Reaction to "Photographs of My Parents"

        In photographs, Kingston’s mother always looked serious. There was no evidence of her enjoying herself or anything she is doing. Kingston’s father, on the other hand, looked happy. He was having fun in the activities he partook. I believe that these differences are caused by their living conditions.

Kingston’s father lived in America. In all of the pictures he sent his family, he was found a better life there. By sending his pictures to his family, he provided them with the satisfaction of knowing that he was living under good conditions and that when they get to leave China, they will be living that life as well. He enjoyed his life as an immigrant in the States. This happiness was due to the fact that he lived in a free country. He did not have to go through the suffering endured by the people in China.

Kingston’s mother, on the other hand, lived in China. I felt as if she was longing for her husband who was not present in her and their children’s lives. She lost her children shortly thereafter. There was no relationship that she could be happy about. She went to medical school to keep her busy, and given from her diplomas, she was very much accomplished. However, I believe she could not feel the real happiness she would have had she had her family. Aside from this, there was something about all women in China. As the awkwardly pinned flowers suggest, women at that time were not really given much importance. These flowers suggest that though these women graduated from medical school, they weren’t treated with the same equality as men but as second-class citizens. This prevented them from being really happy. There is emptiness in their faces as seen in the photographs. This can also be seen in Kingston’s mother’s pictures being defaced by different markings. It was as if these markings symbolize society’s way of damaging Kingston’s mother’s sense of self-importance.

I think Kingston’s mother did not openly talk about her photographs because of the memories they contain. She left China to have a better life. Looking through those pictures and talking about them would bring back all the pain and adversity she went through, memories she certainly would not want to discuss. In the end, when Kingston recounts of her mother leaving China, it was as if a sense of independence for her mother was implied.