Why does the author's mother regret sending him off to a boarding school?
In the story “Coming Home Again” by Chang-rae Lee being a young boy at age fifteen was sent away to boarding school to get a good high school education. Being away for four years and completing his high school education was a proud moment for his mother. As a child he would always be in the kitchen with her, he knew he could not help make the food because she would always shoo them away and it was not the place for him she always had said. He would stay there anyways right by her hip watching her prepare and make the food they were about to eat. I really think she never realized how much she really liked him bothering her in the kitchen until he was gone. I think that she was scared that if he stayed with her and didn’t move away for school that he would not like her. And Change-rae knew that wasn’t the case at all.
While he as gone his mother got very ill and was fighting cancer. When he got back his mother told him that she thinks she made a mistake by sending him away to boarding school. Change-rae wanted to know why it was a mistake and she told him because she didn’t know she was going to die. So I think that is one of the reasons why she regrets sending him away. She didn’t know she was going to die so soon. And her sending him away they lost four years that they could of spent together. After so many months of pain and fighting this illness I really think she realized how much she really missed her only son, and since he was gone for so long she would remember him as that little fifteen year old boy who admired her in that kitchen.
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I agree with you that the reasons why she regrets sending him to boarding school its because she was dying and the fact that he wasn't around the kitchen which she missed dearly. Sometimes we don't know how important it is til its too late and that is how she is feeling.
ReplyDeleteChang's mother finally spoke up about sending him to school, and, it's interesting that when she finally did speak up about how she felt, Chang let her speak ,"her full mind", which tells the reader that she never did before.
ReplyDeleteNiki,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Chang's mother regretted sending him away. I think she really missed having her family all together and happy. I did wonder why it was just Chang and his father at the end eating together with no mention of his sister. I also agree that with the lost time his mother probably did see Chang as the little 6 year old or 15 year old that she would talk to while cooking.
You’ve all have me wondering about the narrator and how he feels about his time at Exeter. Do you think he regrets going away?
ReplyDeleteLauren :)
You touched on great points. She probably feels guilty that she shooed him out of the kitchen instead of taking the time out to teach him the joy of cooking that she enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how the idea that your life will end can be a clarifing moment. I agree that she regrets not being able to spent the time with him. They lost so much time while he was away that they will never get back. That could not have been easy for her to deal with. Life is too short for everyone.
ReplyDeleteYou dont realize what you miss until its no longer there. She was trying to always get him out of the kitchen and then sending him off to school was painful because she than got sick. She couldn't enjoy anything that he learned how to make from her and you could tell that was affecting both of them. Great response to the story and good job.
ReplyDelete