In Gish Jen’s “Who's Irish” short story the author tells the conflict of a Chinese grandmother and her struggle to accept other cultures different from her own. In this short story, the character that stood out the most is the grandmother. Her character was built based on how she was raised back in China. The short story “Who’s Irish” reminds me of my father who’s just like the grandmother, he wants me to be raised in African culture. In his mind I should know how to cook African food in order for me to be a good African housewife. Not only in China these people have these ideologies, everywhere including Africa, United States, and other countries. The grandmother’s main character traits are fierce, judgmental and sexist. The grandmother
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Sophie was mixed with Irish and Chinese heritage. The grandmother mentioned that even though Sophie had Chinese features her skin is brown, “Everything just right, only her skin is a brown surprise to John’s family” (Jen 2). The grandmother also believed Sophie was not a well disciplined obedient child, oppositely Sophie was a wild child and she thinks that a slap will control her child side. Sophie wild child antics is taking off her clothes and running around naked. The grandmother also thinks the cause of Sophie wild child antics is because of how she's being raised in American culture. In America, Sophie is care free, adventurous, and likes to have. The grandmother makes a comment that if Sophie was raised in China she would be behaving differently on then ow she is being raised in America. The grandmother throughout the whole story is criticising her daughter parenting skills on how to raise her Sophie and she is always comparing how in China the children are more behaved, more disciplined and respect their elders by doing what they say. She wants to enforce her Chinese parenting skills on Sophie, while her daughter Natalie wants to raise her daughter the way she sees fit in the american way. This is an example of cultural clash between the grandmother versus Natalie on how to raise Sophie. One wants Sophie to act more Chinese and be raised in a Chinese while the mother Natalie wants her daughter to be raised on how she wants which is how the americans raise their
Sophie was mixed with Irish and Chinese heritage. The grandmother mentioned that even though Sophie had Chinese features her skin is brown, “Everything just right, only her skin is a brown surprise to John’s family” (Jen 2). The grandmother also believed Sophie was not a well disciplined obedient child, oppositely Sophie was a wild child and she thinks that a slap will control her child side. Sophie wild child antics is taking off her clothes and running around naked. The grandmother also thinks the cause of Sophie wild child antics is because of how she's being raised in American culture. In America, Sophie is care free, adventurous, and likes to have. The grandmother makes a comment that if Sophie was raised in China she would be behaving differently on then ow she is being raised in America. The grandmother throughout the whole story is criticising her daughter parenting skills on how to raise her Sophie and she is always comparing how in China the children are more behaved, more disciplined and respect their elders by doing what they say. She wants to enforce her Chinese parenting skills on Sophie, while her daughter Natalie wants to raise her daughter the way she sees fit in the american way. This is an example of cultural clash between the grandmother versus Natalie on how to raise Sophie. One wants Sophie to act more Chinese and be raised in a Chinese while the mother Natalie wants her daughter to be raised on how she wants which is how the americans raise their