeline gains increasing awareness of her surroundings with age, reinforce Niang and Father’s vitriolic and neglectful attitudes toward her, respectively. The confrontation with Niang in Chapter 7 is the memoir’s first instance of physical violence, escalating the book’s tone. Niang’s vengeful character is revealed through her words: “I shall never forgive you! Never! Never! Never! You’d better watch out from now on! You will pay for your arrogance!” (35). This outburst ironically echoes the tantrum thrown only moments prior by Little Sister, illustrating that although Niang has parental authority over the rest of the house, she behaves like her child. This is a reminder for readers that Niang is relatively young herself, having married Father when she was only 17. This provides significant characterization for Niang, who was a child put in the position of an adult and is abusing her authority at Adeline’s expense.

More disappointingly for Adeline, Father adopts an entirely indifferent attitude toward his older children, thereby enabling Niang’s fear-based tyranny. When Adeline calls him to pick her up after she gets lost, she has the disheartening realization, “[N]obody had missed me. They didn’t even know I wasn’t home” (30). Though this conclusion is conjecture, it reveals Adeline’s emotional investment in how her father treats her. This suggests that Adeline has taken the societal value of filial piety deeply to heart. In moments like this, Yen Mah conveys the connections between Adeline’s culture and her internal monologue.

Amid this heightening conflict, Adeline’s character is tested and therefore develops. For example, her determination to walk to school every day without receiving her tram fare distinguishes her from her siblings who quickly acquiesce to Niang’s demands. Such characterization through juxtaposition underlines her status as an outcast among her family while simultaneously solidifying her heroic underdog status for readers. Supporting characters also begin to take clearer shape, staging rebellions against Father and Niang in their own ways. Aunt Baba’s bid to gain independence by returning to work is the most notable example of this, as it is “her way of reminding Father that she and Ye Ye had run out of money for their daily needs” (37). She thus presents Adeline with a vision of life not involving the traditional path of marriage, setting the precedent that independence can be won through hard work.