Grandfather Ye Ye Character Analysis in Chinese Cinderella

Ye Ye is the father of Adeline’s Father and Aunt Baba, husband of Grandmother Nai Nai, and thus the grandfather of all of the children. He lives with the family and is dependent on them to live. Although Ye Ye should be the patriarch of the family and play a role of authority, he is subjugated by Niang (and by Father’s commitment to her), becoming over the course of the memoir a sad, defeated old man “imprisoned by his love for his only son.” However, Ye Ye is compassionate toward his grandchildren, whom Niang and Father mistreat, secretly giving them money to pay the tram fare and giving much-needed love and affirmation to Adeline. Ye Ye expresses that he is saddened by the way many of the children turned out, especially Big Sister, and he hopes that Adeline will rise to a better future through her intelligence and compassion. In this way, Ye Ye plays a vital role in Adeline’s development and recognition of her own worth. He encourages Adeline to believe in her ability to shape her own destiny and to reject the messages she has received from Niang, Father, and her siblings, which ultimately gives her the necessary initiative to enter the playwriting competition (which becomes her way of escaping the abuse of her family). Ye Ye dies near the end of the story and is given a Buddhist funeral, of which he was a devout practitioner.

Grandfather Ye Ye Quotes in Chinese Cinderella

The Chinese Cinderella quotes below are all either spoken by Grandfather Ye Ye or refer to Grandfather Ye Ye. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

In those few moments, we had understood everything. Not only about Niang, but also about all the grown-ups. Now that Nai Nai was dead, there was no doubt about who was in charge.

Related Characters: Adeline Yen (Jun-Ling / Wu-Mei)Niang (speaker), Niang (Jeanne Prosperi), Grandmother Nai Nai, Grandfather Ye Ye, Little Sister (Susan)

Page Number and Citation: 35

Explanation and Analysis:

Niang beats Little Sister, who is only a toddler, for accidentally breaking Niang’s necklace. When none of the adults watching intervene, Adeline finally confronts her, earning her Niang’s permanent wrath. This event sets the tone of the Shanghai house, which is the most abusive and demeaning place that Adeline lives in during her childhood. For Adeline, the beating is a shock, but even more shocking is the fact that none of the other adults in the house, all of whom are much older than Niang, are willing to defy her. Niang’s power in this new order of the household is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Di

I was no longer the lonely little girl bullied by her siblings. Instead, I was the female warrior Mulan, who would rescue her aunt and Ye Ye from harm.

Related Characters: Adeline Yen (Jun-Ling / Wu-Mei)Niang (speaker), Grandfather Ye Ye, Niang (Jeanne Prosperi), Aunt Baba

Page Number and Citation: 53

Explanation and Analysis:

During her years in Shanghai, Adeline discovers that she is a gifted and passionate storywriter, creating episodic tales for which her friends eagerly await each installment. Story-writing becomes a critical outlet for Adeline, helping her to cope with the traumas of home in different ways throughout her childhood. In this early stage, telling stories becomes a way to combat the negative messages about herself that Niang drills into her. Rather than powerless and worthless, Adeline can envision herself as a fierce warrior, giving her the opportunity to practice seeing herself as valuable through the lens of fiction. It is revealing Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Du

“When you’ve reached my age, you know which children are weak and which are strong. Don’t ask her too many questions. Don’t criticize her or tear her down. I don’t want her to grow up like Big Sister. She is going to be different!”

Related Characters: Grandfather Ye Ye (speaker), Aunt Baba, Adeline Yen (Jun-Ling / Wu-Mei)Niang, Big Sister (Lydia)

Page Number and Citation: 110

Explanation and Analysis:

The day after Father has told Adeline that she will be separated from Aunt Baba, Adeline sits with her and Grandfather Ye Ye in their room. She has just had an uncharacteristically angry outburst, which Grandfather Ye Ye understands to have been a result of the stress of it all. Though he never says it outright, it is often implied that Ye Ye is heartbroken to see the toxicity that has overtaken the family. Ye Ye can see what a trap that becomes for the children, how it shapes them to be as cruel and wicked and selfish as their Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Mol

Afterward, Ye Ye and I sat by ourselves on the long couch, not saying a word. I looked at my grandfather defeated and resigned with a blanket around his drooping shoulders in the blistering heat, his face contorted with sadness and anguish. A tired old man with no one to turn to, imprisoned by his love for his only son.

Related Characters: Adeline Yen (Jun-Ling / Wu-Mei)Niang (speaker), Grandfather Ye Ye, Fourth Brother (Franklin), Father (Joseph Yen), Niang (Jeanne Prosperi)

Page Number and Citation: 159

Explanation and Analysis:

Fourth Brother has just unsuccessfully tried to play a prank on Ye Ye in which he hoped to drop several heavy encyclopedias on his head, and Father has failed to punish him for the attack. This episode explores several aspects of the toxic family dynamic at once. Most obvious is the stunning wickedness of Fourth Brother, which he has adopted from Father and Niang—dropping heavy objects on Ye Ye’s frail old head and neck could have resulted in a very serious injury. In this manner, Fourth Brother’s cruelty for his own amusement is reminiscent of Father’s killing of PLT in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad

“Don’t talk like that! … You mustn’t talk like that! You have your whole life ahead of you. Everything is possible! I’ve tried to tell you over and over that far from being garbage, you are precious and special. Being on top of your class merely confirms this. But you can vanquish the demons only when you yourself are convinced of your own worth.”

