Little Brother Character Analysis in Unpolished Gem

and ’s daughter. Little Brother is their second daughter, but she is built like a boy. She is mischievous and refuses to wear dresses, and she is a source of extreme unhappiness for An, who wants only sons. Little Brother dies when she is just a toddler after she falls climbing a shelf and impales her head with a lollipop. Huyen Thai is heartbroken, and before she buries her, she cuts a lock of her hair.

Little Brother Quotes in Unpolished Gem

The Unpolished Gem quotes below are all either spoken by Little Brother or refer to Little Brother. 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:

).

“She’s built like a boy,” said my grandfather, “and now you’ve given her that terrible name. She’s going to grow up like a boy if you’re not careful, and then no one will want her. Who wants a girl always running about this way and that? Keep that child still, and stop calling her Little Brother! What do you think it is—some kind of joke? Do you think it’s funny hah?”

Related Characters: An Pung (speaker), Huyen Thai, Little Brother

Page Number and Citation: 77

Explanation and Analysis:

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