Sunday, October 12, 2008
There are a few themes in the story, but at the end of reading this book, I thought there was one that really stood out. At the end is where Lei finally explains what happened with Ona. It was because the whole family had gotten exploited in the laundry business because of Luc. He was using his chinese friends as cheap labor. This I thought connected to today's world, where China=Factory of the world, or cheap labor. Ona's family was unpaid. Leon had no idea where the money was going, because he was always in the shop. I think Ona loved Leon the best, because of this, I think this is why she killed herself. Leon did not want to have anything to do with her because of Osvaldo and the whole bad business deal. Leon disowned Ona and did not try to make her happy. So it was like she could not have both. It was one or the other but I think she hated to have Leon always criticizing and yelling at her, so she killed herself. She was so close to Leon, it was like her whole life tore apart when Leon threatened to disown her.
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He was using his chinese friends as cheap labor. This I thought connected to today's world, where China=Factory of the world, or cheap labor. Ona's family was unpaid. Leon had no idea where the money was going, because he was always in the shop. I think Ona loved Leon the best, because of this, I think this is why she killed herself.
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I agree that Ona had a deeper relationship with Leon, and she was more sensitive to what he thought of her. Even when she was a little girl following him to the dock every day their bond grew into something none of the other daughters had. Ona spent the most time with him so Leon disowning her would hit her pretty hard. Coupled with the idea of not being able to be with Osvaldo, whom I think she loved, could have been responsible for her suicide.
I agree with everyone as well. I think that her death was definetly caused by the troubles she went through with Leon. She was a very happy and open person. Then after Leon told her she wasn't able to see Osvaldo she turned the total opposite. I dont blame her because it wasn't her fault that her father's partnership fell through. She had nothing to do with it and her father, the one she loved best, was trying to take away that happiness. I think that it would have been a common reaction of anyone. Therefore, even though Ng never pointed out the reason for Ona's death, I think that she meant for us to figure out that Leon disowning her and taking her happiness away was the cause of it.
I also agree that Ona seemed to have a better relationship with Leon than her sisters. Her bond with Leon seemed more developed as she was the one who was eventually able to convince him to come home after he found out about Ma's infidelity. She spent a lot of time just hanging around Leon, whether it was at his work or wherever he was at the moment. Leon, for his part, loved Ona and could not believe that she was in love with someone whose father was directly responsible for his unhappiness. His rejection of Ona, although possibly not the only reason for Ona's suicide, may have been a catalyst for her death.
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