American Translation
The Rice Husband chapter is about Lena's husband, Harold. Her mother comes to their house to visit for a week. Lena remembers old childhood events that are affecting her current marriage. Her marriage with Harold is not as it used to be. They argue over the littlest things and are not as loving as they used to be. The chapter begins with a saying Lena's mother says. Lena says, "She has a Chinese saying for what she know.
Chunwang chihan: If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Which means, I suppose, one thing is always the result of another" (149). This introduction to the chapter is a
maxim because it offers advice to the reader. Lena's mother is known to predict all the bag things that will happen. She always predicted Lena would have a bad husband, because of the rice she left behind in her bowl. Lena and her husband work at the same company except her husband is in a higher position. Even though they are married, they split the cost of everything. They make a list on the refrigerator that says who had paid for what. Lena begins to think this is a bad idea, and it starts to get in the way of their relationship. She does not know how to tell her husband, but finally she confesses it all. She is not quite sure what she wants, but she is tired of the list. Lena says, "...I start to pick up the broken glass shards. 'I knew it would happen.' and her mother says, 'Then why you don't stop it?'" (165). This quote really brought the chapter together because it has more than a literal meaning. This shows that Lena never stood up for what she thought or stopped her bad husband. She let things go how he wanted. This chapter reminds me of how many people stay in unhappy marriages or abusive relationships. When is it time to call it quits before its too late?
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