Character Analysis: Everything I Never Told You By Lydia Lee

In 2-3 sentences of varied structure, describe the main character. Things to consider: what are their likes/dislikes? Which characters do they like/dislike and why? How do they evolve/change throughout the text? * Lydia Lee, a high school sophomore, is the middle and favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee’s three children, Nath, Lydia and the youngest, Hannah. Marilyn, Lydia’s mother, sees Lydia as a younger version of herself who can finish med school and become a doctor, so she pushes science and education on Lydia. However, Lydia is not interested or good at science at all, but because she thought it was her fault that her mom had run away, Lydia vowed to always do what her mother told her once Marilyn returned. In reality, Lydia wishes

She absorbed her parents’ dreams, quieting the reluctance that bubbled up within.” This text shows how much Lydia’s parents pushed onto her, and how much Lydia did not want to be the favorite child, or the one that has to follow her parents’ dreams for them. In 2-3 sentences of varied structure, make a claim, observation, or inference about the CULTURE presented in the text. Things to consider: how the culture affects the experiences of the characters, how the culture changes the characters' views of the world, etc. * The culture presented in Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng is that of a small town in Ohio during the 1970’s. Because the main characters, the Lee family, are the only people with any Chinese background in the entire town, and because of the time period, the Lee family is often excluded or called terrible names. Because of this, none of the children have many friends, and are often made fun of. During the book, there are still people who believe interracial marriage to be bad or wrong, which shows how old fashioned the town’s beliefs and culture were, and how ignorant they were.
Provide and explain ONE cited quote from the text to support your response for 2a.