Despite a childhood fraught with cruelty, bad luck and painful memories, Mah’s personal attributes illustrate that strength and courage can triumph over despair. Discuss.

Chinese Cinderella is a story of perseverance, of the idea that a "single positive dream is more important than a thousand negative realities." Adeline Yen shows an unnatural resilience throughout her story, a level of composure unbelievable for a child her age. The treatment faced by young Adeline via her family is so jarring that the reader's mind instinctively classifies them as fictional. However, Adeline keeps trudging on past the point where most people would break, insistent on the belief that something good will come from her effort. Perseverance only truly counts when life is at its bleakest, a journey that Adeline undoubtedly undertook.