Need a more complete Summary of the Marie Lee novel Necessary Roughness

Throughout this novel and others written by Lee, the struggle to fit in and belong is a major theme. Traditional family values and expectations, combined with a clash of generations, become apparent early in the novel. For example, Chan wants to tell his father to let them all stay in L.A., but he knows no one would listen to him. This leaves Chan feeling helpless to control the course of his own destiny.

Unlike Chan, his sister, Young, stays within the safety of traditional family expectations. She plays the flute and makes excellent grades in school. In everything she does she strives to please her family. At times Chan considers himself to be his sister's evil twin.

Chan also thinks of himself as the rebel of the family. While in L.A. he has to convince Abogee (his father) to let him play soccer with the neighborhood boys. He finally convinces his father by using his Chinese friend, Calvin, as an example. Chan satisfies his father's desire for him to be a "smart college-bound" Korean boy, by telling Abogee that his friend Calvin is going to Yale on a soccer scholarship.

When Chan leaves L.A. he has to say goodbye to his soccer team. During his last practice they present him with a red-andgold Alameda Eagles jersey. They further honor him by retiring his number. This could symbolize the importance of an individual and the inability to fully replace any missing member of a team or family. Each person in the story is valued as an individual.

Chan's girlfriend introduces another major theme when she uses prepackaged phrases like, "If you love something, set it free."

The reader is left to finish the well-known phrase that continues on say, "If it comes back to you then it is yours forever. If it does not, then it never was." This philosophy relates very well to the children who are growing up and away from their parents.

The phrase also captures the irony of Chan and Young's struggle to live within the strict and traditional expectations of their family. This irony becomes apparent when one considers all of the tragic experiences of the twins. Although their father claims that the family will be more safe in Iron Falls than in Los Angeles, the tragic events of the story occur after the move to Iron Falls.

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