Transformative Moments In Front Desk

Would it be surprising to know that a few events and incidents in life can lead to a broader understanding of society? In “Front Desk” by Kelly Yang, Mia Tang and her family had recently moved from their hometown/country to America to start a new life and feel a sense of freedom. Her family dealt with daily occurrences and problems throughout this experience, involving racism, fraud, friendship, and discrimination. Throughout the story, Mia meets many diverse people who all share their problems with her, resulting in her point of view on this foreign country and the people living in it. Out of all these scenes, Mia’s most transformative moments in “Front Desk" that changed her perspective on society are when her family finds out they got scammed,

Mia’s family comes to know about the situation. Her mother said to the hotel owner, “You said we could have five dollars per customer. Those were your words.” The owner Mr.Yao then responded by saying, “I said five dollars to a customer, not including your first ten and the weeklies.”(Page 27) Their first “friend” in the US betrayed them. Mia’s view of society before this happened was neutral, but after this, Mia lost faith in Mr.Yao. Along with this, she lost the assurance that she would have a stable life. In “Front Desk,” Mr.Yao said, “That's the deal-take it or leave it.”. “Please,” I said to him. (Front Desk, Page 27) Mia’s family knew the consequences of what would happen as they calculated the loss that would come out of this scam. Mia tried to argue, but it resulted in nothing. She saw Mr. Yao's true side, along with Mr. Yao’s son, who supported his father in this situation. In Conclusion, this was a transformative moment for Mia because it showed her that many people could bluff and hide their true side. Sometimes, an offer that sounds too good to be true is too

“A few customers threw my story in the trash, but a surprising number didn’t.” (Page 268). When Mia came up with the idea of buying the hotel her family was working at, she worked to spread the news to others and collect donations and investments. Although many people agreed to help her, many declined. Mia knew to never expect everyone in the world to be a kindhearted, caring person. “Even Mr. Cooper said his hands were tied. He added that if the deal did not go through by the end of the month, he needed his $50,000 back so he could put it into one of his other investments.” (page 277). When the hotel price increased, Mia and her family called on their investors to see what they could do. Although they were initially reliable, no one was willing to give away money for nothing in return. This reminded Mia that the only person she could fully rely on and obtain help from herself. Therefore, this scene was a transformative moment for Mia because it taught her to not depend on society or expect anything from anyone. This broadened her perspective of the people around