The door of communication is always closed in Lees’ family. Marilyn has never mentioned her mother’s prejudice towards James, and James does want to talk about his family’s history because he feels shame that he was raised in a Chinese immigrant family in the white American society. They do not often express personal ideas and feeling to each other. For example, the miscommunication happens between Marilyn and James. Instead of sharing her thought that she wants pursue the career as a doctor when children get older, Marilyn tells James she wants to work. At the same time, James assumes that Marilyn worries about earning money for the family, and he refuses Marilyn’s request. He has never shared his sad feeling of remembering his mother had
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Their favoritism on Lydia results in Nathan’s jealousy, but Nathan holds his feelings inside and never tells anyone. With his angry about being ignored by his parents, he pushes Lydia into the lake, but saves her after. However, he and Lydia do not mention what happened. For them, this incident is “too big to talk about…It would always feel too big. He pushed her in. And then he pulled her out. All her life, Lydia would remember one thing. All his life, Nath would remember another” (p.155) The conflict between Nathan and Lydia is increased due to their misunderstandings. When Nathan receives the letter from Harvard University, he is so happy that his parents will pay more attention to him. However, Lydia’s downfall of study outweighs his success. Nathan becomes more jealous with Lydia, and hopes to leave this depressive home. However, Lydia is afraid of losing his brother, the only person who cares her, but she has never told him that she needs him, and she will miss him so much it he goes to Harvard. All these negative factors of poor communication within Lydia’s family affect her psychological development, so she feels depressed when she fails exams. She feels hopeless for her own future, and she feels extremely lonely for Nathan’s
Their favoritism on Lydia results in Nathan’s jealousy, but Nathan holds his feelings inside and never tells anyone. With his angry about being ignored by his parents, he pushes Lydia into the lake, but saves her after. However, he and Lydia do not mention what happened. For them, this incident is “too big to talk about…It would always feel too big. He pushed her in. And then he pulled her out. All her life, Lydia would remember one thing. All his life, Nath would remember another” (p.155) The conflict between Nathan and Lydia is increased due to their misunderstandings. When Nathan receives the letter from Harvard University, he is so happy that his parents will pay more attention to him. However, Lydia’s downfall of study outweighs his success. Nathan becomes more jealous with Lydia, and hopes to leave this depressive home. However, Lydia is afraid of losing his brother, the only person who cares her, but she has never told him that she needs him, and she will miss him so much it he goes to Harvard. All these negative factors of poor communication within Lydia’s family affect her psychological development, so she feels depressed when she fails exams. She feels hopeless for her own future, and she feels extremely lonely for Nathan’s