Preview

Review of Xi Xi's A Woman Like Me

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1150 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Review of Xi Xi's A Woman Like Me
Fate
Some people believe that each step steps on the way of life is predetermined through the beginning to the end, and people are powerless to resist it. The main character who is the narrator of the short novel, “A Woman Like Me” by Xi Xi, is trying to convey to us the same concept which is called the fate. She has been an orphan since she was very young, and she and her brother were raised by her Aunt Yifen. Her aunt has so much pressure that she pays less attention on their education, so when the narrator grows up, she lets her inherit their familial skill which is making up for dead. All of these elements lead her life into a miserable fate. From the psychological description of herself, I found that in the depth of her heart, she actually doesn’t want to surrender to her fate, but wants to have friendship and love. In my opinion, our life, whatever love or death, are seem arranged by fate, but we can try our best to alter it and change it. As in the story, although the narrator considers that all the things happened in her life is arranged by fate and she is “totally powerless to resist Fate” (152), I think most of the misfortunes happened in her life are root in her timidity. The reasons that makes her lacks of courage are her self-abased and doesn’t want to violate her family’s custom. In my opinion, our fate is in our own hand.
When she faces the point of transition of fate, she doesn’t have enough courage to change her own fate because of her self-abased, but in the depth of her heart, she is really want to change her destiny. In story she describes herself, “I’m a person who has no concept of self-protection, and my words and deeds will always conspire to make me a laughing stock in the eyes of others” (152). Her character make people around her can’t accept her and laugh at her. It makes her who originally is self-abased because of low education become more self-abased. Her despaired emotion is expressed many times in the story, “A woman like me is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Her realization that she is not alone in her oppression brings her a sense of freedom. It validates her emerging thoughts of wanting to rise up and shine a light on injustice. Her worries about not wanting to grow up because of the harsh life that awaits her is a common thought among…

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The movie May also falls victim to attempts at increasing the dramatic element. Her character in the movie is childish and helpless. Even though she is portrayed in the novel as sheltered, so that she may be molded to the form of choice by her future husband,…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    She is a married woman that didn’t like her husband. That being said people marry sometime not only for love, but for other reason such as gaining a political power, or for wealth in order to live better. The woman in this story although is graceful but her eyes are always on the young men. Even if she didn’t make any action, but her mind is telling her what she wants to do. Want is the desire, in the example of Dante’s Inferno, I will show the story of Francesca and Paolo in the next paragraph. That describe how lust wants another led to tragic death. In the story of the woman she begin going to forest for picking fruit and found the bravest warrior and they both did not talk much and starts rolling on the ground. It is the attraction between two young bodies and especially at night her desire is on fire that she imagines him stroking her chest and legs. Day by day, her clitoris growing bigger to the size of a man’s cock. She was shame and tries to hide but she told her mother her story. To a point her clitoris grow to it dragged along the ground. It can not hide from the people in the village, until got cut off and threw it in a middle of the river. It turns to an electric eel. Her behavior affects the…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    the characters have tried to control or accept fate as is in the situations. Fate…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Many literary classics explore the way in which fate is inevitable. August Strindberg’s infamously controversial play Miss Julie, written in 1888, pertains to that specific group of literary classics. His play tells the story of Julie, the daughter of a count and a commoner, who is driven by a desire to be apart of the lower social class. Overcome by her physical sexual needs but also the temptation of lowering herself socially, she goes to bed with her servant, Jean. This series of events leads to her suicide at the closing of the play. Through the characterization of Julie, Strindberg shows that humans can make choices, however these choices will only prolong their inevitable fate. This unavoidable fate of the protagonist creates strong sympathy in the audience. The playwright effectively foreshadows this unavoidable fate for Miss Julie through her mother’s psychological instabilities, her mother’s relationship with her lover and her father’s weak character.…

