Magpies

I found this story to be very interesting. This story is about the early life of An-Mei and the mystery behind her mother. We learn that she left with her mother after Popo dies to live in Tiensten and as soon as An-Mei leaves, she becomes dead to her family. She is told that once she leaves she will never be able to hold her head up again. She doesn’t believe him but when she looks back to see her little brother's sad face she realizes that this is true. And that she won’t be able to hold her head up any more. This relates a lot to Scar, involving the drama surrounding her mother, personal sacrifice, and the suppression of emotion. An-Mei’s mother was miserable being a concubine for that old man, but she didn’t have another choice. It turns out that her baby she had with Wu Tsing was taken from her at birth and disguised as one of his other wives children. I cannot imagine the heartbreak she felt at this and it is obvious that it hurt her deeply. I also feel that her mother was ashamed in a way for bringing her daughter there to witness the degrading life she lives. Both Scar and Magpies bring about the aspect of hiding one’s sadness because it only feeds upon other’s happiness. And that is what her mother tells her. It was told to her mother by the little turtle that lives in the pond.