In “Bitter in the Mouth,” Truong avoids the traditional love tale focused on an intense affection, rather she has various dynamic relationships which vary due to different circumstances throughout the story. The relationships are all centred around love ranging from romance, heartbreak, family, friendship and ones that seem strained beyond repair. “Bitter in the Mouth” occurs in Boiling Springs, Linda, who has synesthesia, understands that she is different from everybody in her adopted small town and is unsure of her backstory how she ended up there. Seeing that and the states of her respective relationships continuously influence the decisions she makes throughout her life. Truong’s theory of love consists of it being shown in many diverse
…show more content…
Truong creates an opposing story where Linda and DeAnne are in a very awkward relationship Regardless the relationship did have its ups from Linda’s childhood “age of seven to eleven” (Truong, 6). The mother-daughter relationship took a turn for the worst when DeAnne hired Bobby, Linda’s best friend’s cousin, to cut their lawn. Bobby would go on to rape Linda, and under those circumstances Linda felt that “have known better” putting the onus on her mother for Bobby’s horrific actions (Truong, 37). An example of the tension between the two is exhibited when Linda comments “I never loved DeAnne the way I loved my father” (Truong, 108). She also goes on to say she felt protected by her father, neglecting to say the same about DeAnne, which is very unusual as it is common for a child to look upon both parents as its comforters. In addition to this Linda Linda notices she “stopped calling her mom…DeAnne…was visibly relieved” (Truong 167) Also, after her “father’s passing, DeAnne and I [Linda] let ourselves be ourselves…liv[ing] in a silent house” (Truong, 124). In the event that both lost someone that they deeply loved, they did not attempt to console each other rather, they chose the uncommon choice and allowed one another to cope on their …show more content…
Truong parallels the negative relationships with the positive ones, such as Linda’s relationship with Baby Harper and her mother, to successfully illustrate that can be expressed in many different ways. Accordingly, Truong avoids the traditional sense of love, which is romantic, and exercises it alongside with familial love and friendship. Truong theory of love is that it should be blind, not judging someone off of their looks, but for who they are. Above all, this is conveyed in the epigraph, “they didn’t know what he looked like….when they finally saw him…he was real nice”. (Truong,
Truong creates an opposing story where Linda and DeAnne are in a very awkward relationship Regardless the relationship did have its ups from Linda’s childhood “age of seven to eleven” (Truong, 6). The mother-daughter relationship took a turn for the worst when DeAnne hired Bobby, Linda’s best friend’s cousin, to cut their lawn. Bobby would go on to rape Linda, and under those circumstances Linda felt that “have known better” putting the onus on her mother for Bobby’s horrific actions (Truong, 37). An example of the tension between the two is exhibited when Linda comments “I never loved DeAnne the way I loved my father” (Truong, 108). She also goes on to say she felt protected by her father, neglecting to say the same about DeAnne, which is very unusual as it is common for a child to look upon both parents as its comforters. In addition to this Linda Linda notices she “stopped calling her mom…DeAnne…was visibly relieved” (Truong 167) Also, after her “father’s passing, DeAnne and I [Linda] let ourselves be ourselves…liv[ing] in a silent house” (Truong, 124). In the event that both lost someone that they deeply loved, they did not attempt to console each other rather, they chose the uncommon choice and allowed one another to cope on their …show more content…
Truong parallels the negative relationships with the positive ones, such as Linda’s relationship with Baby Harper and her mother, to successfully illustrate that can be expressed in many different ways. Accordingly, Truong avoids the traditional sense of love, which is romantic, and exercises it alongside with familial love and friendship. Truong theory of love is that it should be blind, not judging someone off of their looks, but for who they are. Above all, this is conveyed in the epigraph, “they didn’t know what he looked like….when they finally saw him…he was real nice”. (Truong,