Bullies

In this passage, Annie is presented with a nice new bicycle and she decides to ride it around.
“I was concentrating so hard on pushing the pedals that I didn’t see the girl with the mean marble eyes standing the alley way.
’Hey chink where did you get the bike?’ she said. ‘Did you steal it?’
I tried to ride past her, but she grabbed the handlebars and thrust her face in in front of mine, narrowing her eyes as she taunted, ‘Get off the bike before I push you off.’
I refused to let go and tightened my grip, but I was no match. She knocked me off my seat, then climbed into the tricycle and pedaled away. The next afternoon…as I rode my bike back up the alley, the girl again appeared, blocking the road. She grabbed the handlebars and shouted at me to get off. This time I was prepared. I clenched my fists around my handlebars, took a deep breath, and kicked her with all my might. She yelped and let go and I tried to get away. But she grabbed my arm and dragged me off my tricycle. I fell on the asphalt, grazing my leg on some loose asphalt. “ (45-46)



In the previous post, I commented on the inferiority the Annie felt because she as an immigrant. Of course, this was not a one sided ordeal. The immigrant children may have felt inferior just because it was in their nature, by being immigrants, but the citizens of the country were not so accepting of their new neighbors. There were many who bullied others because they felt the power of being superior. The young girl who bullied Annie called her a “Chink” and asked if she stole the bike. The bully implies that because she was a Chinese immigrant, she wouldn’t have money to buy the bike, so she must have stolen it. Although it was not a pleasant moment for Annie to have been discriminated against, but this draw back in her young immigrant life allowed her to develop some courage to defend her self with. She was able to fight back, instead of cowering down because she felt inferior. Maybe now she did not feel as inferior.