Chinese Cinderella Essay

'Mama died giving birth to you. If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck.' Adeline Yen Mah had been tormented by her family nearly all her life, yet still strives for the warmth of their love. The novel Chinese Cinderella traces a young girls journey of self-discovery as she undergoes many obstacles in life. Whist some novels may not be 'more than just a good yarn', Adeline's journey of self-discovery and self-belief definitely is.

Through her journey of self-discovery, Adeline learns to be independent. Being deserted, Adeline was forced to rely on herself, and was forced to become independent. In one incident in the novel, Adeline was left alone at school on the first day at her school. Realizing no one would pick her up, she decided to trust her instincts and walked out of the school gates and into the busy streets, where she gets lost. After her dad finds her, Adeline realizes that he hadn't missed her, and becomes aware that she would have to rely on herself. 'There's obviously nobody looking out for me. I'll just have to find my own way.'

In various parts of the novel, Adeline was put down and tormented by the cruelty of her family. However, such cruelty made Adeline more determined. 'No matter what you consider yourself to be, you are nothing without your father. Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!' Despite these negative comments remarked by her stepmother, Adeline was forced to remain determined in order to survive the neglect and abuse from her family. Throughout her journey, Adeline possessed great determination and a great ability within her heart to prove her worth.

'One by one they were greeted and led away by anxious mothers. Nobody came for me.' Adeline had to deal with loneliness and despair, but throughout the story she never gives up hope, hoping her life will somehow get better. Her friendship with her duck, PLT, illustrates Adelines feelings of loneliness and isolation. 'I took the duckling to my heart... it comforted me to know I was needed.' The duckling made Adeline feel as though she was not completely worthless, unlike her families' treatment towards her.

In addition to being resilient, Adeline also learnt to compromise her ideals and achievements in another way since she couldn't get what she wanted by her family. Adeline excelled in school and was praised by her classmates and teachers, but she was rarely appreciated at home. By immersing herself in her education, she aimed to achieve her ambitions to succeed in life and to prove her worth to her father. Her continuous compromise is depicted by her agreement to study medicine, when she really wanted to study literature.

To conclude, Adeline's inspirational journey of self-discovery, told by Adeline Yen Mah, is more than just a good yarn, as it traces a young girls journey striving for