This reminds of how children are much more accepting of differences than people are when as they grow older.

This is a rather pessimistic outlook. Not all protagonists with happy intentions are punished for their good spirits.

The mother is pleased that her daughter is following in her footsteps. Now that women are starting to marry young, her daughter's actions must validate her mother's choice to get married at a young age.

This is a very profound way to put this. It really puts the tragedy into perspective.

I am on board with this idea. Scoffing and showing excessive pride are alarming behaviors to exibit. It shows that you are "too good" for the given situation, and it makes the possibility that things will not go your way even greater. Also, I would be very scared to disrespect those who passed away while in a graveyard. The girl is very bold for acting in that way.

I like how the author places two different perspectives on a singular event. It is an evolutonary take, showcasing how our understandings of situations drastically change as we age and become more mature. The author paints her younger self out to be naive and compliant. It also shows outstanding character growth, where her older self is able to defend herself and not immediately submit to a previous authority figure. This is consistent with how the idea that the author wants us to view the woman as strong-willed.

It is always so comforting knowing that your family approves and support your relationship. It makes you feel like you have made them proud for welcoming someone into your heart who you and your parents both value and appreciate. It is also important that your partner makes an effort with your family, and it seems like all parties have taken part in building a great relationship with one another.

I admire her instant resistance to social norms. She acknowledges that her actions go against what may be socially expected of her, yet she chose to act according to her own volition anyway.

It is fascinating tha the author draws the reader in with the unique organization. The entire first paragraph is only one sentence, yet it already answers many questions that the reader has about the plot and characters. While it gives us a great look into the story, it also leaves us curious as to how the character's story will proceeds, particularly when it comes to how he will make his way to the GameStop.

I truly appreciate how this story is written. The elongated sentence structure with various twists and turns leaves the reader on their toes, wondering what point the narrator will raise next. It goes from talking about how the cousin stashed kush inside of the bag in hopes of attracting a new smoking buddy to talking to quickly turning the readers' attention to the quality of the map that is provided with the game that he is opening. It was swift shift in gears that keeps the reader interested and engaged.

It is comforting that the son is not in denial about how upsetting his famial situation is. He knows that the relationship that he leads with his father is abnormal. This understanding gives me hope that his idea of a proper father/son dynamic has not been entirely distorted. He is entirely correct that his father should not be venting to his son and putting more weight on the son's shoulders. The son is already carrying much of the financial burden; He should not have to bear the weight of the emotional struggles too. If anyone should be complaining and expressing their sadness and despair, it should be the son.

It surprises me that father is willing to go against his doctor's wishes and continues to complete yard work, even when it has such negative implications on his spine and neck. Yet, his son has been forced to take on a job since he was 10 to financially support himself. If the father is willing to put his health at risk, he should at least do it in a way that will support his son.

This is a cultural clue into the narrator's identity.

It appears that Sothy's family is having a hard time socially and economically. She is having doubts about whether her hard work of keeping her store open twenty-four hours is worth the trouble. Is the time she spends working and preparing donuts balancing out with the profit she is making? She is conflicted about her business course of action, and it looks like she is having a hard time with her children's father. She uses the term "their father," and implies that he has a different home, so her two daughters are at the store because the parents are separated. This answers my earlier question about why the daughters are up so late at the store. Sothy is very concerned about the business because she is serving as a single parent, and it does not seem like the father is pulling his weight.

It is saddneing that people who are of different cultures have to make their business American-like to attract customers. I feel badly that "Americanizing" the face of their brand factors into their business strategy. I presume that they made this decision because they felt as if their store would not preform as well as they hoped if they did not.

Sothy works very hard to maximize the number of customers her store gets, and the state of the city is not helping her case. She has used an American name, kept long hours, and presumably made other great efforts, but she won't be able to keep her business alive if there is no light to shine on her storefront.

It is surprising that the man came into Chuck's Donuts and did not eat any of the apple fritter. It is very intriguing and makes the reader contemplate what could be stirring inside of his head. This scene portrays Kayley's obervant and curious nature. She pays very close attention to the customer's every move and small detail. Does she analyze each person who comes into her father's store? As a side-note, I also wonder why they are awake so early as well. It is interesting to see the differences between Kayley and Tevy's interests, and it does make sense given that they are four years apart. The reader can observe that Tevy is much less hyperfocused on the shop and their guests, and even shoots down many of her sister's comments because she is consumed by her studies. The differences in characteristics exagerrates the age gap between the two sisters. Perhaps Kayley creates her own amusement out of understanding the customers because her sister is very preoccupied with her workload.

As the reader is drawn into imagery of the city, we imagine a space that is run-down and provided with minimal funds to take care of the area's upkeep. The darkness and impoverished surrounding area contrasted heavily with the glow of Chuck's Donuts. It made the shop stick out to the readers as a magical place that cures anyone of their 3am crises. It did not surprise me that the man disregarded Kayley's insult because it seems like there are more pressing matters on his mind. For example, it appears that the man is saddened by the state of his city. Perhaps he has found that his great city has not lived up to his hopes and expecations and has fallen into a state of gloom. It makes me wonder if there was a recent turn of events that left the city in ruins.