“I once believed that heroes existed only in old men’s fables, that evil in the world had triumphed over good, and that love-a true, selfish, and binding love-could only be found in a little girl’s imagination. I was certain the gods were deaf, that Buddha was forgotten, and that I would never again see the natural beauty of my home province.”
Sang Ly’s observation implies that she is categorically convinced that the world is completely marred with wickedness and self-centeredness that would not permit the blossoming of authentic love. Mentioning the Buddha depicts the reality of disregarded morals which the Buddha endorses.
“I don’t intend to portray the place as miserable or entirely without joy. On the contrary-in spite of its hardships, there are slivers of time when life at the dump feels normal, almost beautiful. Pigs forage in the dirt lanes, children pick teams and play soccer, mothers and fathers banter about their day, babies are born, life presses on.”
Sang Ly emphasizes that existence at Stung Meanchey is not entirely doomed. The inhabitants strive to lead commonplace lives, notwithstanding the menace of the garbage. Residents relish favorable times in the place, for it is their home. Children who grow there acknowledge the dump site as a component of their existence.
“The sun at Stung Meanchey shows no prejudice.It scorches at the old and young, the fat and skinny, the humble and proud. Ki once said he noticed that it only shines on the poor in this particular spot of Cambodia, and he’s right- but only because nobody rich lives at the dump. The sun’s heat is especially hard on the pickers- those who sort through the garbage- since most wear long-sleeved shirts and full-length pants sucked into heavy rubber boots, to protect themselves from the flies, filth, and smoldering fires.”
The underprivileged bear the sun’s scorching more than the affluent due to the nature of work they do. Exposure to the sun’s rays is high for they spend their days working on the dump side where their bodies cannot be shielded from the sun’s rays. Poverty upsurges the likelihood of being bared to the blazing sun.
