World Literature in English, Spring, '98

Students' Final Take-Home Exams
Spring, 1998

How are women, children and/or family relations affected in a third-world/post-colonial society (e.g.  Midnight's Chidren and Wide Sargasso Sea, Meatless Days, Salaam Bombay, Sugar Cane Alley, "The Concubine's Children," etc.)
Ruth Wang
 
Ruth Wang
Living standard in the third-world cannot be very good for people, and the unsteady social situation always make people live in the miserable. In Salaam Bombay, poor economical situation causes many street children. And street children cause a lot of social problem. The little boy was sold to a circus because his family needs money. After he ran out from the circus, he always wants to go home to see his mother. But he cannot make his dream come true, the society doesn¡¦t give him any help. And another family is destroyed by the socity¡¦s too well helping system. The small girl was taken way by the government from her prostitude mother. The governmnet wants to protecther from her poorly family situation, but the small girl doesn¡¦t become better, instead, she seems to have some problem in communication. In Concubine¡¦s children, after the seperation from her family, May-ing becomes cold to what happened in fer family. She doesn¡¦t dhed a tear when she knows her daughter¡¦s death. Actually, after a long time¡¦s suffering, she has become stronger to face the reality. She is disappointed at her husband, and she fells that being a woman in that society is not easy. She doesn¡¦t want her daughter to be like her, so she trains her to be like a boy. Her daughter cannot fell her being gentle and tender to her. May-ying¡¦s family is separated into two, they live in two different world, but both them suffered from their life.