In the story “Saving Sourdi” by May-Lee Chai I chose to write about the character Sourdi. Sourdi was the main objective of the story. She was Nea’s (the main character) older sister. Sourdi seems to have a round character. She blossoms from a teen into a young mature married woman. She begins a new life with her husband forming their own family. I can relate to Sourdi in the story because I am the oldest of four siblings. I have a five and six year age gap from my two younger sisters. My younger sisters were very overprotective of me when I was growing up. They would always team up and try to stand up for me. They did not realize that I was capable and mature enough to defend myself if I needed to in any situation. The story Saving Sourdi took place in the United States after their family had moved there while the girls were at a very young age. Sourdi’s family operated a bar in South Dakota, where the story opens with a recollection of Nea’s first saving of her sister, Sourdi. The setting of the bar plays a key role in developing the protective characteristics of Nea; the bar causes situations to arise where she feels that it is necessary to save Sourdi from the situation. Despite Sourdi being older than her sister, Nea still tries to save Sourdi from angry and/or drunk customers at the bar. Towards the end, the setting changes as Sourdi moves away to start her own life with her husband, Mr. Chhay, leaving Nea behind with her mother at home. Nea is upset that they have to be separated and is skeptical about Mr. Chhay, which helps even more with building the character of Nea. The theme of companionship ties in greatly with the setting of the story. This is present in the earlier parts of the story because the girls are growing up as sisters living under the same roof. They develop their friendship and love for their siblings as they mature together. Nea trails behind in maturity, but she is also younger than her sister, which is ironic because Nea still feels protective over Sourdi. As mentioned above, the setting changes as Sourdi is moved away after her arranged marriage to Mr. Chhay. This places a heavy burden on the companionship between the two protagonist characters. Sourdi is breaking away from childhood and embracing her individuality alongside her husband. This is the opposite of Nea, who attempts to voice her negative opinions to her deaf-eared mother of Sourdi’s husband. By the end, the separate settings of Nea and Sourdi cause Nea to make the realization that her sister is trying to be independent and that she doesn’t need to try to protect her anymore. This leaves Nea in a state of distraught because the companionship between her older sister and herself has had a drastic injury “Saving Sourdi” by May-Lee Chai, discusses a classic plot of the metamorphosis from childhood to adulthood. In her story, the two main characters Sourdi and Nea develop in stark contrast to one another. Nea, the younger sister, has difficulty growing up and maturing as her own life, as well as her sister’s life, progresses. Her naivety, aggression, and anxiety influence her decisions throughout the story in a negative way. Chai’s character is easily believable and relatable; everyone has had a point in their lives where they didn’t want to grow up, handled a situation poorly, or realized that their relationship with someone has changed drastically to the point of no repair. In the story “Mines” by Susan Straight I chose to write about the character.
Clarette’s purpose in the story is to show others that she is a motivated strong hard working woman that will support and raise her children no matter how depressing her job can be. Clarette seems to have a round character. She is a single mother that strives hard to provide and raise her children from negative influences. I can relate to Clarette in the story although I do not have children yet. I will always strive to provide my future children with everything they need so they grow up and develop into a positive member of our society. In America, everyone is supposed to be equal. People are supposed to be able to have the “American Dream” and have a successful career as well as support a family without any trouble despite race, age, gender, or any other factors. In Ma and Sourdi’s eyes, however, they have seen their traditional culture and are still tied to those beliefs instead. Nea is much more Americanized than the other two women. Ma works very hard to support her children and in an effort to give Sourdi a better life, she makes sure she marries someone who can support her financially instead of someone like Duke who may not be as financially successful. Although she is unhappy, Sourdi understands her role and obeys her elders. Nea, who has been exposed to mostly American culture with little memories of their true roots, does not understand this arrangement. As a result, she acts out and rebels against her entire family. The climax of the story occurs when Nea makes a daring attempt at saving her sister’s life. Nea’s irresponsible actions lead to an awkward situation for everyone. Nea refuses to believe that Sourdi is simply a busy woman with a child and a home to care for and immediately jumps to the conclusion that her husband is hurting her in some way. She over active imagination gets her into trouble. She leaves home without telling her mother, lies to Duke about her true ambitions, blames Mr. Chhay for something he did not do, and creates a huge conflict over a slightly distraught phone call from Sourdi. The moment when Duke punches Mr. Chhay is the cultivation of Nea’s ill thought out plan crumbling before her eyes. Her immaturity caused an easily avoidable confrontation. Near the very end of the story, Chai shares Nea’s insight on her situation. “Sourdi looked at me then, so disappointed. I knew what she was thinking. She has grown up, and I had merely grown unworthy of her love. Nea finally realized she was being foolish the whole time. Chai’s protagonist in “Saving Sourdi”, Nea, is naïve, impulsive, and brash. She is unchanging and narrow-minded. Nea’s journey seems solely based on saving her sister when in actuality she is trying to find excuses to avoid growing up. The tragic hero fabricates false dangers to compensate her desire to be needed by her sister who has moved on with her life. Nea feels abandoned because Sourdi matures while she remains a child. Ma and Sourdi remain connected with traditional customs that Nea simply cannot understand due to her exposure to American culture. Her over active imagination, anxiety, and aggression get her into trouble. When Nea tries to rescue Sourdi from her husband, it is the last straw and she knows that she has lost her dear older sister for good. “She had made her choice, and she hadn’t chosen me.” Sourdi has matured and moved on while Nea is stuck in the memories of her childhood. Works Cited Chai, May-Lee. “Saving Sourdi.” Literature to Go. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s. 2011. 69-84. please no plagiarism
Jermaine Byrant
Nicole Johnson
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