Auntie Mei
What is Auntie Mei's job?
A first-month nanny
True or False: Chanel has another child
False
Beijing, China
Diction
Calling baby "thing"
Calling children "empty air"
etc
True or False: People can set their own personal boundaries
True
Where does Auntie Mei work now?
San Francisco Bay Area
What does Chanel suffer from?
Postpartum depression
True or False: The video we watched was Yiyun Li speaking
False
Point of view
Free indirect discourse and third person
Responsibility and sacrifice
You have to be able to make sacrifices - Auntie Mei takes care of Baby even though she does not originally care for it
Where is Auntie Mei from?
China
How much older is Chanel's husband than her?
28 years
True or False: Yiyun Li's children committed suicide
True
Irony
Places Auntie Mei in extremely intimate profession while emphasizing her emotional detachment
Compassion and love
Auntie Mei begins to care for the baby despite initial reservedness
When she is approached by previous employers to care for their subsequent children, Auntie Mei treats the older children as though they were ______
Empty air
Is Chanel her real name?
No, Auntie Mei says she probably has a Chinese name.
Where did Yiyun Li attend school?
University of Iowa
Biographical Overlap
She writes from the perspective of a grieving mother
“Against her rules, Auntie Mei moved his crib into her bedroom; against her rules, too, she took on the responsibility of grocery shopping”
Auntie Mei begins to change her personal rules based on the situation and takes on more responsibilities
People set their own boundaries
What specific trauma did Auntie Mei face growing up?
Maternal abandonment
How does Chanel's opinion on Auntie Mei change?
Initially, she does not want her help, but she later realizes she needs her and wants Auntie Mei to stay longer.
What did Yiyun Li study?
immunology
What does the baby symbolize?
Intimacy and vulnerability
“Auntie Mei picked up Baby, his weight as insignificant as the emotions-sadness, anger, or dismay- that she should feel on his behalf”
Auntie Mei originally does not care for the child but she grows compassion over time