Souvankham Thammavongsa’s short story “Trash” is told from the point of view of an unnamed narrator. She works as a cashier in a supermarket and has been there for 15 years. The supermarket is also where she met her husband, who she at first admired because of his attitude and good manners. One day they started talking while she helped him carry things to his car and five days later, they got married. Soon after she meets Miss Emily, her mother-in-law, who is polite and welcomes her to the family. Miss Emily weighs good manners and proper clothing highly, unlike the narrator who comes from a modest background. We see Miss Emily trying to “fix” her and make her good enough for her beloved son.
Analytical essay
The short story ”Trash”, written by Souvankham Thammavongsa, is about the difficult and complex relationships between the unnamed narrator, her husband and her mother-in-law. It talks about differences in class, ambition and the need for validation and acceptance she wants from her new family.
The narrator is a woman who works as a cashier in a supermarket and has been there for the past 15 years. She doesn’t have any family since her parents died in a car crash caused by her dad drinking while driving. They didn’t have life insurance and she was in highschool at this point and therefore had to drop out and get a job. She doesn’t have much but is quite content and proud of having her own place “It had one window. Hardwood floors, a bathtub, toilet, a stove, and a fridge. I wasn’t a person who needed much.” line 63-64. Even though she is proud of herself she is also very quick to judge her actions and to undermine herself “Of course, I could never do anything like that. I am not that bold.” line 8.
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