Aunt Baba Character Analysis

Aunt Baba is the sister of Adeline’s Father, the daughter of Ye Ye, and the aunt of all of the children. Aunt Baba is unmarried, and so she lives with the family and is financially dependent on them, meaning that she is not in the position to defy Niang or Father when they are cruel and abusive. Although Aunt Baba was close friends with Adeline’s mother and was grieved by her death, she does not share the family’s resentment of Adeline. Rather, she is the most consistently loving and supportive figure in Adeline’s life. When Adeline brings home her report cards and certificates that declare her to be a top student, Aunt Baba cherishes them so much that she keeps them locked in her personal safe next to her jewelry. Although Aunt Baba cannot compensate for the missing love from Adeline’s parents, her support does soften the blow. Aunt Baba is the first person to tell Adeline that she is precious and smart enough to become anything she wants to be in life, as long as she is able to escape the trauma and negative messages of her childhood. This spurs Adeline’s eventual development towards realizing her own self-worth. Unfortunately, Father and Niang despise Aunt Baba’s love for Adeline—which contrasts with their own hatred of her—and view Aunt Baba as a “bad influence” on their daughter. The parents successfully separate Adeline and Aunt Baba and intercept any letters they try to send each other for several years, effectively ending Aunt Baba’s involvement halfway through the memoir, when Adeline is sent to boarding school in Tianjin.