Throughout the book, two clearly opposing cultures present themselves in the way they view silence. The first of these cultures is her family’s traditional Chinese culture. As Maxine is trying to open up to her mother, she is pushed away “I can’t stand this whispering… I wish you would stop… I don’t feel like hearing your craziness” (200). The word ‘craziness’ suggests a person is not in their right mind. Maxine’s mother believes there is something wrong with her daughter when she tries to speak up. After hearing Maxine break the accepted silence, her mother ‘wishes’ she would stop, making it seem like something in her does not feel comfortable with simple talk. The Chinese culture affecting Maxine is forcing her to be silent unless she has something of importance to say. …show more content…
As she is bullying a quiet girl in the bathroom, Maxine gives us a hint into her view of American culture. “You are a plant. Do you know that? That’s all you are if you don’t talk. If you don’t talk, you can’t have a personality” (181). Maxine says ‘that’s all you are’ like there is something lacking, suggesting there is something wrong with the girl simply because she refuses to talk. Maxine goes on to say if you do not talk, you ‘can’t’ have a personality. By using the word ‘can’t’ she excludes even the possibility of having a personality. She is saying this because it is what the American school has always taught her, to speak up is a necessary part of being alive. Contrasted with the Chinese culture influencing her, Maxine is being pulled in two opposite directions. Every time she speaks, there are two voices telling her either to wait till she has something relevant to say, or continue speaking no matter how pointless her words are. There is no way for Maxine to satisfy both voices and she is therefore caught between the two cultures, unable to choose