The title of this passage is important because it gives us valuable information on what the passage will be about. By reading the title it’s apparent that the power and status of women in Chinese society is not at all equal to that of men. We can see by the title that women in the Chinese society probably aren’t given much of a voice and they don’t get the liberty to make their own decisions. The fact that the grandmother has no name tells us that she is someone that isn’t really considered to have power in the family; someone who is not really looked up to in the family.

In the story we see that the power relationship between men and women is significantly different. We see how the men are the ones that travel to America to do the work of bringing the money and providing for the family while the women are supposed to follow the rules of being a lady and staying faithful to their husbands. In one of the imaginations Kingston has of her aunt she portrays her aunt as being told what to do by a man. Her aunt didn’t have any choice but to listen and obey to what the man told her to do.

In the story we see a great emphasis on how the elders are supposed to set an example to the younger family members and how everyone in the family is supposed to not bring disgrace to the family reputation. The fantasies show us that younger Chinese women don’t really have power to do what they want. That they put their attention towards trying to look their best to satisfy and meet the expectations men have on them. That they should be preparing to be loyal wives to their husbands and to not bring disgrace to their families.

In this book a psychological problem that is present is depression. Throughout the book the main character, Craig, takes us through his life as he deals with depression and also takes us through the process of how he attempts to overcome his depression. As Craig is telling his story we can see many examples of the psychological/psychoanalytic theory. One example we can see is Craig’s Id which is apparent in more than one situation. Craig being a teen and all, his libido is seen and expressed quite easily. We can see this when he talks about this girl that he’s liked for quite some time already. At times Craig describes the girl he likes by describing her body and he also talks about how he sometimes pictures her and himself in an intimate situation.

Craig’s unconscious is also present throughout the book. His unconscious is shown when he’s talking with his psychiatrist about when his depression first started being apparent. At the moment he couldn’t think of what might have caused him to have depression. All he really knows is that his depression started soon after he started attending the high school which he worked really hard to get into. The fact that he can’t off the top of his head identify what caused his depression seems to be that that information is stored in his unconscious mind.

Other things in the book that are evidence of the psychological/psychoanalytical theory are the defense mechanisms that Craig’s unconscious appears to be using to cope with his depression. One thing that Craig talks about that’s comforting to him is sleeping with his mom. He doesn’t know exactly why but it makes him feel better being with his mom. This also in a way is an example of the oedipal/electra complex because he finds comfort with his mother and with his father he doesn’t. Craig at one moment attempted to commit suicide to forever stop dealing with life and his depression. I feel like this could also be a defense mechanism because in his unconscious mind suicide could seem like an easy way out of his troubles.

In It’s Kind of A Funny Story the main character is Craig. It has been a good book so far; Craig’s life is pretty ordinary but the way he describes the things that happen makes it sound like he has a weird, never-know-what’s-going-to-happen type of life. His character is pretty interesting, he thinks a lot, but doesn’t  and seems like the type of person that keeps his feelings and thoughts to himself. He’s a smart, hardworking student and got into a high school that’s supposed to be this school that is hard to get into. From there on Craig started experiencing signs of depression and his dedication towards working hard in school quickly diminished. Instead he decided to chill with his friend Aron. Craig didn’t find importance in finding doing his homework, and sort of just disconnected from the world. Throughout his high school life, Craig learns more about himself and learns to understand and deal with his depression. Although I don’t experience depression I can relate to the ways that Craig thinks about some thing and things he does.