Everything I Never Told You Quotes

Celeste Ng’s contemporary novel, Everything I Never Told You (2014), depicts the tragic death of Lydia Lee, the daughter of a mixed-race family living in 1970's Ohio. Lydia experiences deep inner turmoil as the only Chinese-American girl battling social and family pressures through her upbringing. Ng depicts racial barriers, societal prospects and the burden of family expectations as the family comes to terms with her death. In doing this, she explores how the pervasive influence of culture and identity on the upbringing and academic success of a child is shaped by gender and societal norms.

Ng depicts the idea that a culture of intergenerational racism shapes the present, forcing significant expectations on future generations to compensate

3). This observation effectively conveys that Lydia is favoured by her father because her blue eyes allow her to blend in more easily as a white American, thus symbolising her perceived and desired ability to assimilate. James' experiences with intergenerational racism contribute to his sense of alienation and his outsider's perspective on the world. His preference for Lydia stems from her blue eyes, reflecting the preordained social acceptance he desperately desires. The reader can discern how James projects his longing for social acceptance onto Lydia, given his history of discrimination. This creates a suffocating pressure on Lydia to make her father proud, evoking a profound sense of emotional burden. Thus, Ng articulates how Lydia’s mixed genetics when coupled with desired sociocultural characteristics fosters a discrepancy between the love from her father and the pressure absorbed by Lydia. Additionally, the paradox between James’s personal satisfaction with

Marilyn’ past experiences parallel to the children’s are displayed using flashbacks with a non-linear narrative, conveying the pervasive influence of their upbringing on her parenting. A flashback to Marilyn's struggle to fit in amongst a patriarchal society is communicated when her Professor comments, “Why…physics’, she..hoping to become a doctor. “Not a nurse?” (pg. 25) stated by her professor. These remarks drive Marilyn's passion to challenge the societal norms within the 1970s that women were not suited for jobs like a doctor, but were to provide for their male spouses. However, the mundane aspects of marriage brought about a shift in Marilyn's trajectory, forcing her to relinquish her own aspirations. Knowing that her dreams were unattainable, Marilyn placed all her hopes on Lydia, envisioning a future for her daughter that mirrored the one Marilyn yearned for. Internally, Marilyn ‘spun out’ Lydia's potentialities in ‘one long golden thread’, emphasising the prized future for Lydia which Marilyn craved ‘seemed more possible,’ (pg. 159). Marilyn fervently desired Lydia to fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor and Lydia reluctantly accepted this pressure from her mother to preserve her love and maintain familial harmony, yet the harsh expectations placed upon her are suffocating and inescapable. Through the