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Adeline is born
The main character of the story Adeline Yen is born. She is a healthy happy, baby, but her birth is not celebrated. Born the fifth child to an affluent Chinese family, her life begins tragically. Adeline’s mother died shortly after her birth due to complications bought on by the delivery, marking her as cursed, or ‘bad luck’, by her siblings.
"If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck" (Mah 35). -
Mother dies giving birth to Adeline
After giving birth to Adeline, her mother dies of complications with the birth. Aunt Baba had cared for Adeline since she was two weeks old, when her mother died.
"Mama dies a log time ago" (Mah 22) -
Song #1
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Adeline's father remarries
A short time following the death of Adeline's mother, her father married a beautiful Eurasian woman named Jean. The children were all instructed to call her Niang, a Chinese term for mother. She immediately began establishing harsh rules for her stepchildren.
"Our stepmother... was a seventeen-year-old Eurasian beauty fourteen years his junior" (Mah 37). -
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Two more babies
The stepmother gives birth to one boy and one girl, Franklin and Susana, so now they are a total of seven children in the house now. -
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Adeline's first day of school
Adeline is put into a school in Tianjin, China. After returning home from her first day she expresses how much she loves her new school.
"So soon? You only started kindergarten a week ago." (Mah 29) -
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New life in Shanghai
Adeline's father moves the rest of the family with them in their brand new home in Shanghai. Niang instructed them that they could only enter and leave the house through the servants' door. The living room was off-limits to them. They all had to share rooms on the hot third floor while Niang, Adeline's father and their two children had bedrooms on the coveted second floor.
We were scheduled to arrive in Shanghai on the last Sunday in October" ( Mah 112). -
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Father and Stepmother disappear
When the Japanese take over mainland China, her father disappears from their hometown of Tianjin for an extended period of time. Soon after, Niang and her older boy follow.
"Ye Ye reported father's disappearance to the police" (Mah 79). -
Sent away to an orphanage
Soon Niang saw to it that Adeline was shipped away to boarding school. During two years at one boarding school, Adeline received no visitors and no mail. Later, she learned that Niang instructed that all of Adeline's incoming and outgoing mail be sent to Niang.
"I was only ten years and in the sixth grade, about to be banished to a Tianjin orphanage" (Mah 365). -
Top of class in school
Adeline quickly became the main target of Niang's cruelty. Adeline was the top student in her class and was elected its president. Niang told her she was a show off and that she was getting uglier and uglier as she matured. Soon Niang saw to it that Adeline was shipped away to boarding school. This is also when Adeline finds her passion for writing.
"The girls in my class nicknamed me Genius, partly because of my perfect scholastic record" (Mah 171). -
Adeline Wins writing contest
Since the holidays were not yet over, Adeline decides to take part in a writing competition. Adeline is called back to her house. Brought directly to father, Adeline is afraid that she will be married off. Instead, Father expresses his great pride in her victory in the International Playwriting Competition, an award pointed out to her by his work acquaintance.
"I came across an announcement for a play writing competition that was open to all students" (Mah 602). -
Adeline's loneliness
When she arrives at the school there are very few girls left at the massive school. Finally the dreaded day arrived for Adeline, were she would have to face the rest of her family who hadnt even bothered to inform her they had moved to Hong Kong. When they arrive at her family's apartment nobody even speaks to Adeline. The only person that speaks to her is her Ye Ye.
"I dared not to reply, I thought what could be worse?" (Mah 389)
