"The Jade Peony"

A victim could be described as a person cheated, injured, or even fooled by circumstances. Yet it seems that the idea of victimization has become a symbol of Canada for Canadian authors. Margaret Atwood explains in, "The Victim Theory," that in most instances of literature, the central theme is "bare survival in the face of 'hostile' elements"(Atwood, "The Victim Theory" 77) Hence, for the French Canadians after the English took over, "it became cultural survival, …

…government. Meanwhile, his stay in Chinatown was not pleasant either. Wong-Suk's face had the figure of a monkey. People were saying that his mother perhaps "fell in love with a monkey"(Choy 60). The whole town talked about his monkey-face figure. Though Wong-Suk had gone through many ordeals, there was no victory or triumph in sight. Thus, he proves that he has little left after his ordeal, and that is "gratitude for surviving the ordeal"(Atwood 77).