A woman like me
Jian He
Doctor Clare Connors
ENGCMP 0152
12 October 2014
A Woman like Me
“A woman like me” written by Xi Xi, narrates that a woman is powerless to resist Fate of being abandoned by her loved one due to her unusual occupation, a cosmetician who makes up the faces for the deceased. The topic sentence “A woman like me is unsuitable for any man’s love” (Xi 152) shows the woman’s feeling of sadness and helplessness. Also, it depicts a serious social issue that folks have prejudice against such professions. Xi Xi writes this short story from a first person point of view to render reader get a better understanding of the main character’s mental process and emotions. The woman in the story relies upon herself to get through life and has the courage to resist Fate. A woman like her should have gained respect from the society. However, people find so hard to accept her occupation. Her friends drifted away from her and leave her in loneliness. She cannot understand people’s dislike and fear of her profession at first. After all, it is a job that someone has to do (Xi 159). But gradually she accepts the situation and gets used to be lonely. The only friend of her becomes the sleeping one. Moreover, a woman like her needs only a roof over her head and three square meals a day(Xi 160). She only wants to lead an ordinary life with her loved one. However, men everywhere like women who work at jobs that are intimate, graceful and elegant (Xi 161) and they lack courage to love. Therefore, after seeing Aunt Yifen’s workplace, Aunt Yifen’s boyfriend is shocked and leaves her despite all the vows he takes, so will Xia. In conclusion, the sufferings of women like me and Aunt Yifen make reader feel sympathy and respectful for them. Xi Xi writes this story to call for the public attention to such special occupations. A woman like her deserves the respect from society and the love from people.
Works Cited
Xi, Xi. “A Woman Like Me.” 1982. Rpt. In The
Doctor Clare Connors
ENGCMP 0152
12 October 2014
A Woman like Me
“A woman like me” written by Xi Xi, narrates that a woman is powerless to resist Fate of being abandoned by her loved one due to her unusual occupation, a cosmetician who makes up the faces for the deceased. The topic sentence “A woman like me is unsuitable for any man’s love” (Xi 152) shows the woman’s feeling of sadness and helplessness. Also, it depicts a serious social issue that folks have prejudice against such professions. Xi Xi writes this short story from a first person point of view to render reader get a better understanding of the main character’s mental process and emotions. The woman in the story relies upon herself to get through life and has the courage to resist Fate. A woman like her should have gained respect from the society. However, people find so hard to accept her occupation. Her friends drifted away from her and leave her in loneliness. She cannot understand people’s dislike and fear of her profession at first. After all, it is a job that someone has to do (Xi 159). But gradually she accepts the situation and gets used to be lonely. The only friend of her becomes the sleeping one. Moreover, a woman like her needs only a roof over her head and three square meals a day(Xi 160). She only wants to lead an ordinary life with her loved one. However, men everywhere like women who work at jobs that are intimate, graceful and elegant (Xi 161) and they lack courage to love. Therefore, after seeing Aunt Yifen’s workplace, Aunt Yifen’s boyfriend is shocked and leaves her despite all the vows he takes, so will Xia. In conclusion, the sufferings of women like me and Aunt Yifen make reader feel sympathy and respectful for them. Xi Xi writes this story to call for the public attention to such special occupations. A woman like her deserves the respect from society and the love from people.
Works Cited
Xi, Xi. “A Woman Like Me.” 1982. Rpt. In The
Cited: Xi, Xi. “A Woman Like Me.” 1982. Rpt. In The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction. Ruth Spack. New York: St. Martin’s, 1994. 152-162.