Related Characters: Grandfather Ye Ye (speaker), Third Brother (James), Father (Joseph Yen), Niang (Jeanne Prosperi), Adeline Yen (Jun-Ling / Wu-Mei)Niang

Page Number and Citation: 181

Explanation and Analysis:

When Adeline is home from boarding school, recovering from pneumonia, she, Third Brother, and Grandfather Ye Ye are sitting together when suddenly, Adeline finally lets everything out—all the pain and neglect, the way her parents have made her feel, how hopeless she believes her future to be, and how much she loathes herself. Grandfather Ye Ye strongly rebukes her. This is one of the most important scenes in the entire memoir, as it marks a turning point for Adeline’s understanding of her own self-worth and her coming-of-age journey. Ye Ye’s strong admonition, which seems nearly angry in its conviction, impresses Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint ape

Into her lips I injected my loneliness, isolation, and feeling of being unwanted. To my heroine I gave everything of myself.

Related Characters: Adeline Yen (Jun-Ling / Wu-Mei)Niang (speaker), Father (Joseph Yen), Grandfather Ye Ye

Page Number and Citation: 184

Explanation and Analysis:

Emboldened by Ye Ye’s affirmation and determined to succeed in life not only for her sake, but also for his, Adeline enters a playwriting competition. Although her story is fictional, Adeline uses her own story to flesh it out, creating a heroine that is like her and suffers the same rejection, isolation, and pain as she does. In this way, Adeline finally manages to express to herself and to the world all of the feelings she has for so long kept repressed from her friends and the people who love her. This is the final development in Adeline’s realization of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi q

Grandfather Ye Ye Character Timeline in Chinese Cinderella

The timeline below shows where the character Grandfather Ye Ye appears in Chinese Cinderella. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The parents, children, Grandfather Ye Ye , Grandmother Nai Nai, and Aunt Baba live together in one house in Tianjin, a... (full context)

...terribly stressed—Japanese businessmen often arrive suddenly at the house. One day, Father simply disappears. Although Ye Ye tells the police, no one knows anything of what happened to him. A few months... (full context)

...no warning of their departure, taking only the clothes on their backs. Aunt Baba and Ye Ye will follow after they have finished mourning Nai Nai in the Buddhist tradition, along with... (full context)

Ye Ye , Aunt Baba, Third Brother, and Little Sister arrive in Shanghai. Little Sister, nearly two... (full context)

For the first two months, Ye Ye gives the stepchildren money to take the tram to and from school, since each of... (full context)

...all give in as well. Only Adeline persists, out of some sense of loyalty to Ye Ye and Aunt Baba, even in the midst of rainstorms and cold weather. Each week, the... (full context)

Aunt Baba returns to work and spends her evenings with friends. Ye Ye grows much closer to Third Brother and Adeline, taking them on picnics and teaching Third... (full context)

...the midst of Chinese New Year, 1948, Big Sister announces to Adeline, Aunt Baba, and Ye Ye that Niang has arranged for her to be married to a doctor. Big Sister seems... (full context)

...Baba sitting in an armchair, saying that she had just been talking about Adeline with Ye Ye . Aunt Baba tries to get Adeline to talk about what Father told her after... (full context)

However, when Adeline returns home she discovers the maid packing her clothes in a suitcase. Ye Ye looks saddened and the maid informs Adeline that tomorrow Father and Niang will fly with... (full context)

...them at the organ. The music brings her back to evenings with Aunt Baba and Ye Ye , snuggling into her blankets and listening to them play cards. (full context)

...family does not notice in the commotion. Taking her suitcase into the apartment, Adeline finds Grandfather Ye Ye and runs to him. He is older now, she realizes, and there is something slightly... (full context)

Ye Ye and Adeline rejoin the rest of the family in the living room, where Aunt Reine... (full context)

As the families are celebrating, Ye Ye tells Adeline that he has had a cot placed in his room and that she... (full context)

...family’s house for breakfast and to make plans for the day to go shopping together. Ye Ye insists that he stay home, since his neck is bothering him. Niang looks to Adeline... (full context)

While she is reading, Ye Ye hears that Adeline’s grasp of Chinese is languishing and he orders her to copy down... (full context)

...of the week, Niang takes Aunt Reine’s family on outings into the city, always inviting Ye Ye but never inviting Adeline. Ye Ye politely declines each day, and so he spends each... (full context)

On Sunday, Niang organizes a long scenic drive for everyone to go on, and Ye Ye decides that he will come along. Adeline is not sure if she will be allowed... (full context)

...maid tells Adeline to pack her bags quickly, as she is being “taken away” again. Ye Ye is sleeping, so the only people to go wherever Adeline will be taken are Niang,... (full context)

...so overwhelmed by the “poetry and pathos” of it and the way it astutely described Ye Ye ’s imprisonment in Father and Niang’s house. Adeline makes a false pretense to escape the... (full context)

...Brother, visiting from school in Shanghai (where he has been living with Aunt Baba), and Ye Ye are the only other people home, and the house seems calm and peaceful. The three... (full context)

When Third Brother asks Adeline about her own plans for the future, Ye Ye interjects to proudly describe how well she is performing in school, now several grades ahead... (full context)

Ye Ye responds angrily that Adeline must not speak about herself in such a manner, that she... (full context)

...she finds an announcement for an international English playwriting contest in a magazine, Adeline remembers Ye Ye ’s encouragement and wish for her to succeed. The librarian encourages Adeline to send for... (full context)

That March, in 1952, Adeline receives word that Ye Ye has died and she is taken by Father’s chauffer to attend his funeral at the... (full context)

Grandfather Ye Ye Character Analysis

Grandfather Ye Ye Quotes in Chinese Cinderella

Chapter 7: Family Reunion Quotes

Chapter 9: Chinese New Year Quotes

Chapter 14: Class President Quotes

Chapter 17: Boarding School in Hong Kong Quotes

Chapter 20: Pneumonia Quotes

Chapter 21: Playwriting Competition Quotes

Grandfather Ye Ye Character Timeline in Chinese Cinderella