Amy Tan Fish Cheeks

In the essay “fish Cheeks”, the essayist Amy Tan conveys that the main character is worried and embarrassed. “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners?...” (Tan). After Amy is informed that the Minister's family is coming over for Christmas dinner, she silently begins to debate how the night will go with a multitude of what if questions. She is worried how Robert, and his family will react to some of her family's customs. “... I knew that she understood how much I suffered during the evening’s dinner” (Tan). Amy says she suffered during Christmas dinner because she was embarrassed on how her family

Keiko says to Henry “That's fine. Be who you are, “ she said, turning away, a look of disappointment in her eyes. “But I'm an American.” (60)

Fish cheeks by Amy Tan is a narrative story about Amy when she was 14. She had a crush on the minister’s boy, robert. Eventually amy’s parents invited their family over for Christmas dinner. Amy felt nervous and uneasy about Robert and his family coming to dinner and see how “embarrassing” her family is. Amy wanted a “slim new american nose”(Tan, 110).

Tan’s “Fish Cheeks” and Angelou’s “Champion of the World” share a very similar narrative as both are from the author’s perspective and both authors are of ethnic background. Both authors had come from hardship to accept who they are beyond their race or background. They share similar stories of self discovery as they try to navigate a world where they feel like they don’t belong in. Tan explains how secluded and embarrassed she felt during the dinner as her family cooked up an unconventional Chinese dinner instead of the typical Christmas dinner. This is the same as how Angelou explains her excitement for the famous black boxer Joe Louis, to triumph as it would be a breakthrough for her people. Both of these cases address the notion of family,

What pressures an individual to conform? Two short stories by Romesh Gunesekera and Amy Tan inform the readers of the effects that society and culture has on an individual. They introduce two characters whom are affected: Amy Tan, a teenage Chinese girl living in the United States, and a young Sri Lankan woman whose name is unidentified. Ultimately, society and culture affect an individual by pressuring them to conform as seen throughout “Carapace” and “Fish Cheeks” with the use of vivid language and profound narration.

Amy Tan recounts her experience of a disastrous Christmas dinner with her and the minister’s family. Her crush Robert is there and he makes her feel ashamed of her family’s actions and traditions. In the short story Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan, a young girl is embarrassed of her Chinese heritage but grows more confident after a disastrous dinner.

“Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan recalls an embarrassing Christmas Eve dinner the author had during her childhood. Attending this dinner was Tans childhood crush and an assortment of Tans relatives and family friends. Tan explains that she was embarrassed by her family’s Chinese traditions, including the mishmash of Chinese foods, noisy relatives, and impolite manners (Tan 74). Tan’s only desire was to be like other American girls, but it wasn’t until much later in life did Tan truly realize what her family’s heritage meant to her. Likewise, “Museum” by Naomi Shihab Nye tells of another past embarrassing experience by the author. Nye informs the reader of an add she saw for a museum called the McNay. Nye and her friend both decide to attend the

This is shown when the girl says, “... white “princess” furniture my mother had chosen for me...”, the mother clearly wants her daughter to be like every other girl. She wants her daughter to grow up to be just like everyone else, but perhaps this is because of her own dream. The mother may desire this for her daughter because they are a family of immigrants and she wants the world for her daughter. She may feel as though she is failing her daughter, who wants so much to live in another

The mother, truly wants what is best for her daughter, but refuses to acknowledge that her daughter does not want to be a prodigy or play the piano. Her daughter only wants to live her own life and does not understand the success her mother is trying to push on her. Every mother and daughter relationship is different, but the most classic type is the “mother knows best trope.” Of course, if the story was presented in China, rather than America, the daughter may have fallen into her mother’s life path, “"Only two kinds of daughters," she shouted in Chinese. "Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!" (Tan pg #). However, since her daughter was born in America, she was given an opportunity to be who she wanted to be, because of America’s new dream of independence and

Fish Cheeks is an interesting short story by Amy Tan, which gives reader an expression that it is her own personal life experience. The story is told through the eyes of a young Chinese-American girl who likes the minister’s boy, Robert, and same time wishes to be like all other American girls. When Amy found her parents had invited the minister’s family over for Christmas dinner, she was surprised and a bit embarrassed about what the boy might think of her house and Chinese family who did not have the same mannerisms like the Americans. The further detailed description of the meal to be served, tofu, squid, fish checks and other dishes, which the minister’s family might find strange, showed her discomfort.

"Fish Cheeks" and "Broken Chain" both address a common theme about belonging. Both stories show that people act unlike themselves when they are trying to impress others or fit in. In the essay "Fish Cheeks" Amy Tan is embarrassed about her family's culture because it is different from her American neighbors. As a result Amy tries to hide it away and become something she is not. In the short story "Broken Chain" Alfonso meets a girl that he really likes. He believes that in order for her to like him back, he has to look and act like people on T.V. In both stories the main characters care about their image and what people think.

In Amy Tan’s narrative, “Mothers Tongue”, Tan speaks about the unique dialect that she and her mother share. Only she could understand and conversations with her mother and understand every word she is saying. Tan writes about how she grew up with the variations of English; the perfect English that she spoke to the public, and the broken English she used with her mother. Tan writes that from a young age she was very embarrassed by the limited knowledge of English and how that “… reflected the quality of what she had to say.” (Tan, pg. 635) Tan reflects that with her mother’s limitations, she had to talk on her mother’s behalf just to have others hear what her mother had to say, Amy recalls a time where she was called to basically interpret

Main Conflict: The book does not really follow the traditional single plot line characteristic of many stories (especially during the time it was written). Alcott illustrated the roads the four March girls Amy, Beth, Jo, and Meg take in their lives as they become young women. The storyline includes many mini-conflicts, such as Jo’s writing, or Beth’s illness, or Laurie’s inclination to love Jo despite Amy’s affections. Generally speaking, the one overlying conflict stands as

Most people view conflict as a bad thing, but authors love to use it to benefit their writing. Conflict is common in writing as it is essential to plot and often many other aspects. In Louisa May Alcott's novel, Little Women, the main characters experience types of conflict. In this book, conflict is used to develop the characters and show their growth. The four main characters, sisters Amy, Beth, Jo, and Meg, experience Person vs. Self, Person vs. Person, and Person vs. Society conflict which leads them to who they've become at the end of the novel.

Josephine, as many people call her Jo, is a tomboy with quit a temper. She gets very angry easily. Jo expresses her feeling with writing. Books are her pride and joy. Jo loves writing them also while reading them. Jo sees herself as a leader in the March home, when her father is off at war. She is an outrageous young woman that wants to be a leader and leave a mark on this world. Amy on the other hand, is a little girly and snobby. She is treated as the baby of the March family and she knows it. Amy almost always gets her way. Amy has many talents just like Jo, perhaps painting