In the memoir The Girl Who Wouldn’t Sing,” Kit Yuen Quan describes her life experiences growing up as a Chinese girl in America.
In her attempt to find her place in society, Quan interacted with several groups of people. Her interactions with a feminist group, two young Cambodian girls, and her own father allowed her to explore her Chinese background and how it affects her interactions with people. Quan explored relationships with people of different lifestyles to find her own voice” in a society that is not really hers. She did so to recognize how she wants to express herself and through which culture, American or Chinese, or both, she wants to do so. When she ran away from home, Quan sought refuge in the women’s community and worked part-time at a feminist bookstore (Quan 214). However, due to her Chinese background and difficulty in understanding language, Kit found that she wasn’t as accepted as she had hoped.
The fact that she could not understand many of the issues discussed by the feminists surrounding her was frustrating for Kit. This frustration fueled her desire to become more proficient in feminist rhetoric” (Quan 214). Despite her strong desire to be part of the community, Kit faced obstacles due to her age, nationality, and lack of a formal American education. Her frustration made her feel even more misunderstood, leading her to seek her voice through other communities. Kit’s first attempt to join a community failed because she struggled to express herself and her ideas effectively. In her quest for acceptance, Quan decided to tutor two Cambodian girls, Yan and Eng, who lived in a dangerous neighborhood filled with drunk men and prostitutes. The area was characterized by a mix of languages, including Vietnamese, Chinese, Cambodian, English, Black English, and Laotian (Quan 216).
Kit went into the situation thinking that she would be able to connect to her culture through knowing a common language. Somewhat to her surprise, the connection to her culture did not come through language, but through observing the experiences of childhood that these two girls were immersed in. Kit states, whether they were living in a refuge camp in the Philippines or in Thailand or in some one-room apartment on Eddy Street, they were connected to each other through their language and their culture” (Quan 217). It was not Kit’s own interaction with the girls that allowed her to realize where she would find herself, but her observation of the girls and their interaction with their native culture. Kit’s experience with Yan and Eng compelled her to learn more about her native culture, rather than solely trying to fit into American culture. Kit’s attempt to conform to American standards and culture was precisely the mistake she had made with the feminists.
Kit Yuen Quan’s time spent with the Cambodian girls allowed her to see how important it is to be in touch with her Chinese background. Not only did this cause Kit to learn to speak Chinese, but it also helped her realize that being in touch with her culture means reconnecting with her family. In making this realization, Kit decides to reconnect with her father. She says, Speaking Chinese with my father is the closest I have felt to coming home” (Quan 219). Although being home was originally uncomfortable for Kit, it is the same home that she returns to in order to receive the comfort that she has been missing in all other aspects of her life since the age of sixteen.
Kit Yuen Quan’s life, as described in her memoir, is a series of life-changing events that have caused her to question her methods of expression. The title of the memoir, The Girl Who Wouldn’t Sing,” is very telling of Kit’s personal search for a comfortable way to express herself. Quan’s personal journey has allowed her to connect with her culture and language in a way that probably would not have happened if she hadn’t left home. The fact that Kit had experiences with the Cambodian girls, feminists, and her father has allowed her to see life in a new light. Through her language and culture.
