How does Raami struggle to maintain her identity as a daughter, a member of the royal family, and a Buddhist? Why does Mama later change her advice and encourage Raami to forget her identity?
Created: 05/24/13
Replies: 12
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
Join Date: 03/13/12
Posts: 552
Join Date: 05/24/12
Posts: 41
I think she realized their physical survival was in the hands of ignorant, cruel, petty people. They would have to risk losing their identities if they wanted to live through this--anything that made them stand out, including their dignity and their previous place in society, put them at risk. Raami's mother was swallowing her pride to help her daughter survive.
Join Date: 04/11/12
Posts: 102
Join Date: 04/17/11
Posts: 16
Join Date: 04/11/12
Posts: 102
Join Date: 01/31/13
Posts: 110
To ignore one's identity was something that went against everything this family was but survival meant being part of the masses, nothing to stand out, nothing that would prevent food or draw attention to yourself. It became an act that they had to play. Also, by dwelling on who they were and where they came from would have made their current circumstances even more unbearable by comparison. During this time, they had to forget.
Join Date: 04/22/11
Posts: 101
Join Date: 10/25/12
Posts: 83
Raami's family is from royalty. To be an unknown during the reign of the Khmer Rouge was your only chance of survival. Mama was not from royalty, she married into it. She understood what it meant to blend in and survive. I felt that Mama's character became almost heroic the worse the situation became. Mama possessed skills from her childhood that she used and taught Raami that kept them alive.
Join Date: 12/07/12
Posts: 68
I thought Raamis mother wanted her to be proud of herself and her family so that the Khmer Rouge could not beat her down. However, the Khmer Rouge wanted to rid the country of those they perceived as privileged. It became apparent that as a child Raami could not be trusted not to give herself away. To save her, Mama instructs her to forget. It also would protect her from shame or embarrassment for what she is forced to do to survive not to see herself as too good for anything, such as eating bugs.
Join Date: 04/11/12
Posts: 102
Join Date: 05/12/11
Posts: 34
Join Date: 05/14/11
Posts: 21
When the Organization came through and she passed for a peasant, Mama lost hope. At the same time ,She was trying to protect her Raami not giving herself away . Mama had lost her home, her husband and her way of life with the power of the Khmer Rouge.
Reply
Please login to post a response.