Falling Leaves

“An invisible silken handcuff was thus slipped around her willing wrists, evaporating her chances of marriage and a family of her own. In those days, women in China were expected to sublimate their own desires to the common good of the family.”

Adeline’s aunt Baba was expected to “sublimate [her] own desires” to become a surrogate mother after Adeline’s mother’s death (25). With this passage, Adeline highlights the important role Aunt Baba played in her life: Aunt Baba not only serves as a nurturing parent in the place of Adeline’s deceased mother, but she also attempts to heal the psychological wounds left by her father and stepmother. By describing Aunt Baba’s surrogate motherhood as “an invisible silken handcuff” that prevents her from raising “a family of her own, Adeline also introduces the theme of sexism and female subjugation in Chinese culture (25).

“During the 1930s, in the treaty ports such as Tianjin and Shanghai, everything western was considered superior to anything Chinese. A young, beautiful and educated European wife was the ultimate status symbol, Jeanne Prosperi, therefore, possessed considerable allure.”

Adeline describes her father’s attraction to Niang as a “status symbol,” further developing her stepmother as a symbol of Western dominion and presumed superiority. She hints at the cultural attitudes generated by Chinese port cities in the 1930s, wherein East and West converged, but the West was always “considered superior to anything Chinese.”

“When pushed around, [James] endured the blows passively or hid from his tormentor. Seeing me being beaten by Edgar he would skulk quickly away in blinkered silence. Afterwards, when Edgar was gone, he would creep back and try to console me, often muttering his favorite phrase ‘Suan le!’ (Let it be!)…”

Adeline’s relationship with her brother James is complex. Though James is the sibling Adeline feels closest to, he does not defend her when she is threatened, knowing that doing so would put his own safety in jeopardy. Rather, he attempts to console her with his refrain of “Suan le! (Let it be!)”—a mantra he maintains throughout their teen years and late into their adulthood. With this mantra, James urges his siblings to passively accept their mistreatment, suggesting that protest will only makes things worse. He thus marks himself as a preserver of the familial status quo, quietly upholding the will of his oppressors (namely, Niang). This mantra of “Suan le!” makes a particularly resonant reappearance in a later scene wherein their father disowns their half-sister Susan in a restaurant as the Beatles song “Let It Be” plays in the background.

“When we first arrived from Tianjin, we, the ‘have-nots’, were relegated to the second floor. Ye Ye had his own room with a balcony. Aunt Baba and I shared a room, my three brothers another. It was tacitly understood that we, the second-class citizens, were forbidden to set foot in the antechamber or the Holy of Holies. However, ‘they,’ the first-floor residents, roamed our quarters at will.”

Niang constructs a disturbing caste system, whereby she accords her birth children an entirely different lifestyle than that of her stepchildren. The house is divided into two sections: a luxurious first floor for Adeline’s father, Niang, and her birth children—Franklin and Susan—and a less luxurious second floor for the “have-nots”—Ye Ye, Aunt Baba, Adeline, and her birth siblings. She subtly suggests that Niang considers her family to be of nobler blood because they are part French and that this nobility affords them the privilege of “roam[ing]” wherever they please.

“In my serialized stories which continued from one day to the next, I was really a little princess in disguise, thrust into this cruel Shanghai household by accident. If I was truly good and studied very hard, one day my own mother would come out of the sky to rescue me and take me to live in her enchanted castle. Eventually I became so absorbed in these fantasies that I actually began to look forward to my obligatory walks. I confided to my Aunt Baba that I held a key in my head which enabled me to enter a magic land.”

This passage details Adeline’s habit of telling stories in her head to entertain herself on long, grueling morning walks to school (walks she must endure because Niang does not provide her with tram fare). The comforting and self-transformative power of storytelling will continue to serve Adeline throughout her life (and ultimately enable her to write this memoir).

“‘After dinner,’ Father announced, ‘let’s all go sit in the garden and test Jackie on one of those ducklings that was given to the children.’ […] Father turned to my oldest brother. ‘Go and fetch one of the ducklings from the pen for my test,’ he instructed. Immediately I knew that the doomed duckling would be mine. Gregory ran up to the roof garden and came back with PLT. He avoided my eyes. (Afterwards, he told me in private, ‘The sacrificial duckling had to be the one with the weakest patron. Nothing personal, you understand?’)”

