Analysis Of Adeline Yen Mah's Chinese Cinderella

“But you can vanquish the demons only when you yourself are convinced of your own worth.” (Yen Mah) Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah, shows true acts of heroism and strength during Adeline 's life when she was abused and unloved. A pillar of support and lots of courage is needed to surpass the hurdles of her life and her story is inspirational in many ways.

Although she is abused, Adeline is at the top of her class in school. Her parents consistently slap or whip her. “Her face suffused with rage, she slapped me.” (Yen Mah 102) In those days it was a lot more common for parents to beat their children. This quote is important to the story because it shows how Niang inflicts pain on Adeline. “He ordered me to lie facedown on my bed and

After all of her problems and troubles her she hasn 't let any of her friends know about her family or take pity on her. At school she is just a normal student and has lots of friends who respect her for who she is, not for how she is treated. “Instead of going to school, I’ll go to your house and celebrate your birthday!” (Yen Mah 98) This shows that Adeline makes a huge effort to please her friend and go to the birthday party. “Victor didn 't know that the make-believe Niang I talked about was very different from the real one we’d be facing.” (Yen Mah 145) Adeline enjoys playing with Victor and doesn 't want him to know how bad of a family she came from. Although she is lying, Adeline says this because she cares about Victor and is a kind person at heart.

Yet Adeline 's life could be described as harsh and problematic, she made the best of it and cherished every good moment. Only after she endured all the highs and lows of life did she truly understand that “you can vanquish the demons only when you yourself are convinced of your own worth.” Her memoir will continue to teach many great life lessons throughout time and will always