Previous
Big Sister (Lydia)
Big Brother is eldest son of Father’s first marriage, stepson of Niang, and second eldest of the stepchildren. Though he is occasionally kind to Adeline, Big Brother is most often depicted as a mean and selfish prankster, though he does share some kinship with his own brothers. When Father decides that he wants to watch his dog kill one of the children’s pet ducklings, Big Brother picks Adeline’s since he knows she will not retaliate, demonstrating his cowardice and further showing how a toxic family can condition children to be cruel to each other. Big Brother is also initially the most defiant to Niang’s mistreatment, though he is the first to be sent to study overseas, and so he receives the earliest escape, thus having less presence in the memoir.
Big Brother (Gregory) Quotes in Chinese Cinderella
The Chinese Cinderella quotes below are all either spoken by Big Brother (Gregory) or refer to Big Brother (Gregory). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: Top of the Class
Quotes
“But then Mama died giving birth to you. If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5: Arrival in Shanghai
Quotes
As we climbed the stairs, Big Brother muttered, “To her, we are not separate people. Here we have become one single unit known as all of you. Seems like this is how it’s going to be from now on.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9: Chinese New Year
Quotes
We began to question Third Brother’s sanity—had he imagined that Niang overheard us?—but he stuck to his story. “Perhaps,” he suggested darkly, “we’re being kept deliberately in a state of uncertainty because that’s what Niang most enjoys. The cat-and-mouse game.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10: Shanghai School Days
Quotes
Did Third Brother truly understand what he was up against? By wanting to have things both ways and straddling the fence, was he aware that each compromise would chip away at his integrity? ... It was the loss of the nicest parts of Third Brother that saddened me.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11: PLT
Quotes
“Since it’s so hot tonight,” Father suggested, “why don’t we all cool off in the garden after dinner? It will also give us a a chance to test Jackie’s obedience.” He turned to Big Brother. “Go fetch one of those ducklings…We’ll have some fun tonight!”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Chinese Cinderella LitChart as a printable PDF.
Big Brother (Gregory) Quotes in Chinese Cinderella
The Chinese Cinderella quotes below are all either spoken by Big Brother (Gregory) or refer to Big Brother (Gregory). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: Top of the Class
Quotes
“But then Mama died giving birth to you. If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5: Arrival in Shanghai
Quotes
As we climbed the stairs, Big Brother muttered, “To her, we are not separate people. Here we have become one single unit known as all of you. Seems like this is how it’s going to be from now on.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9: Chinese New Year
Quotes
We began to question Third Brother’s sanity—had he imagined that Niang overheard us?—but he stuck to his story. “Perhaps,” he suggested darkly, “we’re being kept deliberately in a state of uncertainty because that’s what Niang most enjoys. The cat-and-mouse game.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10: Shanghai School Days
Quotes
Did Third Brother truly understand what he was up against? By wanting to have things both ways and straddling the fence, was he aware that each compromise would chip away at his integrity? ... It was the loss of the nicest parts of Third Brother that saddened me.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11: PLT
Quotes
“Since it’s so hot tonight,” Father suggested, “why don’t we all cool off in the garden after dinner? It will also give us a a chance to test Jackie’s obedience.” He turned to Big Brother. “Go fetch one of those ducklings…We’ll have some fun tonight!”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
