Crying In H-Mart, By Michelle Zauner

A young girl, in her early twenties, watches people carry her mother like a piece of trash after witnessing her death. The girl is overwhelmed with regret, not only because her mother died, but because she never understood her mother’s form of affection until now. She now knows the impact of loathing her mother for the lack of verbal affection. The novel, Crying In H-mart, by Michelle Zauner, proves that not seeing all forms of affection from others can lead to regret in relationships. Her mother showed Michelle affection through her utilization of food and persuading Michelle to follow a specific path in life that, in her mother's opinion, will lead to success and happiness. The mother’s application of food helped to prove her affection

It is inferred that the mother had a tough childhood growing up because she did not live an ideal and easy life. As an effect of that, she wanted to create a perfect life for her daughter, so Michelle would not have to live as her mother did. However, in many cases, Michelle saw this as oppressive and a burden on her, preventing her from living her life. At the outset of the book, Michelle claims, “It was a love that saw what was best for you ten steps ahead and didn’t care if it hurt like hell in the meantime” (18). This confirms the idea Michelle believes her mother always wanted her to do what she saw best, but never stopped to see the effects of that. The mother only wants to see her daughter live the life that the mother wished to live; a good occupation, going to college, cooking well, committing to self-care, and so on. The fact that Michelle mentioned in the quote that her mother did not care about how she felt shows that the lack of communication led to their misfortune. Michelle did not see that her mother was only doing what was best for her, but she only saw the effect of her mother’s overbearing perfection. But despite that, Michelle ends up learning that by having her mother trying to shape her life, she ends up happy. Not by doing what her mother wanted her to do, but by understanding that her mother just wanted to see her daughter happy and

Leading up until Michelle found out her mom was sick, the two fought a decent number of times over matters such as Michelle’s education and the mother’s lifestyle of being a housewife. Even as her mom was sick, Michelle was starting to see the effects of neglecting her mother’s love and was beginning to regret not reciprocating affection back. During a moment with her mom after she was sick for some time, Michelle describes how she fantasized about the delicious food we’d make together. She also describes how she finally repays her debts, giving back some love and care I’d taken for granted for so many years. This confirms the idea that by not understanding her mother’s form of affection, Michelle has to deal with the consequences of never feeling like she spent her time well with her mom while she was still alive. The mention of food in the quote provides the reader reason to believe that Michelle understood the mother’s affection in the form of food, but also proceeds to realize later in the same sentence that it will never be enough because of the misfortune it has caused in their