Take_It

Take it The setting The setting takes place in the United States of America. The country from which the narrators family is China. The mother arrived in 1949 after she had lost everything: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband and her two twin daughters. The narrator is a little girl in the start of the short story. They do not have a lot of money but they survive. They live in an apartment building with a lot of neighbors which again indicates that they do not have lots of money. The mother wants her little girl to become a genius or somewhat famous. She does this by pushing her daughter, making tests, forcing her to watch TV of infant prodigies and so on because she wants her to achieve something great. The narrator and her relationship to her mother On the outside the narrator’s mother seems to be a good mother. She wants the best for her daughter but as the narrator tells in the story, she pushes her too much. Forcing her to do things she does not want to do. On the outside you might get an impression of a good mother but if you look on closer she is not the best mother (according to the narrator). She wants her daughter to achieve greatness but she is not listening to her daughter and what she wants. The narrator likes her mother but she does not want to be her slave. She is showing this by not obeying her mother. Watching TV when she should practice, arguing about stuff which the mother thinks is out of the question. So they basically got a normal relationship, however they got some problems and argue. This is again an indication of a normal relationship. The mother, her background and her values As said earlier they mother is originally from China and moved to the United States of American in 1949. The reason why she moved is that she lost everything. She came to America hoping for a brighter future. She believes everything is possible if you hard and believe in yourself. I think she was raised in a traditional Chinese family. They should be obedient, hardworking and show respect. This is shown in the short story when her daughter is not obeying her. It is a disgrace in the mother’s eyes also she want her daughter to try her best, work her hardest by testing her, making her practice piano and so on. The ending The narrator is older. Thirteen years old to be exact. She is much wiser now and she is regretting the way she talked to her mother. The mother wants to give her daughter the same piano she used when she was a girl. She interprets this as if the mother must have forgiven her for talking about her dead family. This was a tremendous burden removed as she mentions in the text. The narrator does not take the piano at first because she thinks of it as a trophy. So whenever she visits her family she will held her head up high and proud. The story is ending with they discussing whether or not if she could have been a genius. Theme(s) Hardworking – characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks. Relationship – the way people interact and feel about each other. It is about support and to care for others. Believing – Having faith in one another and encouraging people to achieve greatness. Words 600