Inferiority

In almost every situation, the minority group would feel inferior to the majority group. Also, by feeling inferior to another, self-esteem goes down. Living in a new country with such difference in culture, anyone would have felt insecure. Through observation, Annie sees that “as long as [she] did exactly what Miss Hinckley expected, as long as [she] kept [her] hands clean, [she] thought that [she] would stay out of trouble”, allowing her to be able to conform with school and let some of her feelings of insecurity go. With this in mind and the fact that Annie (Su-Jen) has a Chinese background, it is not surprising that Annie would be such an obedient girl. But, as this passage points out, being obedient is not the only factor in being able to fit in.




“I could tell from the pictures that Miss Hinckley was teaching a lesson about caring for our teeth. The tone in her voice told me that apples were good and that candy was bad. Miss Hinckley then surprised me by asking me to stand up in front of the class. I was even more confused when she asked Paul Conway to stand beside me. She asked Paul to open his mouth wide and gestured for me to peer inside. I saw a pink tongue surrounded by an arc of tiny pearly teeth. I was suddenly self-conscious of the brown, decaying baby teeth inside my mouth and I pressed my lips together…My cheeks felt hot and my eyes began to brim with tears. Everyone was giggling and whispering. I wanted to run away. No one else had teeth like mine. All the lo fun [American] children had been to the teeth doctor and I felt ashamed that I had never seen one.” (30-31)

In the passage, Miss Hinckley makes an example out of her for having had bad teeth. The teacher might not have had the intentions in embarrassing the child, but it wasn’t right for her to make an example out of anybody. Since Annie was an immigrant, and an Asian one at that, it was harder for her to fit in school, so she was extra sensitive about things that would embarrass her. Being new to the country, it was inevitable for them to become poor causing her to be unable to visit the “teeth doctor”. This was another thing that made her feel left out. This is an example of the constant feelings of inferiority immigrant children had to face. Also, whenever appearance is considered, girls and women alike would always be extra sensitive, since there is always an expectation of them.