THE GOOD OLD

DAYS

BY SHIRLEY LIM
GEOK LIN
Writter Biodata
Writter Biodata
 Shirley Geok-lin Lim (born 1944) Malacca
Malaysia.
 an American writer of poetry, fiction, and
criticism.
 Crossing The Peninsula, published in 1980.
 won Commonwealth Poetry Prize for an
Asian and for a woman.
 White Moon Faces, received the 1997
American Book Award.
 Professor in the English Department
University of California, Santa Barbara.
 THE
THE The greediness of the sons who wants
The greediness of the sons who wants
inherit their father’s wealth.
ME
ME
inherit their father’s wealth.

All of his five sons were fighting for each other’s share of
All of his five sons were fighting for each other’s share of
the wealth. As a grandfather had instructed in his will, all
the wealth. As a grandfather had instructed in his will, all
the five sons were supposed to be getting an equal
the five sons were supposed to be getting an equal
number of shares but they were in greed.
number of shares but they were in greed.
Time
Time Place
Place

Setting
s

Peoples
Peoples
 SETTIN
SETTIN
GS Place
Place
GS
1) Methodist school
- Auntie Woo was received for English education in Methodist

school.
- Evidence
“ She had always defended Auntie Woo, the only
sister-in-law beside her who had received an English
education in the Methodist school.

2) Town road
- the police was closed the town road to make place for the
procession.
- Evidence
“ The police closed the town roads to make place for the
procession as it wound it’s way through the major
3) Kitchen

- The father was going to murder the fourth Auntie that

sitting in the kitchen.
- “ two weeks later, we came home from school and
found fourth Auntie, whom father was going to
murder, bravely sitting in the kitchen.
 SETTIN
SETTIN
GS Time
Time
GS
1) Years
- First uncle been work to the Grandfather around 5
years back.
- Evidence
“ I’ve been doing most of the work for the old man in the
last five years”.

2) Two weeks later

- The writer and her siblings going to home from school for

find her fourth auntie.

- Evidence
“ Two weeks later, we came home from school and found
3) Evening

- The Grandfather die in evening.

- Evidence
“ The evening Grandfather died and the coffin was
still being hewn, our fathers, his sons, met to discuss
how to divide the property.
 SETTIN
SETTIN
GS People
People
GS
Society

 All of five sons were fight each others for share of the
wealth.

 First aunty curse fifth Aunty.

Evidense :-
“ I sported her for a poisonous spider from the first. “ First
Auntie said triumphantly, Any woman who would go to the
cinema with a man before they are married is not be
trusted, And imagine having six children in seven years! No
wonder poor Fifth Brother coughed himself to death”.
 PLOT
1) EXPOSITION: THE BEGINNING
 Ho was imagine back her/his childhood days
after her/his grandfather died.
 His funeral was done in such a grand where
roads were closed, there were 50 men were
blowing oomp-pahs, hundreds of banner-
bearers, the eligies of motorcars, multi storied
buildings and so on. It was like a parade, but a
sad one. 
  Her grandfather was a rich man (he owning
two hardware stores, ten houses, 150 acres
rubber estate and three farms)
 Grandfather had gone to a lawyer to separate
the property equally for his childrens but the
evening he was dead
2) RISING ACTION: INTRODUCTION OF THE
PROBLEM OR CONFLICT

 Grandfather’s sons started to discuss about the

seperation of property. (“Who will oversee the
bussiness?” second son asked)
 Everyone argue for the property.
 The fifth aunt hired a lawyer to claim her share
 First aunt not satsified with the fifth aunt and
blamed her when talk to the mom. (“I spotted her
for a poisonous spider from the first” first aunt
said about the fifth aunt)
 The second, third and fourth family also hired a
lawyer
 The first aunt got know the matter and advised
to mother whether stop hired a lawyer because
it makes the family name to down. (“Tell me
why must third brother waste his money on a
lawyer? Young people act like foolish.........But
the young must support the old” first aunt said.)
 Mother also believed her whether she was a
good one.
3) CLIMAX: THE HIGH POINT

 Later only mother get know whether first aunt

also hired a lawyer to claim her share and
acting like a good person infront of mother.
(“Didn’t she tell you eldest brother has hired a
lawyer also?” fourth aunt asked to mother)
 The fifth aunt tried to commit suicide
 Everyone in the family falls ill. (“he’s been
suffering from insomnia” second aunt said….
“My husband has also been affected” mother
said)
4) FALLING ACTION: WINDING DOWN

 The second aunt wants to stop the case. (“We’ll

tell the lawyers to stop the case, and we’ll
share the property according whatever means
are agreeable” second aunt said)
 The judge decided to sold all the property for
reasonable bidder
4) RESOLUTION: THE OUTCOME

