The Happiest Refugee

by

Anh Do

Anh’s grandmother Character Analysis

Mother to Tam, Anh’s father, and nine other children—including Uncles One, Two, Three, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine. She raises her ten children in extreme poverty in Vietnam, having to rely on the low wages of her husband, who served in the army during the Vietnam War. She joins Tam and some of her other sons in Australia, where she takes up gardening. She also impresses Anh with her Nintendo skills.
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Anh’s grandmother Character Timeline in The Happiest Refugee

The timeline below shows where the character Anh’s grandmother appears in The Happiest Refugee. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Poverty and Hardship Theme Icon
Family and Community Theme Icon
...in extreme poverty with his large family. In spite of her poverty, his mother (Anh’s grandmother), who lost four children, adopted two more to raise along with her eight surviving children.... (full context)
Chapter 3
Migration and Luck Theme Icon
Poverty and Hardship Theme Icon
Family and Community Theme Icon
...soon replaced by Uncle Three, an uncle who arrives from America, as well as Anh’s grandmother (his father’s mother), and Anh’s father’s younger sister, who arrive from Vietnam. Other people from... (full context)
Chapter 5
Family and Community Theme Icon
Anh’s grandmother—Tam’s mother—is a big part of Anh’s childhood. Not only is she a passionate gardener, but... (full context)
Chapter 10
Migration and Luck Theme Icon
Courage and Perseverance Theme Icon
Family and Community Theme Icon
Betrayal and Forgiveness Theme Icon
...Tam was devastated, and felt terrible guilt, especially when returning his brother’s body to Anh’s grandmother. (full context)
Chapter 11
Family and Community Theme Icon
Betrayal and Forgiveness Theme Icon
...that Uncle Six, who is adopted, had turned his back on the family—even ignoring his grandmother on the street. (full context)
Family and Community Theme Icon
...for his memoir, however, Anh delves deeper into Uncle Six’s story. He discovers from his grandmother that Uncle Six was in fact not an adopted child—he was the love child of... (full context)