One language had outseeped another; New York City had provided him with an arsenal of new words. With Leon’s help, Daniel tracks down his mother’s apartment, meets his mother’s husband, and travels to Beijing to hear her speak at a conference. ISBN-13: 9781616206888 Summary Lisa Ko’s powerful debut, The Leavers, is the winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Fiction, awarded by Barbara Kingsolver for a novel that addresses issues of social justice. Eventually, their marriage ends when Polly leaves Lin to take up a job in Hong Kong. New York was parallel gift of a life, and the unrealness of being here gave even the most frightening things of layer of surreal comedy. #145, "For Polly, the girl who'd defy odds, the girl who could do anything. Though she tries to overcome her financial woes, the American legislation places Polly in a unfair bind. Throughout her journey of self-discovery, Polly battles with remaining true to herself and assuming the customs of her Chinese heritage. Deming, now Daniel, struggles to adjust to Ridgeborough. Polly confesses to her husband about her son’s existence, and Daniel fights with his band members over the direction of their band. Despite being a professor and an avid woman’s right activist, she lacks the intellectual capacity to understand the complexities of her son’s culture and adoptive parenting. Where that real home was, however, was no longer certain. 56, Internal Migration and Internally Displaced Peoples, A Concise Chinese English Dictionary for Lovers. And it’s here that The Leavers seams begin to show: her thoughts range freely across continents and decades, yet she manages to maintain a near-coy core of silence about the reason for her disappearance. The Rumpus is a place where people come to be themselves through their writing, to tell their stories or speak their minds in the most artful and authentic way they know how. This Study Guide consists of approximately 50 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - ". When Polly disappears, Vivian believes she is incapable of caring for both Deming and her son Michael and decides to give Deming away to an adoption agency. Beyond this, Polly is dehumanized and treated as less than equal to those of power and wealth. As the sister of Leo and mother of Michael, Vivian resides in the same apartment as her brother, Polly, and Deming. When the truth is revealed, it comes freighted with a general lack of agency that strains credulity. In the present, Daniel has contacted Leon, and through Leon, contacted his mother. Ridgeborough had made Daniel an expert at juggling selves; he used to see Deming and think himself into Daniel, a slideshow of perpetually alternating between the same two slides.”, "He had once stood with his mother and Leon on the Staten Island Ferry, both of them with their arms around him, their love sure and shining, the kind of gesture Kay and Peter tried to offer up but he could never bring himself to fully accept. Only the death of his grandfather-caregiver lands him back in the States, where an apologetic Polly makes a habit of telling him, incongruously, “You’re my home now,” and promising never to abandon him again. Powerless to answer the mystery of Polly’s disappearance, an unmoored Leon departs abruptly for China. She explains how, while living in the small town of Minjiang, Polly got pregnant by her neighbor next door, Haifeng Li. Though English is his native language, Roland still feels the pressure of following cultural expectation and tradition. Despite the love he has for both Polly and her son, he marries another woman and pursues a new life entirely. As a close friend of Deming’s, the two bond over their similarities to one another. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. As Deming and Polly navigate through life in America, they struggle balancing between the use of their native tongue and that of English. Since she “didn’t want to think about” the facts behind her absence, she simply doesn’t communicate them, even when a few terse words would alleviate her son’s obvious suffering. Jason Roberts' most recent book, A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History’s Greatest Traveler (HarperCollins), was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. While more academically inclined than Deming in his schooling, he never values their friendship any less. We strive to be a platform for marginalized voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere, and to lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers we love. The Leavers. After an adolescence furnished with well-meaning parents, rewarding friendships and a closet full of Abercrombie & Fitch, Daniel has returned to New York City—ostensibly to pursue a music career, but more prosaically to work in a burrito shop, run up gambling debts, and distance himself from his now-exasperated adoptive parents. The Leavers by lisa ko The day before Deming Guo saw his mother for the last time, she sur-prised him at school. #95, "He had once stood with his mother and Leon on the Staten Island Ferry, both of them with their arms around him, their love sure and shining, the kind of gesture Kay and Peter tried to offer up but he could never bring himself to fully accept. #77 “Daniel Wilkinson was two and a half feet taller one hundred fifty pounds heavier than Deming Guo had once been, with better English and shittier Chinese. Within Polly’s experience, she sheds light on the unlawful treatment of immigrants within the United States. #186, " I wanted to give you the chances I hadn't taken for myself. Throughout the novel, language serves as an integral part of one’s identity. We work to shine a light on stories that build bridges, tear down walls, and speak truth to power. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Leavers” by Lisa Ko. The Rumpus is a place where people come to be themselves through their writing, to tell their stories or speak their minds in the most artful and authentic way they know how. Through Polly, she finds difficulty in adhering to the gendered roles of her culture. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Ko, Lisa. ― The Leavers, pg. As the adoptive mother of Deming, Kay struggles to assume the motherly role to her son. The opening chapters shift to Deming’s life ten years later. The Rumpus NewsletterGet Our Overly PersonalEmail Newsletter, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window). As he navigates through life with a poor gambling problem and alcohol addiction, Deming constantly longs for his mother’s return and a true sense of belonging. He had lost so much, and he was lost. This income helps us keep the magazine alive. Upon Deming's arrival to China, Yi Baba watches over Deming until his unfortunate passing. While women are expected to be the caregivers and providers of their family, Polly strives for more. Devastated by this news, Daniel stays in Fuzhou and works at his mom’s English school before deciding to return to New York and trying to make music again. #4, “One week later, tucked into a double bed sheathed with red flannel, Deming Guo awoke with the crumbs of dialect on his tongue, smudges and smears of dissolving syllables, nouns and verbs washed out to sea. But when it comes to telling the young man the truth about her disappearance, he remains cryptic. ― The Leavers, pg. Together, they pursue the trials and tribulations of adulthood in NYC. At this time, he learns to embrace his daughter and the nontraditional life she cultivated for herself. As the adoptive father of Deming, Peter remains less doubtful in his decision to adopt. Though they maintain a friendship for many years, that relationship is tested when Deming borrows $10,000 from Angel to gamble. Back in the present, Daniel is struggling with a gambling addiction and owes Angel $10,000. They begin talking on the phone. Fortunately though, in developing a more practical approach to language, Deming learns to unify his two worlds together and be efficient in his use of each dialect. In his place is Daniel Wilkinson, the adopted son of Kay and Peter Wilkinson, raised in Ridgeborough (population 6,525) in upstate New York. Daniel does not respond, and the narrative shifts back to the day when Vivian, under the economic pressure of caring for her own son, brought Deming to a foster care agency. Résumé détaillé par chapitre. Polly gets a job in a nail salon, and she meets her boyfriend, Leon. We strive to be a platform for marginalized voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere, and to lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers we love. As the son of Vivian, Michael develops a close relationship to Deming during their childhood.

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