Graduation Year
2020
Date of Submission
5-2020
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Award
Best Senior Thesis in Literature
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Literature
Reader 1
Seth Lobis
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2020 Julie Tran
Abstract
The Peach Flower: A Memoir of Lê Thị Trúc Đào tells the story of a Vietnamese woman as she grows up in the years after the Vietnam War. Caught in between a past she is still trying to understand and a present that she wants to control, she begins to make sense of her family with its complex hierarchical dynamics and tendency to leave things unsaid. Through reflecting on her childhood, her immigration to the United States, and everything she has lost, Đào shares the relationships and experiences that have shaped her understanding of her role as a daughter, mother, and woman. Đào’s account of her life in Mỹ Tho and America sheds a light on pride and appearance and how they are deconstructed or amplified with sacrifice and love, both conditional and unconditional. From being the daughter of her father’s mistress to a Vietnamese immigrant to a single mother, Đào humanizes faceless labels as she confronts the inevitable events rooted in each experience. This thesis follows Đào’s journey as she searches for agency and strives to acknowledge the value of overcoming difficult realities and recognizing self-worth.
Recommended Citation
Tran, Julie, "The Peach Flower: A Memoir of Lê Thị Trúc Đào" (2020). CMC Senior Theses. 2458.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2458
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