    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the story, she encounters problems that continuously defy what her original goal was. The idea that things go the opposite way than she intended illustrates the fact she has little power and control. When things go her way, she can act mature but when the situation goes south, things can get out of control. As an example, when the movie manager refused to refund her money she lit the candy stand on fire. “So he ain’t gettin up off the money.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout history, the concept of fate has been a common theme among works of literature and man's thought in general. Does he have the ability to choose his path through life, or is his destiny laid out before him? This question takes on new meaning in modern society, as people try to make their own choices while conforming to the structure of society and its norms. While society, with its customs and laws, seems to limit a person's freedom, the person is still essentially free to make their own choices.…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Modern day society promotes individualism and self-responsibility. Yet somehow, fate exists as an intrinsic part of many people’s lives. This paradox in mindset shows how logical reasoning, common sense, and science bow down for the supernatural force that guides one through life, fate, for better or worse. Such is seen clearly in the dialogue and actions of the characters in Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare. Taking place in 14th century Verona, Romeo and Juliet describes the tragedy that ensues when two feuding families’ children fall in love, but fate ensures both of their suicides. The villainous acts of fate prove that fate makes one helpless against decisions in life, belief in fate becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and…

    • 1141 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When being interviewed Brazilian, novelist and lyricist, Paulo Coelho claimed, “I can control my destiny, but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfil our destiny, but our fate is sealed”. In today's society, many people are conflicted on whether events in one’s lives are driven by one's choices or are simply meant to be. Coelho believes that both free will and fate play a role in one’s life, he says that one has the power to make certain choices, but in the end it all comes down to fate. The concept of fate versus free will can be seen in the fictional pieces, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, “Pyramus…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion, fate and free will join together to weave one’s destiny, and we are the ones decide how our fate will go, if we don’t have the corrupting desire like Macbeth has, we will not be influenced by the Devil.…

    • 3357 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    People say that fate is unavoidable, but, through my personal experiences, it has come to my realization that one’s fate is in their own hands. A person’s actions determine their fate, which is why I believe that life is essentially defined by a person’s free will. An instance in my life, when my fate was being defined by my actions was when I moved from Jersey City to Erie. Since I did not approve of this move, my thoughts made me believe that what was about to happen was just life being unfair, in other words, my fate. Now I have come to understand that this move could have been avoidable; I was given a chance to stay, if only I would have improved my grades and gotten into the high school that my parents wished for me to go to. Alas, I did not take that situation seriously, and I paid the consequences by having to leave my…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    She is completely aware that the odds are against her and that she is going to have to start over anew but she would much rather stay true to her virtues than to take the easy way out. In the typical folktale, the woman would have been petrified of the unknown and tried to stay where she was comfortable but, the main character knows that the only way to gain confidence is take the difficult path and prove to yourself that you can do it. When one knows the work that it took to overcome a difficult situation or achieve a goal, they are filled with a sense of accomplishment and it is rewarding to them.…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Any practical drama involves choices, free will which results in the question- is it fate or free will? Which is it responsible for the suffering in one’s life? One’s suffering, nonetheless, is not unjustified because “through great suffering thou hero is enlightened.” This is the point at which the heroes learn about themselves and their place in the universe, their pride becomes humble.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In life, many instances occur solely because one has been unfortunate enough to be placed into a location at the exact time when tragedy will strike. As a result, the victim is unable to control their fate. A primary example of an occurrence of fate transpired in the life of Alice Walker, the youngest child in an impoverished sharecropping family, when she was shot in her right eye with a BB gun and was forced to lie about the accident. Due to the injury, Walker would become blind in the right eye. For years, a blob left on her eye by the gun pellet forced Walker to lower her head and constantly be pestered by her classmates, teachers, and even close relatives.…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    If life would be predictable, individual’s controlling every aspect of their lives than our world would be polar opposite than today. A young man abandoned at birth, stealing food and sleeping on the streets of Paris. Unknowing when his next meal is going to be and a stranger to the feeling of love. Rejected by society and destined to a miserable and lonely life. A soldier…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics