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Chapter 21: Playwriting Competition
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Chinese Cinderella, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Physical and Emotional Abuse
Coming of Age and Self-Worth
The Power of Stories
Toxic Family
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Aunt Baba has written a letter to Adeline to respond to the letter that Adeline sent her from Singapore, on her way to England with Third Brother. Aunt Baba is immensely proud of Adeline and tells her that she will always treasure Adeline no matter where she may be. She reminds Adeline of how, when Adeline would be overwhelmed by the hardship of their family life as a little girl, she would tell her stories to calm Adeline and help her sleep. Aunt Baba expresses that she has one more story that she hopes Adeline will remember always, an heirloom of Chinese folklore.
Although the narration of Adeline’s life has ended, the fact that Adeline sent a letter from Singapore confirms that she has left for England to study in college, meaning she has achieved her goal and triumphed over her childhood, becoming something when she had been told for so long she was nothing. Aunt Baba’s letter helps to confirm the power of stories to endure and overcome, providing both an escape and an inspiration in hard times.
Themes
The story tells of a young girl named Ye Xian whose mother died, leaving her to the care of her stepmother. Her stepmother was cruel and favored her own biological daughter over Ye Xian. Ye Xian was a talented potter, but her stepmother impeded her success. A large banquet was to be held, but Ye Xian’s stepmother forbade her from attending. However, after her stepmother and stepsister left, Ye Xian put on a beautiful dress and striking gold shoes that she had traded for one of her pots. She attended the festival and caught the eye of the local warlord, but in doing so was also spotted by her stepmother. She fled, leaving one of her gold shoes behind. The warlord searched for the woman who had left behind her shoe, but could not find her until the cobbler who had traded the golden shoes for one of Ye Xian’s pots revealed who she was. The warlord found and married Ye Xian, who succeeded due to her own hard work and skill as a potter.
Though the European version of the Cinderella story was written in the late Seventeenth Century, the tale of Ye Xian dates back at least to the Tenth Century and a Greek version of the story existed over a thousand years before that. Though unconfirmed, it seems probable that the story of Cinderella has migrated from civilization to civilization over millennia. The Chinese tale of Ye Xian seems to fit Adeline’s own life somewhat better, since Ye Xian’s happy fate was due in large part to her skill as a potter, mirroring Adeline’s hard study and capacity as a writer.
Themes
Aunt Baba tells Adeline that there is a similar story in English folklore called “Cinderella,” and that both of them seem very similar to Adeline’s own life. Like Ye Xian or Cinderella, Adeline suffered a cold, cruel stepmother and the loss of her own mother. However, through hard work and determination, Adeline has taken one step closer to a happy and successful life. Aunt Baba ends by telling Adeline, “…Your future is limitless, and I shall always be proud of you, my Chinese Cinderella.”
Chinese Cinderella is an abridged version of Adeline’s full memoir Falling Leaves, and it’s aimed at a slightly younger audience. Falling Leaves not only covers Adeline’s childhood but also her time in England studying, and her life and medical practice in America. One of the most significant moments of her life as an adult was the discovery that Father had written her out of his will, disinheriting her as a child and indicating that her pained relationship with her parents continued into her adulthood, as well.
Themes
