Use Of Indirect Characterization In Fish Cheeks And White Umbrella

Being insecure and ashamed makes you want to be somebody you’re not. Short stories “Fish Cheeks” written by Amy Tan and “White Umbrella” written by Gish Jen both uncover the truths behind cultural barriers and difficulties with two young girls who have to fight to feel secure and shameless. Both authors have experiences with cultural differences, inspiring them to write these interesting stories. Authors Amy Tan in the short story “Fish Cheeks” and Gish Jen in the short story “White Umbrella” both use indirect characterization to portray that the main characters in their stories are both insecure and ashamed.

Amy Tan in the short story “Fish Cheeks” and Gish Jen in the short story “White Umbrella” both use indirect characterization to portray that both their main characters are insecure. For example, the main character in “Fish Cheeks”, Amy, is feeling insecure about what her crush, Robert, will think of her family’s Christmas. In the text, it states, “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas?” (Tan). This evidence shows that the author used indirect characterization to show that Amy is insecure by using words like “Shabby” and “Chinese” when explaining Amy’s insecure thoughts. It’s proving that she thinks her crush will think badly of her culture’s

Another example of how insecure the main characters are portrayed is when in “White Umbrella” the main character tried to look better in front of a girl, Eugenie, who she wants to be more like. In the text, it states, “Watching the way Eugenie carried herself, I sat up and concentrated