Think and have any idea after reading chapter 27-40 “front desk” by kelly yang? ( don’t summarize)
Chapters 27-40 Analysis
In this segment, the reader sees Mia taking charge of her circumstances. She is no longer a
passive victim of the miseries of life. By taking steps to circumvent the problems hurled at her
on a daily basis, Mia illustrates the third major theme of the novel: persistence overcomes
resistance.
Initially, Mia seems further than ever from realizing her dream of winning the Vermont essay
contest after she receives a C-minus on an essay. Her own self-doubt is amplified by her
mother’s opinion that Mia will never write in English as well as a native speaker. Aside from
the grammatical barriers that she needs to overcome, Mia also needs to raise the $300
contest entry fee. Anyone else facing such obstacles would probably quit, but Mia
demonstrates enormous persistence. As she tells the reader, “But I had this thing where if I
started something, I had to finish it. It didn’t matter what it was” (32).
Mia’s tenacity allows her to focus on creative solutions instead of obstacles. When a random
guest leaves her a tip, Mia doesn’t simply pocket the money. She sees the tip as an
opportunity to raise even more cash. At this point in the story, the tip jar makes its first
appearance as a vessel that not only contains cash but acts as a receptacle for Mia’s fondest
dreams.
The tip episode also affords Mia an opportunity to improve her writing skills. Armed with a
dictionary and thesaurus, she composes a halting thank you note to the generous guest.
Although she’s still haunted by her mother’s condemnation of her writing skills, Mia’s father
offers a counterbalance when he buys her the shiny green pencil, encouraging her to keep writing. Because the pencil symbolizes Mia’s aspirations as a writer, when Jason steals it,
he’s stealing her dream, just as her teacher and mother have tried to do. Mia finds a novel way
to punish Jason’s thievery by coating his own pencils with burning salve.
