A Mother's Sacrifice

“Those hateful Japanese, burned down my house and killed my husband. They destroyed the city. Because of them I ended up a poor woman with no husband and no home to return to. When I discovered that was going to have a baby, I had no choice but to stay with my sister and her family, but after she died, her husband saw my baby son as little more than beggars. Even the jewellery I was wearing, I had to sell. Aunt Hai-Lan had more luck than me…Sometimes, Su-Jen, I think that I was unlucky to have survived the war. I had to marry your father, an old man, just to survive.’ Her impatience had faded and now she sounded crushed by sorrow.’ I married him for my son. I wanted him to go to school, to have a future, But now he’s dead and I am here. Mo tin, mo meung. No money no life.’” (121) The Chinese resentment towards the Japanese is still present even to this day. During WWII, woman suffered greatly. Their families were torn apart and they were forced to work as prostitutes for the Japanese, so who can blame them for hating the Japanese. In this passage, Annie’s mother explains the sacrifice she makes for her children. She lost her husband and was left to provide and protect her son all alone. She had some family support until her sister died briefly after that point and was even discriminated against because of her current status as a single mother. Also, during those times, women were suppressed so much they had to rely on a man, so the only solution to situation was to marry any man who would take her. Since she was already married and with child, the only men who would want her must be of the older age. Annie’s mother sacrificed her youth by marrying an old man for her son. She left everything behind for a life she never wanted in a foreign country. In the last line, she says “No money no life”, which is true in her situation. If she had not have had to worry about money and finances, she wouldn’t have had to marry again.