Comparing The White Umbrella And Abuela Invents The Zero

Readers often do not pay close attention to the literary elements presented in the stories they read. However, these literary elements help drive the story and present readers with an engaging experience while also aiding the author to add structure to the story. In "Abuela Invents the Zero" by Judith Cofer and “The White Umbrella” by Gish Jen, literary elements such as conflict and point of view are similarly utilized. In "Abuela Invents the Zero,” the protagonist does not want to be associated with her culture. When her Abuela comes from another country, she remains distant from her due to differences in culture. In “The White Umbrella,” the narrator feels that she struggles to fit in with American society due to her being first-generation

One literary element used in both “Abuela Invents the Zero'' and “The White Umbrella'' is conflict. In “The White Umbrella,” the main character struggles to fit in as a first-generation Chinese American. One reason why the narrator feels she does not fit in is due to her mother working to earn her family a second income. The narrator portrays this saying, “‘The Chinese have a saying: one beam cannot hold the roof up.’ ‘But Eugenie Roberts’s father supports their family.” She sighed once more. ‘Eugenie Roberts’s father is Eugenie Roberts’s father,’ she said.” (Jen 132). The narrator compares herself and her family to her classmate Eugenie Roberts, whom the narrator sees as the epitome of somebody who fits in with American society. In "Abuela Invents the Zero'' Constancia, the protagonist is embarrassed by her

In “The White Umbrella” the story is told from the first-person point of view of the protagonist.“Do you want to wait inside?’ Miss Crosman looked anxiously at the sky. ‘No,’ I said. ‘Our mother will be here any minute.’ ‘In a while,’ said Mona. ‘Any minute,’ I said again, even though my mother had been at least twenty minutes late every week since she started working.” (Jen 127). While the narrator is telling her piano teacher that her mom will be picking her up shortly, readers get insight into the narrator's thoughts letting them know that she won’t actually be coming shortly. In “Abuela Invents the Zero,” the story is told from the perspective of the protagonist, making it a first-person point of view. This means that the narrator is biased from her perspective while telling the story. “I realize to my horror that my grandmother is lost. She can’t find her way back to the pew. I am so embarrassed that even though the woman next to me is shooting daggers at me with her eyes, I just can’t move to go get her. I put my hands over my face like I’m praying, but it’s really to hide my burning cheeks. I would like for her to disappear.” (Cofer 110). Constancia feels embarrassed due to her Abuela getting lost in church and we hear her feelings and thoughts at that moment. Both stories are told from a first-person point of view so readers get more insight into how both protagonists feel and