Chinese Cinderella

Over the course of the memoir, Adeline ages 10 years, and her insights into the world around her develop and mature accordingly. How does Adeline’s voice mature over time?

Aside from Aunt Baba, Adeline receives much-needed support from several characters including Ye Ye, PLT, Wu Chun-mei, and Reine. Select one such ally not discussed in the Character Analysis. How does Yen Mah represent this character?

Closely read Aunt Baba’s letter in Chapter 22. How does this ending relate to and resolve themes developed throughout Chinese Cinderella? What does the epistolary form contribute to the story?

Throughout the text, Yen Mah employs a code-switching technique, in which she inserts the Chinese characters in parentheses after she transcribes a word into English. How does the inclusion of these characters influence the reading experience of Chinese Cinderella? What is gained by their presence in the text?

Examine the significance of clothing throughout Chinese Cinderella. What ideas are communicated through characters’ attire, and how does this messaging contribute to the book’s portrayal of social life in midcentury China?

Consider the episode in which Adeline overhears other girls talking about her in the bathroom (Chapter 18). The dialogue here offers Adeline, and readers, the chance to see herself from the outside. How does this subtle shift in perspective affect the narrative?

Late in the story, Adeline recalls her visceral emotional response to a passage in King Lear: “Dear daughter, I confess that I am old; / age is unnecessary: on my knees I beg / that you’ll vouchsafe me raiment, bed and food” (168). Analyze the significance of King Lear to Chinese Cinderella (paying particular attention to Act II, Scene 4, from which the lines are taken). Why do these lines specifically resonate with Adeline?

Chinese Cinderella is deeply concerned with Adeline’s encounters with death throughout her childhood (most crucially, the death of her mother). How does death function as a narrative and symbolic device throughout the text?