Tiara Amalia Wulandari

11170260000017 – 7 B
Diasporic Literature

Reading Report of Lillian Ng’s Silver Sister

Silver Sister (1994), a novel written by Lillian Ng, tells about the story of life about a
girl, Ah Pah, who came from a poor family in a small village in China. Lilian Ng was born in
Singapore. Her parents had escaped from China during the Sino-Japanese Pacific wars in
1934-1945. She grew up in three countries, which are Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United
Kingdom. There are five chapters in this novel: Village, Canton, Hong Kong, Singapore, and
Australia. Every chapter tells about the life of Ah Pah in those countries, and how she
remembered her memories of her homeland, China.

Ah Pah was a daughter from a poor family. She has brothers and sisters, but most of
her sisters were sold. She was not really beautiful, like her other sisters. Thus she could not
be sold to anybody. She was a smart girl because she could remember some of the tales told
by the village storyteller, such as the narration of Sun Tzu about the art of war. Although she
was treated unequally by her father and brothers, she still obeyed to them. After the invasion
of her village by the Kuomintang, the only family member that left were Ah Pah and her little
brother, Ah Sai. The situation made her became a tough girl. She had to keep herself and also
her brother because he was the only family member that she had.

When she and her brother needed food and place to stay, their neighbour, Lee Sao,
helped them by offering them to join the sisterhood in Canton. After getting a job in Canton
as a servant, she had to leave her sisters and brother. While she was working at House of
Tang, she worked well and became the favourite servant of Tai Tai, one of the bosses in
House of Tang. Her name changed to Silver because she replaced Gold, another Tai Tai’s
servant. Thus, her name became Silver Sister or Ah Silver. At first, she did not like this job
because she could meet her brother and sisters only once in a year, but she still loyal to her
boss. After the death of the Old Lord, the other boss of the mansion, Tai Tai had to migrate to
Hong Kong in 1936. Silver followed her boss to Hong Kong, but Tang Ma, a servant of Tai
Tai, wanted her to go back to her family because she had sisters.

In Hong Kong, she met her sister, Ah Han. Ah Silver got her job as a handmaid. She
worked for Little Peacock Lien, a Tai Tai’s friend in Hong Kong. Little Peacock Lien was a
famous opera singer in Hong Kong. She also had to help Au Ma, the cook in the house.
Although her boss was injured by the acid bomb which made a scar in her face, Ah Silver
still worked for her with Au Ma. She met Ah Sai, who also migrated to Hong Kong after the
death of Uncle Fatty Lee. Ah Silver stopped working for her boss after Little Peacock Lien
and Au Ma moved to the United States because Little Peacock Lien wanted to get a new face
by plastic surgery there. Then, Ah Silver moved to her sister’s apartment.

In Singapore, Ah Silver had been lived for almost 32 years. She worked for Nonya
Lim. During her work, the country was attacked by the Japanese. It made Ah Silver
remembered the invasion to her village, Lung Sun in China again. She survived during the
invasion in the country by hiding in the kampong. The Japanese Occupation ended in
September 1945. Ah Silver and other people celebrated their freedom. After the invasion
ended, she continued retained coolie’s cubicle at Temple Street and took care of Kim. Ah
Silver stopped working for Dawn’s family and taking care of Kim because Kim was twelve
years old, and she was healthy. Thus, she went back to Temple Street. However, Dawn asked
Ah Silver to work again, helping Kim to look after her child because Kim was not married,
but she had to work.

Chapter Australia tells about the life of Ah Silver in Sydney, Australia. She came to

Australia in 1971. She lived with Kim and her daughter in a flat in Potts Point. She tried to
adapt to the new life in Australia, which was different from her life in China, Hong Kong,
and Singapore. For example, she had to adapt to how she cooked with a modern kitchen, and
how to pronounce English properly. She learned them from Kim, and also from the television
programs. She became an Australian citizen in 1973. She spent her old days in her flat alone.