 The money divided into five after settled legal

fees.
 The money that left after did the legal
payments is only $10,000.
 The father and his brothers never became a
rich bussinesman.
 But the Ho’s first brother became a lawyer,
second brother became an accountant and
she/he was a economic professor in University.
 Her/his mother staying with her/him.
 r s
ct e
ra
h a
C
 Fourth uncle
Father

Second First auntie

Uncle
Secod auntie
Grandfather
Characters
Mother
Third auntie’ s
children Fourth auntie

Fifth auntie’ s Fifth auntie

children
 MAIN CHARACTER
Grandfather

Rich man
He is well respected rich man.
[ He owning two hardware stores, ten houses,
fifty acres of rubber estate and three farms.]
 [ The police closed the town roads for make place for
procession, fifty – man band blowing dignified oomp - pahs,
hundred over banners-bearer and so on during the funeral.]
Well known

Most of the people knows him because he is a business

man and also very rich man.
 [ Anyone who was anybody in the
town came for his burial.]

Simple man
His grandchildren also doesn’t know that their
grandfather is very important person and also rich man.
 [ He dressed simply in black trousers and white open –
necked shirts. ]
 MINOR CHARACTERS

 Second uncle
 Clever / Cunning
 He likes a wolf who waiting for careless
person.
 [ Whenever his brothers played mahjong
together, he was usually the big winner. ]
o Third Uncle ( Father )
ɸ Dreamy man
 The writer’s father have a dream about his families
future.
 [ “ I’ll start a grocery business. Nothing fresh because
fresh foods rots if it doesn’t sell quickly” . ]
 Worried man
∞ He worried about his unsold rubbers.
 [ Father had bought a lot of smoked rubber last year
and he couldn’t find a buyer for most of it. The land behind
our house was piled with tacky rubber sheets ]
 [ The rubber stink filled every room in our house and

about the low – class appearance of his yard.]

 Fourth Uncle
 voice out his rights
 He voice out about his rights to his elder brothers.
 He doesn’t like second brother suggestion that follow the
seniortics.
 [ I must stupidly disagree with second brother about the
method of divide property among us. The property is not
equal value. The last person chosing will end up with the
least. ]
 First Auntie
◊ Likes to lead people
o She make sure the youngers listen to her word. She wants
third auntie@mother to listen to her by not letting the fifth
auntie’s children to have meal with them.
o [ The youngers must support the eldest]
o [ you must do at least that].
 Talented in divert other’s thoughts
 She makes mother to cry by her talent in divert thoughts.
 [ Why must third brother have to waste money t hire lawyers?
Young people act foolish. When they don’t save, besides you don’t
have that much to throw away.]

 Talk bad about others.

 Doesn’t like fifth auntie. So she always talk bad about her.
 [ I spotted her for a poisonous spider from the first.]
 [ ‘Any woman who would go to cinema with a man before they are
married is not to be trusted and imagine having 6 children in
seven years.]
 Second auntie
 Talk bad about others
 She talks bad about father. She disencourage about
father carrier.
 [ ‘Ah Chen told me second auntie called father an
ox.’]
 [ She says father is so dumb he believes the mice will
buy his rubber.
 Third Auntie (Mother)
 Caring person
 She cares about fifth auntie’s children. She explain the
situation of the children to the first auntie.
 [The poor children are forever hungry, for they have little to
eat at home. You know since fifth brother’ death, they have
almost nothing.]
 Fourth Auntie
 Knows recent issues.
 She knows all the matters that happens in their family.
 [ Didn’t she tell you eldest brother has hired a lawyer
also?]
 Fifth Auntie
 Mentally weaked
 She could not tolerate the family’s bad feelings towards
her.
 [ ‘Did you hear that fifth brother’s widow tried to kill herself
yesterday’?]
 Educated
 Mother support Auntie Woo because she is Methodist
School leaver.
 [ She always defended Auntie Woo, the only sister in –
law beside her who had received an English education in
the Methodist School.]

 Claims her rights

 She hire a lawyer to claims her rights in grandfather’s
property
 [ Fifth Uncle’s widow, whom no one had included as a
beneficiary, had actually hired a lawyer t claim her share]
 Fifth auntie’s children
 Smart thinker
 They act smart when their mother attempt suicide
o [ The children had too much of good sense to call the
police. ]

o Third couple’s children

 Kind
 They like to help those who in troubles
 [ We vowed among ourselves to take our morning
bread to school to share with them during recess.
 Eavesdroppers
 They get to know many family stories because they
eavesdrop whenever people’s talk.
 [ ‘ Ah Beng pulled Little Su under the table from
where they could safely observe fourth auntie’s
skeletan feet and listen to trying to bulid up his
business as a middleman trading in rubber.’]
 [‘We kept very quiet and raised our heads out of bed
in order to hear more clearly.’]
 OU
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