The Bridegroom: Alive

As I saw someone else comment in a blog, I really enjoy reading the stories in The Bridegroom. I find them interesting and easy to understand. The story “Alive” had some intriguing (and somewhat sad) twists and turns throughout the short plot. The main character, Guhan, was very hardworking as well as loyal to his job at the cannery which ended up costing him a lot more than he ever thought it ever could I imagine. That loyalty is a way of life that is very important in the Chinese culture which we talked about in class and saw in a section of the reader that told the story about the assassin, Yu Jang. Yu Jang risked everything in order to avenge the death of his superior Chih Po because he felt Chih Po understood him as a man. Even after everything that had happened to Guhan through his confusing journey when he returned and the cannery could no longer employ him, he didn’t seem to be angry or blame them for the lost time and trauma. I mean they still accommodated him some through supporting he and his wife with pension, but I would still have a difficult time letting the ordeal go. But, this could also be a difference in culture once again and Guhan’s beliefs and lifestyle may allow him to let go and move on easier than I would being raised in America.