My Mother Left China Character Analysis

Before Maxine was born, her mother, and her father, many years before, moved from China to the United States. “My mother left China in the winter of 1939 [...] and arrived in New York Harbor in January, 1940” (96). Her family faced many challenges, including being discriminated against. She tried to stand up for herself as well as for her family. “It’s not just the stupid racists that I have to do something about, but the tyrants who for whatever reason can deny my family food and work” (49). She was silent in her first year of school and was not taught English by her parents. “The other Chinese girls did not talk either, so I knew the silence had to do with being a Chinese girl” (166). Maxine felt like she did not belong in America because of her Chinese heritage. …show more content…
There was one episode where her family was delivered the wrong prescription and her mom made her go to the pharmacist and demand candy for reparations. “‘They don’t understand stuff like that. I won’t be able to say it right. He’ll call us beggars’” (170). Her mother insisted that they had tried to put a curse on the family, but Maxine knew better than that. “‘There are no such things as curses. They’ll think I’m crazy’” (170). Even though the pharmacist did give her candy that time and every subsequent one, she knew they did not understand. “They thought we were beggars without a home who lived in the back of the laundry” (171). In school, her teacher did not comprehend her either. She tried to explain her limitations due to Chinese customs. “‘We Chinese can’t sing “land where are fathers died.” ’ She argued with me about politics, while I meant because of curses” (167). Maxine was not understood by white