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Amy Tan Fish Cheeks

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In the story “Fish Cheeks”, by Amy Tan, young Amy fell in love with the minister’s son. Her mother invited the minister’s family over for a Christmas dinner and this worried Amy Tan because she was afraid that the boy would think they were odd. During dinner, she shows embarrassment and questions the way her family acts. Afterword’s, her mother explains to her how she should be proud of who she truly is. Young Amy Tan struggles to live in two divers cultural worlds. Throughout the story the only thing she wanted to focus on was impressing her beloved.

When Amy mentioned that she loved the minister’s son, she gives a hint on why she acted that way. The only reason that she was nervous for dinner with the minister’s family was because she …show more content…

She wanted to fit in by abandoning her beliefs. After reading this story you can tell that she did not want change who she is because she was actually confused. What had her confused was that she wanted to be true to herself but she also wanted to portrait something she is not. She clearly does not understand the value of being foreign because demonstrating your culture, your color, your beliefs and who you are is what makes us different from each other and nobody should be ashamed of their cultural origin.

In the story, the Tan’s host the Christmas dinner but they made it a little different this time. The Tan’s received the minister and his family with many Chinese delicacies, this was a strike for Amy. She wanted a normal American Christmas dinner with food like roasted turkey and sweet potatoes. She was also bothered by the way her parents grabbed the food and licked the chopped sticks. This was different in many was because Chinese reach over to get want they want from the table and Americans just pass the plate from one to another, making Amy a bit uncomfortable. In the story she says “I wanted to disappear”, with this being said, it is clear that she was embarrassed and ashamed of her family and culture. This could be because she is still a young woman and still does not understand what it means to appreciate her culture, unlike her parents that have lived longer and do valorize where they are from. Culture is

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