Theme Of The Poem Daughter By Cathy Linh Che

The poem “Daughter” operates as an exposition by Cathy Linh Che on her childhood, specifically from the adult perspective. By employing this viewpoint, she alludes to her function as a daughter and the implications it has on her relationship with her mother, who is this adept foundational figure, and her father, who is a demoralized shell of a person. With attention to the differences in the dynamic between the mother and the father, we gain insight into the potential strain on the relationship between Che’s parents. Likewise, analyzing their family as a unit reveals the inherent pattern of trauma and violence passed down from one generation to the next. In contrast to the virtual entirety of the poem rendering the person that Che’s father

In the first place, Che reveals, “when I was a child, my father kept watch over nothing. / It was my mother / who rose from bed. / Her face was a flickering / fixture” (1-4). To put it differently, the father keeps watch of “nothing” and, in turn, no one—not his wife, not his only child, and barely himself. As a result, the mother is bearing the weight of watcher, lover, and caregiver. Of course, their marriage could have been much more intimate in the early stages before it withered away with time, the addition of a child, and life itself, which hardens even the most benevolent

Essentially, he is a stranger to Che, and the unknowingness and mystery of his existence make him an apparition. Hence, one would surmise that Che would perceive herself to be more like her mother than her father; however, she concludes that she is the same as her father. To enumerate, she asserts, “I am his daughter, a mirror / or a window. I reflect red, / which means: stop, blood, or danger.” (7-9). Here, Che is a little more than a reflection of her father; instead, she is a possession of his—and his only one. Despite the absence of a physical connection, they are linked together totally by blood and