Analyzing The Story 'Fish Cheeks' By Amy Tan

Before the narrator’s crush arrives for dinner she contemplates, “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas?”   Her questioning shows her fear of embarrassment in the about the upcoming dinner. Tan’s use of the word “shabby” focuses on the narrator’s feelings that her traditional Chinese dinner is not as good as the traditional American Christmas

Not for any of the other, or for all of them, would she exchange it. She wanted only to be tranquil […] unmolested, to be allowed to direct for their own best good the lives of her sons and her husband” (Larsen 65). That is, Irene’s fears are proportional to how safe she feels. What guarantees safety for Irene is maintaining an immaculate social image of a good wife and mother, keeping Brian’s desires under control, and keeping her boys’ innocence. Not only Clare changes the way Irene sees herself, but she also threatens Irene’s security, which causes the wife and mother great confusion, given that her family and the benefits of appearance she draws from it are her only basis.

The short essay “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan is an autobiographical short essay describing the experience of Amy, a fourteen-year-old American-Chinese girl, at an embarrassing dinner party her family hosted. One of the people invited was her crush, an American pastor’s son, and, because of the cultural difference, he did not understand the table manners or the food choices of the Chinese diners. Through this embarrassing experience- showing how different her culture and, by extension, she was to her crush- she learned to accept her native Chinese culture, even if she did want to assimilate into the new, American culture.

Over the course of a person’s life they will grow, learn, and change. In Natasha Chang’s Memoir Bound & Western Dress, there is a character whose life story emanates this. The book is based on the interviews the author has with her great aunt – Chang Yu-i. Natasha explains how Yu-I went through many trials and tribulations throughout her life but through it all became a better person. One of Yu-I’s earliest struggles was growing up in a very traditional household. Although she believed firmly in the rules she was taught Yu-i always longed for something more.

That smile and and the quiet resolution […] filled [Irene’s] feet like ice, her heart like a stone weight. Even her tongue was like a heavy dying thing”(Larsen 75). The interaction shows the attitudes of the two woman towards their efforts to pass as something they are not. Clare acts indifferently to the prospect of being discovered and simply fits in by doing as little as possible, while Irene lives in constant fear of not fitting in correctly as she attempts to make the social climb.

Her anger, rage and pain of being abused were never expressed. At first, she was a loving parent who cared for her children's every detail in clothing and lunchboxes. Yet, somewhere around

Living as a Chinese-American, the narrator had to take on American attributes in order to be accepted -- for example, while normal Chinese women spoke with strong and assertive voices, the narrator adopted a whisper in order to appear “American-feminine. ”(1) As a result, however, her shy demeanor caused her to be an unpopular outcast. She saw herself in another Chinese-American girl at her school, as they had certain, negative similarities. “I hated the younger sister, the quiet one.

In the story, one sees that the narrator deeply loves and admires his wife, even though it seems like he does not seem happy with his marriage. When his wife talks to Robert, he hopes that his wife stays in a relationship with her. The third noticeable negative attribute about the narrator is his

There is something final and forbidding about the answer, but Sara doesn’t hear it”(66). The short insight of her inside emotion

(33). This excerpt shows Robert’s extreme numbness and emotional emptiness in the matter; she is just going through the motions, cold and

The evidence reveals that Rachel is shy because the author makes it seem as if Rachel doesn’t want to be there. When Rachel puts her head down on the desk and buries her face she is acting like she doesn’t want to be there. In conclusion Rachel’s character trait is that she is a shy person because of the way the author describes

One of the examples would be the part where Susan teaches how to read and write to Ada, which seems pretty impossible for Ada because first of all, she didn’t go to school or was ever even be educated before, and it is easier for younger children to learn because their brains are new but Ada is 9 years old and her brain is damaged by mental trauma, created by her mom. Ada didn’t only have disadvantages physically, but also mentally. No one would ever wish for their moms to be like Ada’s mom. However after meeting Susan, Ada’s mental health had been healed and was helped by Susan as well. One of the examples would be before when Susan swings her hand, Ada automatically ducks, because she misunderstands that Susan is about to slap or hit her because of Ada’s mom slapping and hitting her multiple times.

Robert’s father was a very intimidating man who yelled and otherwise verbally abused his son. He grew up a very skinny and shy child, never making friends. In his teen years Robert was even more of a recluse and could not talk to girls at his high school. He had a very bad stutter and therefor would get very nervous talking to girls.

Therefore she pushed back her negative emotions and stresses, such as her fears, by thinking he wasn't trying hard enough. By doing so, she was transferring the blame, and or weight of being at fault, onto someone else to cluelessly make herself feel better. Although small, these two are prime examples of how fear affects and conducts the characters actions and feelings; no matter if it is on their own accord or

To begin with, both Tan and Crutcher utilize characterization to pursue the shared theme, that a strong sense of self is crucial when under the pressure of the expectation of others. In “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, Amy feels propelled to conform because she feels judged for not being “normal”. Tan states, “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas” (2). Also, it’s obvious Amy was self-conscious about the Chinese style of cooking and in this sentence she’s self-conscious because she says, “For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, and a slim new American nose”(1). In the first quote, she was over thinking and doubting that Robert would not like “our shabby Chinese Christmas” though in the end she was correct about Robert