Two Different Cultures, One Similar Love

Sui Sin Far’s piece Mrs. Spring Fragrance was one of my favorite readings on Tuesday. The author did a great job at showing the importance of culture as well as learning how to adapt to a new culture. In her piece, the reader is brought into the lives of a young Chinese couple and the expectations of the culture even though they are living in America. I was fascinated by this piece because it discussed wide spread ideas such as love, but the differences they have within different cultural groups. Unlike many pieces that I have read that are similar to this one is that, Sui Sin Far does not make the differences seem awful. It does not put one idea above another and it shows a real struggle between differing cultures trying to understand one another.
More specifically I was interested in how the seemingly young Mrs. Fragrance became Americanized when her husband had not. Furthermore, I was surprised that even though she was Americanized she still believed in some very important traditions, such as honoring one’s husband through taking care of him, and asking for his permission. She was a very dynamic woman and her sense of love was crossing many boundaries. More specifically, she quotes Tennyson by saying “ ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” This quote transcends cultures because it can be true for people of all ages, around the world and still be difficult to truly define and understand. Love means many things to many people and Sui Sin Far does a great job expressing those differences and similarities within varying circles. It makes me wonder however, if Sui Sin Far was trying to make a statement through this piece as well. If she was trying to show that even though there are several differences between people we all function under the same basic principles. I think this piece is important in how it connects two very different cultures.