The plot of the story is reverse chronology. Reverse chronology is a method to tell a
story backwards, against the linear plot. In Silver Sister’s story, Ah Silver started the story by
telling her childhood memories in China. Then, the plot changes to the present time. It means
that not all the plots in this story have to be a flashback. We can see this plot in every chapter
of the story. There are some parts which tell about Ah Silver’s memories, and some parts tell
about her life in Australia in the present time.

The point of view is the first point of view, which Ah Silver tells her own story of life
in this novel. It means Ah Silver is the narrator in this story. The first point of view also
reflects the narrator participates in the action of the story that she tells. Ah Silver can tell
what she is feeling, thinking, and observing something.
 There are several diasporic aspects of this novel. First, she remembers the collective
memory of her homeland in China. She remembers how her village, Lung Sun, like was. She
also remembers her trauma when she was a child because of the patriarchy system in her
family. She also can remember several of her cultural life in her village, Lung Sun, and also
in Canton. For example, the traditions to ask the village storyteller when the right time for
harvesting was. Besides, she also remembers the time when she worked as a servant in the
House of Tang in Canton. Although she worked as a servant and could not meet her brother
and her sisters, she still worked well, and she was loyal to her boss.

Although she moved to Australia, she still believes about several myths or beliefs
from China, for example, she remembers about the feng shui of the siting of a home and the
various animal of every year in Chinese almanac, wearing red can give you a lucky, the
number eight is auspicious for a wedding or birthday. Another example is when she tells that
for Chinese people, it is taboo to hug, kiss, or even hold hands in a public space because it
indicates an inappropriate behaviour. 

The colonialism reflects in this story that makes Ah Silver and her brother, Ah Sai,
move to the south then Canton. There were three groups that invade China: the Kuomintang,
the Communist, and Japan. The Kuomintang invades Lung Sun, which makes Ah Silver and
her brother lost their family members. Besides, there is also an invasion when Ah Silver is
working in Singapore. Japan invades Singapore, and the first attack to this country was the
bombing in some places: Bukit Timah, Chinatown, and Keppel Harbour. This invasion
reminds of Ah Silver’s memory about the invasion of her village in China. The fear of dying,
injuries, and loss of freedom merge into one.

The issue of identity also appears in this story. We can see it from two characters: Ah
Silver and Kim, her boss’ daughter. Ah Silver tries to adapt to modern life in Australia after
she has been lived in Asian for years. Australia has different cultures from Asian countries.
The process of adaptation affects Ah Silver’s identity as an Asian person. For example, she
chooses different hairstyle like other Australian women in order to blend with society. Thus
she will not embarrass Kim. Ah Silver also starts to love Sydney after seeing the beauty of
this city. She thinks that the western culture has clear differences from Chinese, such as the
beliefs, ideas, myths, and many more which makes her thinks that it will take time to adapt
with the new culture. Ah Silver also starts to learn English by joining the Australian Chinese
Community Association (ACCA). Although she lives in Australia and she becomes a citizen
of the country, she does not forget her roots. For example, she still cannot believe the modern
medicines can help her healthy. She believes that the traditional treatments, such as
acupuncture and moxibustion for her legs.

In contrast with Ah Silver, Kim starts to forget her identity as an Asian person. She
does not believe in feng shui, celebrates Christmas in Western culture, and she forgets to read
and write Chinese, except for her name. It shows us that perhaps Kim is more familiar with
Western culture than her real culture, Chinese. The existence of Ah Silver in her life does not
only to help to look after her daughter but also helps her to still remember her root as an
Asian person.

To sum up, Silver Sister is a story that tells the life of a poor girl named Ah Pah or Ah
Silver. She had a bad experience of her life in China, but it makes her wants to get a better
life by moving to other places without forgetting her roots. This story has many diasporic
elements that tell us how the culture can give big impacts on someone’s life, although she
moves to foreign lands. It shows us that wherever we are, we do not have to forget where we
come from.