Young Adeline’s beloved pet duckling is tellingly sacrificed to Jackie, a German shepherd who is trained to only obey Adeline’s father, Niang, and Franklin. Because Jackie is understood to be a stand-in for Joseph, Niang, and Franklin, Jackie’s murder of the duckling represents “their” cruel and violent oppression of Adeline, the fifth child and “the weakest patron” (62) of the family. Thus, this exercise is an overt demonstration of power over Adeline and a kind of ominous warning, suggesting “if you disobey us, this will happen to you.”

“Ja chou bu ke wai yang (Family ugliness should never be aired in public). You’ve violated the trust we placed in you when you asked your friends to insult us.”

Adeline’s father and Niang once again demonstrate their dominion over her by verbally and physically abusing her in front of a group of friends. Though Adeline’s friends follow her home in secret (to congratulate her for winning the class presidency), she is accused of asking them over “to insult” her father and Niang. The absurdity of this accusation and the brutality of their treatment demonstrates that Adeline can be “punished” at any time, without any logic, based on the whims of her father and Niang.

“He spent his time reading and practicing calligraphy. Once he wrote the character ren (endure). He instructed Aunt Baba to study the word. ‘Divide ren (endure) into its two components, top and bottom. The top component, dao, means knife, but it has a sheath in the center of the rapier. The bottom component, xin means heart. Combined together, the word is telling a story. Though my son is wounding my heart, I shall ensheath the pain and live through it. To me, the word ren (endure) represents the epitome of Chinese culture and civilization.”

Ye Ye uses calligraphy as a means of coping with the harsh environment of Niang’s household. In this passage, Ye Ye deconstructs the different parts of the word “endure” and thus establishes the theme of “ensheath[ing your] pain” and living through hardship. He suggests that endurance is “the epitome of Chinese culture,” an idea that resonates even more strongly as his family survives the brutal Cultural Revolution (77).

“‘You must rely on yourself. No matter what else people may steal from you, they will never be able to take away your knowledge. The world is changing. You must make your own life outside this home.’”

Ye Ye extols young Adeline’s intelligence and encourages her to develop her mind through her studies, knowing that her scholarly success will be the key to her freedom from Niang. He advises Adeline to “rely on [herself]” (110) because Niang will try to steal whatever she can in order to keep her children submissive to her will. Both Ye Ye and Aunt Baba empower Adeline to recognize that Niang “will never be able to take away [her] knowledge” (110).

“‘No matter how bad it is in England,’ James declared, ‘no matter how much they discriminate against us, no matter what names they call us, just remember, it can’t be worse than this!’”

After Adeline wins a literary competition, her father expresses pride in her accomplishments and allows her to go to England to study along with her brother, James. This victory of self-preservation echoes the stories Adeline tells herself as a young girl, illustrating the life-changing power of storytelling. James’s words, however, foreshadow the discrimination she will continue to experience (both as a woman and a Chinese foreigner), suggesting that they will not be completely free in England.

“‘I’ve lived through this patriotic nonsense in my own country during the Second World War. Believe me, reality is not like that. So everyone in China is now an angel because Mao Zedong has liberated the country! Overnight nobody is for himself any more. No more envy, hatred and malice. Only kindness, love and universal justice! Do you really believe that, you little fool?’”

These words, spoken to Adeline by her secret romantic partner—her intelligent but deeply troubled teacher, Karl—illustrate both the complex realities of China’s cultural situation and the fraught nature of their relationship. Though—as is later demonstrated with Aunt Baba’s horrifying experiences—Karl is essentially correct in his assessment of Communism, his words are harsh and diminishing, evoking Niang’s domineering language. Thus, Adeline illustrates her move from one disturbed hierarchical relationship into another.

“All I knew was that I wished above all else to please my father. Oh, so very much! To gain his acceptance. To be loved. To have him say to me, just once in my life, ‘Well done, Adeline! We’re proud of you.’”

