Christoffer Nielsen 3. B English

Where the Gods Fly

Adapting is without a doubt one of the most difficult things in life. I guess we all know

that feeling, that feeling of being the new kid on the block. Moving from one place to

another is without a doubt difficult and it's not just the actual moving part that causes

trouble. In fact it's all about fitting in and adapting. Societies are like people, even though

we have a definition of the word that states so and so on, each society is different. To fit

in in a new society, means adapting and it's the adapting part that really causes trouble.

It's not always easy letting go of the rules, norms and standards of the old society and

that's exactly what the short story Where the Gods Fly from 2012 by Jean Kwok is

about. The story takes place in the US, where a Chinese mother that hardly understands

English, nor understand why her daughter is adapting into the American environment

instead of staying Chinese, deliberately keeps her daughter from adapting. The mother

doesn't adapt or adjust in any way and that makes her willing to do anything, to keep her

daughter form adapting, because she believes that, that's the best thing to do.

The short story is narrated by a nameless first person autodiegetic narrator and is told

from the mother's point of view with limited and internal omniscience. The entire story is

told this way, at no given point does the narrator or perspective change. The reader have

a limited insight throughout the story. The name of the protagonist is never told, but all of

her thoughts and contemplations are depicted very thoroughly. We only see the story

progress from the mother's point of view and never from the view of the daughter, whom

the story really is about. Because we only see the story evolve through the eyes of the

mother, she therefor seems untrustworthy and possessive.

The structure in this short story isn't chronological. The story starts out in the present,

where the mother is reflecting about how she raised her daughter Pearl. She also reflects

over the fact that she in her opinion has to take Pearl out of dancing school in order to

ensure that Pearl doesn't turn into an American. She blames herself, because she wants

the best for her child, but she is actually at the same time the reason why Pearl ended up

in dancing school. The is because she and her husband didn't have anywhere to put her

during work hours. They had no friends or family and they didn't want to bring her to the

Christoffer Nielsen 3. B English

factory where the both worked due to health concerns So it seemed a blessing when a

ballet school came to give a special lesson for her third grade class and plucked Pearl to

be one of their scholarship students. Now she would have a place to go after school, at

least for a few afternoons a week. (ll. 44-46). Soon thereafter the story jumps from the

present to the past (past tense). During this period where the mother reflects, over what

she is about to do, she's thinking about how Pearl and her teachers will react when she

breaks the news. Given that Pearl is a minor and her guardian being her mother, she can

pretty much dictate her life. The mother is also hoping that someday Pearl might

understand here decision Please great Buddhas, allow my daughter to understand some

day why I take her greatest love away (ll. 157-158). The parts where she is reflecting

about the past might also be seen as flashbacks. This considerate structure contributes in

making the text an inch more difficult to read, but also reveals some important details

about the plot.

With regard to contrasts in the story, then the contrast between the Chinese and

American interpretation of what's right and wrong and how things are done the right way,

without a doubt the most import one. It is very clear and quite obvious that the mother

doesn't understand the American way of life, she refuses to adapt therefor she doesn't

approve of the culture and its norms I understood nothing of these people who did not

bow to our gods and ate with sharp knives at the table. (ll. 38-39). This quote also makes

it quite clear that she no intention of adopting at any point, therefore she will never really

come to understand and adapted to the American norms and rules of her daughter.

Another reason for the mothers lack of interest is because of how uneducated she really

is, this is also a part of the bigger contrast between the two cultures, given that it in China

mainly was the men who went to school When I was a girl in China, I was not permitted

to go to classes (l. 77). Even though the contrast between Chinese and American way of

live is without the most important one other contrast such as the contrast between

religions also occurs. For example in the story bad and evil wind is Chinatowned. This is

the mother referring to the influence thereof. Spirits are also mention after the passing of

her husband. The good wind refers to those who truly believe and worship their god and

religion, in this case Buddah. Where the evil winds belong to those who don't, mainly the

Americans because they never really truly believe according to her cancer quote

Christoffer Nielsen 3. B English

Every well informed individual or politician will agree that the problem regarding

integrating foreigner is a constant debate that never really will quiet down, because every

person is different. I guess, Jean Kwok wanted to create attention about the topic,

because she indeed is a breaker meaning she broke the curve and got integrated into a

new society. The mother blames the evil winds for what happened to their family, but in

fact the story has to do with that. However it has everything to do with the term

integration. The mother and her husband migrates to the US with their daughter, but

never really integrates. I guess, it has something to do with old habits old habits die

hard as they sat, because both of them work and live in Chinatown, meaning that they

might only socialize with other Chinese people. They do so because of habit, they are

afraid of new societies and their old habits force them. It's however interesting to see how

easily their daughter Pearl, who doesn't really have any old habits gets integrated into

society after she joins a dancing school presumably outside chinatown. The mother keeps

all her habits from China instead of adjusting to her new surroundings. She then chooses

the easy way out, by blaming everything around her due to her daughters adjustments

and integration. In fact the daughter is doing the right thing, and the mother is being

selfish for not wanting her daughter to succeed. In fact the mother could learn from her

daughter. In many ways Pearl, the daughter is a prime example how integration really

should work. It's almost perfect until her mother decides to intervene. The mother could

truly learn something, because if she gave the American way of life a chance she might

get a better understanding of her daughter and her actions. It would in many ways

improve her life due to the many opportunities learning the language and understanding

the culture would give her, even without having to give up on her religion. She fails to

understand that you don't have to give up your religion in order to get integrated.

To sum up Where the Gods Fly is a prime example why integration is so important. We

all live in a globalized world and integration will play a key role in how our world society,

will turn out in the future. We don't want to risk loosing people and we don't want to put

people in groups. Integration is an incredibly important topic that if not dealt correctly

could become a major inconvenience for every country and inhabitant. This can already be

seen in that China and the United States are competing abundantly both economically and

Christoffer Nielsen 3. B English

militarily which has created a rather hostile and unsympathetic relationship and that's

problematic.

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