“A Pair of chopsticks”
Anchee Min writes, “My parents lived like- as the neighbours described them- a pair of chopsticks: always in harmony.” The metaphoric chopsticks depict the congruence in Min’s parents’ marriage. A harmonious and diplomatic form of matrimony diminishes gratuitous skirmishes.
“Regular Meal”
Anchee Min recalls, “Every evening I would pick up the children and fight with the kids on the block all the way home. It was like eating a regular meal that I got a purple cheek or a bloody nose.” The allegorical ‘regular meal’ epitomizes Min’s pervasive aggressiveness which is a protection tactic. Regular fights were fundamental constituents in her childhood chapter.
“A Water Melon”
Anchee Min recalls, “The second daughter came up and showed me an axe that she had just sharpened. She said she could chop my head in two like chopping a watermelon.” The barefaced menace influences Min’s family to relocate since their neighbors exploit the ‘ second daughter’s abstract insanity to wreak havoc on their existence. The axe threats are indicators of extremes that the neighbor would employ to make Min and her family’s survival excruciating.
