The story titled "Emancipation" in the novel We
Should Never Meet, by Aimee Phan. The character Mai is seen taking control of
her life through education. This need for control was because “Mai hated
feeling inadequate, especially for things that were out of her control” (146). As
her life is further examined through the various stories presented, she can be
said to have had no control of her life. She did not choose to be relocated to
the U.S after the war and she also did not choose to be placed in the foster
system. As a result of being a child in foster care she also had no control of choosing
the family that she lived with. Because of this experience Mai was left feeling
incapable of controlling her own life leading her to be unhappy. It is when she
has to write a personal statement for a college application that she is seen as
finally taking the control needed to “emancipate” herself from the life imposed
upon her by the war. In this statement she writes about the life she has lived and
what she plans to do in order to find a connection to her culture. After her
"Emancipation" through college not only will she be free of the title
refugee, but she will also be free to take control of her life as a college
student paving a future she will feel like she chose it.
By Ada M.
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