One of the first things that I noticed when reading this book is that the roles of the parents are very different from what we have seen in the past. Traditionally, we have seen either an absence of a father figure or a very uninvolved father figure. Additionally, Minli’s mother is very critical and not as comforting or level headed as her father is; for example, “she never quite approved of Ba’s stories, as she felt they made Minli impractical and caused her to daydream” (9). When Minli returns with the goldfish, she is admonished by her mother so much so that she decides to free the fish. While Ma seems more controlling than Ba, they both come together to search for Minli when she goes missing. We learn a valuable lesson from her parents after they meet the goldfish man. First, he tells them to believe that Minli will return safely. He helps instill a feeling of trust in Minli that is expressed both in the story of the the goldfish man and the story of the paper of happiness. While several of the stories in the novel do not seem to be as educational as the others, these two directly influence the key to Minli’s parents’ faith in her ability to make it home safely. While didacticism can sometimes be blatant and somewhat annoying in novels of this nature (ie. with fantastic stories), I think that it is dynamic to also have the parents growing and learning along the way. At times it seems that Minli is more mature and level headed than her mother who seems to over react frequently at the beginning of the novel. This structural technique of going back and forth between Minli’s journey and that of her parents adds a differing perspective on the didactic technique of storytelling.
Parental Roles in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
06 Tuesday Nov 2012
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As mentioned in class, the parental development seen in this work is extremely rare for a children’s novel. It is interesting to consider whether this is true because of the lack of identification that children inherently feel towards married adults or whether it is to simply hone in on the main protagonist and their adventures. With this said, I almost wonder whether the heavy focus on Minli’s parents is an aspect of the work that makes it more relatable for young children. In my reading, I felt more connected to Minli because of her relationship with her parents. It seems only natural that a young girl’s world revolves around her parents and every ounce of her wants to benefit her family as much as possible.
Another element of this parental discussion is the issue of gender roles. Do we only notice the parents’ detailed characters because of the oddness of the descriptions? Are we shocked that Minli’s mother is so cold in the beginning and only sees value in her daughter’s labor? I didn’t think I fell subject to this stereotypical viewpoint until the end – I was relieved when Ma came around and was finally warm and gentle towards the endearing Ba. After reading this book (in conjunction with other books we’ve read this semester), I wonder if it is at all possible for a children’s book to consistently depict characters outside of typical gender roles. Many authors, like Lin, have attempted to do this but ultimately revert back to the social norms and expectations about various behaviors.
The parent-child relationship, for me, exposed how children tend to have no limits and parents do, parents like Ma stifle the child’s understanding of what is possible. However, Ba is very encouraging of imagination when he tells these stories, but it is obvious that he does not believe his own stories when he feels guilty for telling them. What I do want to present, on the other hand, is the child’s role in “freeing” the parent from the tyranny of logic, and opening their eyes to the world of the seemingly impossible. Minli, I believe shows us a kind of defiant child, who chooses to pursue stories her society says are not real, all while saving her family.