When Adeline returns to her family in Hong Kong after her studies in England, she announces a well-paying job offer, hoping her father will be proud of her. Her father, however, orders her to accept an ill-suited, low-paying hospital internship instead, simply because it will help him to save face with a business associate. Though Adeline knows that this internship is not in her long-term best interest, she accepts it anyway, wanting desperately to “please” her father and “gain his acceptance” (145). Thus, Adeline demonstrates that even though she is an adult, her father and Niang psychologically dominate her to the detriment of her professional and intellectual goals.

“I came to loathe their views expressed at those Sunday night dinners where I invariably remained silent, like a fu zhong you yu (fish swimming in a cauldron), and seething with frustrated discontent.”

Adeline alludes to the many disturbing racist remarks Niang makes during Sunday dinners that all family members were emotionally obligated to attend. She feels incapable of speaking up in disagreement—knowing that to do so would invite wrath upon herself—so she must sit “seething in frustrated discontent” like a “fish swimming in a cauldron” (150). This image of a fish swimming in a cauldron suggests both Adeline’s nervous complicity and her ultimate need to escape soon by any means necessary (lest she be boiled alive).

“‘Jia ji shui ji, jia vou shui gou (Marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog).’”

When Adeline moves to America, she finds herself in an abusive marriage with Byron, a Chinese man who justifies his abuse with the old-fashioned proverb, “Marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog” (161). This proverb suggests that a wife must be subservient and “follow” her husband no matter what he does. Byron’s words reflect the old-world Chinese cultural value of feminine subservience and suggest that Adeline has fallen into a pattern with her relationships with Byron, Karl, and Niang.

“‘There are lots of men like your husband in China,’ Mrs. Hsu said. ‘In the old days, men routinely mistreated their wives. Now he’s doing the same to you. The more you put up with it, the more savage he will be. If you have no other rice to eat, then you must swallow this bitterness. But, in your case, you have your profession.’”

After Byron subjects Adeline to an exceptionally violent episode of rage, her Chinese neighbor Mrs. Hsu helps her clean up the mess. Mrs. Hsu describes Byron’s behavior as indicative of larger Chinese cultural attitudes toward women, warning—contrary to James’s mantra of “Let it be!”—that “the more you put up with it, the more savage he will be” (169). Mrs. Hsu also gently suggests that Adeline does not need to passively “swallow this bitterness” because she has her “profession,” which will enable her to become financially independent (169). Her words echo the earlier sentiments of Ye Ye and Aunt Baba, who advise Adeline to study hard because “they will never be able to take away your knowledge” (110). Mrs. Hsu’s encouragement ultimately helps empower Adeline to seek her independence and divorce Byron.

“Susan calmly picked up her purse and took out her cheque-book. ‘How much do I owe you?’ she asked. ‘Whatever you think the sum is, let me write you a cheque for it. Remember, I am now a married woman, with a daughter of my own. Treat me as an adult, not your slave who owes you everything.’”

Adeline stepsister, Susan, is the first sibling who dares to assert herself in Niang’s presence. When Niang attempts to manipulate Susan in the manner she’s manipulated her siblings—by telling her she must bow to her will because “you owe me everything” (187)—Susan points out the glaring absurdity of this accusation by offering to pay her back. This courageous defiance results in Susan being disowned by her mother and father (as a Beatles song—“Let It Be”—plays in the background, a reminder that Susan is the only sibling who has not been content to “let it be”).

“‘The way I see it, the nineteenth century was a British century. The twentieth century is an American century. I predict that the twenty-first century will be a Chinese century. The pendulum of history will swing from the ying ashes brought by the Cultural Revolution to the yang phoenix arising from its wreckage.’”

After the fall of Communism, Adeline returns to China to visit Aunt Baba. Despite the many hardships Aunt Baba has faced, she remains cheerful and optimistic, demonstrating the strength of her endurance (as formerly discussed with Ye Ye in Chapter 7). Her predication that “the twenty-first century will be a Chinese century” (226) aligns the “ren” (endurance) of herself and Adeline with that of her people, suggesting—as Ye Ye remarked—that “the word ren (endure) represents the epitome of Chinese culture and civilization” (86). As Aunt Baba asserts, the Chinese people have ensheathed their suffering by enduring through the Cultural Revolution, and they now have the freedom to rise like “the yang phoenix” from the “ying ashes” (226).

