Chinese Cinderella Lesson Plan

What do we learn about the hierarchy in Adeline’s family in these first chapters?

There is a strict and formal hierarchy in place in Adeline’s family. Age is paramount, with the oldest siblings commanding the most respect, but there are also other factors, which may be less traditional and more personal, such as the higher status of Niang’s children, both because she is the current wife and because she may have been of a higher status than Father’s first wife. After Nai Nai’s death, we see that the domestic hierarchy has changed in that Niang becomes the matriarch, which means that no one will challenge or question her on domestic matters. We also see that Father is the...