The Old Man Isn T There Anymore By Kellie Shmitt

The Old Man Isn’t There Anymore

Grieving the Death of someone you hardly know can bring you together. The Old Man Isn’t There Anymore written by Kellie Schmitt, focuses on the differences between Chinese and American culture. Throughout the whole story she is learning more and more about Chinese culture. Schmitt shows how she really tried to connect with her Chinese neighbors. She took many considerations as to why she couldn’t connect with her neighbors. Schmitt is a very private person, but in his writing, she expresses a lot of emotions. She shows sadness, humor, and even confusion in this story. She is an outsider that was later invited to the Chinese funeral and to carry on their traditions. Kellie Schmitt mainly focuses on how important

She was left learning and practicing the customs that she observed from her neighbors. They don’t show any emotion towards her, or even try to interact with her. She was alone in a whole new setting, which can be very frightening. She often questions if she is saying anything right, and they put in any effort to help her out. “Am I saying ni hao wrong? Was there some moving-in etiquette that I’d forgotten?” (Schmitt 108) She didn’t know anyone or really anything about the Chinese culture coming in, and was trying to impress her neighbors when she first got there. Throughout this story she starts to build a deeper connection and friendship with her neighbors, who then teach her more about their

When she moved in she wanted to show her appreciation by giving her neighbors some brownies and she gave the family some roses. “I could see my red flowers positioned on the mantle directly in front of the casket.” (Schmitt 111) Once she found out about the old man she learned that white flowers symbolize death, her red flowers were surrounded by the other white flowers. During her experience in Chinese culture, she learned a lot about the culture. After the funeral, she felt really connected and was closer to the family on a new level. “The dad offered to teach me how to cook Kung Pao chicken. Lili invited me for tea, and asked for advice on her latest love interest.” (Schmitt 112) Her views on her neighbors changed drastically because when she moved in she wasn’t acknowledged, later on she was