Forget Sorrow by Belle Yang

Xuan's Journey into Understanding Her Chinese Name

Yang mentions that in Chinese culture parents choose their child’s name with deep consideration because names are used as a way to shape a child’s future. On the first page the reader is introduced to Xuan where she says "Baba named me Xuan. It means "Forget Sorrow"". Throughout the novel Xuan listens to her father tell his captivating stories. The way Yang rewrites them she makes a point to introduce her ancestors by their Chinese name and define what it means, then after she refers to them in their birth order. The characters Chinese names reflect their personality and how they attempt to meet their parents expectation. 

I began to wonder about the connection of Yang’s ancestors Chinese names and their stories she rewrote from her father and how she later makes a connection from her father’s stories to her Chinese name. Yang mentions that Chinese names reflect what their parents expect for them to become. I believe this can put a lot of pressure on the child to meet these expectations or they will be seen as a huge disappointment. This is depicted through the stores of her father's uncles and their misfortune as well as through Yang's experience and how she feels about letting her parents down. At the end of the book on page 240 and 241 at Yang’s grandfather is at her great grandfather’s death bed, here he encouraging him to give up his suffered and find peace with buddha. He repeats “Forget sorrow. Forgive your children. Forgive the world.” after all he has been through he cannot rest until he has forgiven and released his pain.

I believe the reason Yang's father named her Xuan was because this was the biggest lesson he wanted to teach and expect her to become, to learn to let of her own sorrows. This is somewhat the overarching theme of the book, to forget sorrow, to move forward, and help others to move forward. On the last page of the book Yang tells us that in writing this ancestral tale she tried to write sorrow out of her father's life, but instead she had discovered the strength of her own voice and no longer lives in fear of her past abuser. I believe it is very important to learn to forgive and move forward, it is never easy but there is no way to be successful in the future if you are still held up on the past. 

does that daughter o by creating a memorable testament to that ancestral past.