Essay Everything I Never Told You

In life we sometimes get sucked into doing things that are not what we originally want for ourselves. We do this things to please our parents, or in hopes of reaching a more stable living condition. However as a result, we most times lose sight of what makes us as individuals happy. In the novel Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, the character Marilyn changes the way she pursues her life as a result of social norms but ultimately regrets the changes she made. Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life however for Marilyn, her dream of becoming a doctor was not supported. In almost every upper level course she took in high school, Marilyn was the only girl. The boys harassed her and made her feel unwelcome. She also wanted to take a shop class however she was put into home ec instead. These boundaries that kept Marilyn

Although she was unhappy no one in her family knew she wanted to leave until she was already gone. In a letter she was writing to her family Marilyn said, “I have kept all these feelings inside me for a long time”. This inward questioning about whether she should stay at home and become the perfect housewife, or if she should chase her dream of becoming a doctor is what defines Marilyn as a character. She has all of these aspirations however, due to the social norms around her she is forced to choose between two separate lives. This decision and specifically the letter relates back to the title where it hints at secrets kept by characters in the novel. Marilyn never expresses her feelings about being a housewife directly and therefore she is not able to get help from those around her. If she has chosen to be more abrupt with her desires and demand that she should be allowed to study then maybe her life would have turned out