This is a page exclusively for literary analyses of random short stories I’ve read! Expect these posts to be more concise and to-the-point (both of which I often struggle with).
The Unforgetting: A Literary Analysis
The short story “The Unforgetting” by Lan Samantha Chang follows the story of two Chinese immigrants, Sansan and Ming, and their attempts to build a life in Iowa. Throughout the story, Chang uses domestic imagery to reinforce a sense of cultural dislocation, particularly through the use of language and visual symbolism. In the beginning, the…
San: A Literary Analysis
“San” by Lan Samantha Chang opens with the betrayal of a father, leaving the family house as observed by his daughter, Caroline. Lacking any context for the reasons for his departure, the reader is informed that the father carries an umbrella that looks “gaudy and ridiculous” in his hands, yet is held “jauntily” without shame…
Water Names: A Literary Analysis
As the first of five short stories, Water Names begins with a description of a “fierce encoded quarrel” between siblings over frivolous things, complete with biting, hair-pulling, and bickering that render them “sisters in name only” (121). Disappointed by the sisters’ discord, their grandmother scolds them for arguing “like a bunch of chickens” and gathers…