Chinese Cinderella Flashcards
“I was looking uglier and uglier as I grew older and taller.” (page 213)
Self-esteem. Niang purposely dresses herself up whenever meeting Adeline to make her feel uncomfortable about her body image. When she sees Adeline at Ye Ye’s funeral, she says that Adeline looks uglier and uglier as she gets older, which makes Adeline feel even more conscious about her self image.
“They don’t know that I front of them, I was desperate to keep up the pretence that I came from a normal living family.” (page 63)
Family and Relationships. Adeline is unhappy with her family life, but does not tell anyone out of embarrassment because she is scared of the way people will think of her, the way they judge and how they will treat her if they know.
“I was winning the medal every week and wearing it constantly… it was the only way to make father take notice and be proud of me.” (page 28)
Abandonment and Loneliness. Adeline’s father doesn’t seem to take any notice of Adeline when she is a home, and because of that, the only way she can get her father to notice her is by working hard at school and winning the medal every week.
“In no time at all big sister went over to the other side. I knew Niang loathed me and despised my aunt.” (page 59)
Family and Relationships. Niang created a divide between her children and Adeline’s father’s children by taking big sister over to their side. Big sister was the leader of the rebellion against Niang, so when she is gone, there is nothing to do except dismiss all thoughts of a rebellion.
“To her we are not separate people. Over here we have become one single unit known as all of you.” (page 28)
Family and Relationships. This quote shows the extent to which Niang has created a divide between her children and Adeline’s fathers children she has created different sets of rules for different children and rewards those who favour Niang.
“Unlike my siblings, no-one looked down on me.” (page 14)
Family and Relationships. Adeline is always ignored, left out and excluded from everything at home, so coming to school is like a whole new world to Adeline. She is so used to being mistreated that at the start she finds it hard to accept the fact that the people at her schools are not as mean as her family is to her.
“If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck.” (page 3)
Abandonment and Loneliness. Adeline is so mistreated in this book because everyone blames her mother’s death on her, when really, there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. This is why everyone in her family do so many bad things t her when she has done nothing to deserve this fate.
“What was it that bothered me…it was the loss of the nicest parts in Third Brother that saddened me.” (page 80)
Family and Relationships. Even though Adeline’s brothers did something horrible to her, she remains selfless and never worrying about herself. So when Third Brother tricks her, she doesn’t feel sorry for her bad luck, she feels sorry for Third Brother and the way he acts around his brothers.
“I imagined Niang introducing me to a strange man and ordering me to marry him. The thought filled me with horror and fear.” (page 100)
Family and Relationships. Adeline has an amazing future ahead of her, so when she hears that her big sister is going to be married, she feels like the same thing is going to happen to her too.
“What’s going to happen to me? Will I be sold?” (page 131)
Abandonment and Loneliness. Adeline wonders what her fate will be when she is punished for her friends visiting her. She is constantly afraid of being made an orphan.
“It all stems from mama dying when you were born…things were much nicer when she was alive. You made her go away.” (page 74)
Self-esteem. Adeline is constantly reminded that the treatment of her and her siblings is her fault (despite the fact of that not being true).
“I took the duckling to my heart…it comforted me to know that I was needed.” (page 84)
Self-esteem. Adeline is constantly put down by her brothers and sisters, so when she has something to look after, she feels like there is a purpose for her being alive after all.
“I only took yours because you’re the one least likely to give me trouble afterwards.” (page 97)
Family and Relationships. Adeline is constantly reminded that she is the underdog and because of this, all of the people in her family manage to take away from her the things that she loves the most.
“The thought of being separated from my aunt filled me with dread.” (page 131)
Abandonment and Loneliness. Aunt baba is the only one who truly cares about Adeline whereas all of her siblings despise her, so to be separated from the only person she loves, makes her lonelier still.
“I don’t want her to grow like Big Sister. She is going to be different.” (page 122)
Self-esteem. When ye ye said this to Adeline, it is an important event as it is foreshadowing the events and obstacles to come in Adeline’s life.
