TBWCD- Favorite Pages

My two favorite pages were pages 131 and 319 because I think they really show how Thi grew throughout the book, not only her physically getting older but the growth of herself and her mind as she writes this book and dives into her family's history. On page 131, Thi says "Writing about my mother is harder for me- maybe because my image of her is too tied up with my opinion of myself." I think this page really highlights one of the main theme/ideas in the book. In the book, Thi talks a lot about her relationship with her mom and how she sees Má as a person and mom. From reading this book, I got the feeling that Thi always wanted seek approval or prove herself worthy to her mom. Thi thinks very highly of her mom and I got the sense that Thi had a certain image of her mom in her head that she would always hold onto, especially now that she just went through labor and is raising her own child. I thought that Thi's feelings about Má also affect her opinion of herself because Má was someone that was so influential in her life and someone she looked up to, that what she thought about Má would cast a shadow over her. On page 319, Thi is talking about Má and says " To let her be not what I want her to be, but someone independent, self-determining, and free, means letting go of that picture of her in my head." This clearly shows how Thi has changed her view on her mom and how she has grown (Hence, the tree in the picture). Now, Thi realized that she has to let go of that picture in her head to let not only Má free but to let herself free from that shadow.