Analysis Of The Struggle To Be An All-American Girl

In Elizabeth Wong’s story, The Struggle to Be an All-American Girl, she reveals denial and shame towards her parent’s culture to illuminate the importance of having multiple cultures in a person’s life. Though reading this story one can discover her denial towards her Chinese culture was because she just wanted to integrate and be like the rest. The majority of children will be forced into ideas that are presented and taught by the parents. The parent is only passionate to keep the traditions that are passed down through generations. This is where high expectations are enforced by the family members which could lead to pressure. Pressuring a child can lead to hate towards what is being force to practice. Being different can always have …show more content…
The character reveals to the audience that she has does not like to practice the Chinese language. When a child is brought into a new country he or she will follow the ideas that are practice in that specific country. The parents background and roots may be lost if the parent does not teach or inform the child. In some cases, the child will refuse to follow what is given to them and will rather follow what is practiced in the present country. In the story the character mentions “Every day at 5 P.M., instead of playing with our fourth- and fifth grade friends or sneaking out to the empty lot to hunt ghost and animal bones, my brother and I had to go to Chinese school” (Elizabeth Wong 61). The character hates the fact that she is forced to practice a language she not interested in learning. Instead of having free time like the rest of her friends she has to listen to a language which she finds embarrassing. The Chinese language in the beginning seems like as waste of time to the character, she finds the words dull and meaningless. What is important to her is to be able to fit in and learn more about the American culture instead of her heritage roots. The audience can then realize she might establish hate towards her mother for making her practice this language, her grandmother for not being able to speak English correctly, and her heritage. This hate makes the character be ashamed and does not want to be socialized with the stereotypes Americans make towards the …show more content…
The mother wants her children to learn and practice the Chinese language. Both her children are hypnotize with the new ideas and practices that are found in America. This mother proves to be consistent when the character mention “No amount of kicking, screaming, or pleading could dissuade my mother, who was solidly determined to have us learn to learn the language of our heritage” (61). One can argue that the children will eventually appreciate the struggles that the mother had to go through to keep both interested in their Chinese culture. Children have to be exposed multiple of times to an idea before the child can assume he or she is not interested. Chinese school taught language to the children but also life lesson like manner on how to behave. The manners on speaking polite informed and gave ideas about what it meant to be Chinese. Now, the reader can realize the mother lives in America but still wants to maintain what she brought to America within her children. Most people do not realize the importance and the advantages of having the ability to speak two language when applying for a job. In order to get a job a person may be required to speak in two languages. The mother’s passion influences the character later on in the story. The audience can assume the mother just wants to help her children by providing simple resource and staying positive. A