“‘Yin shui si yuan (While drinking water, remember the source).’”

When Adeline reunites with her older sister, Lydia—who, at the time, is disowned by the family for blackmailing her father—Niang warns that Lydia will attempt to emotionally manipulate her into giving her family money. True to Niang’s assessment, Lydia pleads for Adeline to help her son escape China and pursue his college education in America. In a wave of sympathy for her sister, Adeline offers her support, and Lydia responds by saying, “‘Yin shui si yuan (While drinking water, remember the source)’” (231). On one level, Lydia’s words bespeak the loving reunion between sisters, suggesting that Adeline has not forgotten her “source” (as earlier evoked with the reflection about “falling leaves” (4)). On another level, however, Lydia’s words harbor a more malicious resonance, suggesting a certain similarity to Niang (who uses their shared “source” to suggest that they “owe” her). The latter, more malicious meaning reveals itself when Lydia later attempts to extort more money from Adeline for her daughter, then tells lies to Niang behind Adeline’s back to turn her stepmother against her.

“As I burst into tears, what troubled me was not Edgar’s malice or Gregory’s treachery, but James’s betrayal.”

When Niang dies, James is named as the executor of her estate. He coolly informs Adeline that she has been disinherited, and she feels deeply betrayed by his complacency. She recalls a childhood incident wherein her three older brothers—including James—played a trick on her and remembers that she was most hurt by “James’s betrayal.” This recollection insinuates that James might not be the simple, kind, conflict-avoidant person she believed him to be, but a less generous person who looks out only for his own interests.

“‘You and I, James, we have gone through so much together. Has it come down to this? Surely you, of all people, should know that it’s not about money. It’s about family and fair play and our common journey in search of a mother.’”

Adeline explains to James that, emotionally, her disinheritance extends beyond money to the concept of her inclusion in the family. She is hurt that James does not appear to understand the significance of staying together as a family. His callous attitude illustrates how fractured Adeline ’s family has become.

“‘She called your unexpected disinheritance a wu tou gong an (headless and clueless case). She wants you to confess to the real reasons behind it. She likes to hear confessions. They make her feel powerful. In China during the Cultural Revolution, people were confessing all over the place.’”

Adeline’s brother Gregory serves as a go-between for Adeline and her sister, Lydia, who demands to know the “real reason” behind her disinheritance (without revealing, of course, that her own lies to Niang are the true cause). Gregory’s comparison between Lydia’s demanded confession and the confessions demanded “all over the place” (263) during the Cultural Revolution suggests another link between the Yen family and their surrounding sociocultural environment.

“‘Your problem, Adeline, is that you’re always transferring your own feelings and reasonings onto others. You wanted to believe that we all shared your dream of a united family. In fact, no one cared except you.’”

James suggests the divide between Adeline’s desire for a “united family” and the rest of the family’s attitudes, stating that “no one cared” about having a “unified family” except for Adeline, and that the rest of the family wanted to look out only for themselves (269). His words echo Karl’s denouncement of Adeline’s dream for “universal justice” (137) in China, suggesting that this familial parting of a ways represents a metaphorical shifting from Communist idealism (which emphasized the value of uniting and enduring) to capitalist self-preservation (signified by the siblings’ money-hungry competition with one another over Niang’s will).

“‘Now a strange thing happened. The wound never healed, but Ling-ling’s paintings became better and better. The more the pus exuded, the greater the beauty of her work. In the whole of China, there was nothing like it. The pain in her hand seemed to imbue Lin-ling with an essence of invincibility, enabling her to zhan er bi shoeing, dou er bi ke (prevail in every battle, overcome each adversity).’”

On her death bed, Aunt Baba tells a fairy tale that closely mirrors the events of Adeline’s own life, framing her as the heroine who persevered and channeled her pain into beautiful work. Aunt Baba’s story fittingly elevates the power of storytelling, demonstrating the ability of a story to transform suffering. In this sense, Adeline’s book can be read as a tribute to Aunt Baba and the life-affirming message she passed on to her niece.