Themes of Birthday by Lee Kok Liang

1. Gender Inequality
The protagonist in the story, which is a young woman, is treated differently
compared to his brother. For example, the young woman is not given a name
although she is the protagonist whereas her brother has a name, which is C.B.
Besides that, the young woman has to do the household chores where his brother
does nothing and is allowed to wake up late. Furthermore, C.B can voice out his
opinions to Uncle Teng but the young woman is not allowed. Those evidences show
the gender inequality in the story.
2. Oppression of personal freedom in some cultures
The protagonist in the story is oppressed by the cultural norms of Chinese culture.
For example, the protagonist has no freedom to choose the person she wants to
marry since her marriage was arranged by her grandmother. Besides that, unlike
her brother, she is not allowed to articulate her feelings. Thus, the protagonist is
being objectified and she loses her personal freedom because of her culture.

Questions:
1. Why do you think that gender inequality happened in the story?