Oppression

There are two main sorts of oppression manifest throughout the narrative. First, there is personal oppression, one person deliberately dominating or assuming power over another in an individual relationship. Examples include Cicely's oppression of Fay, Pao's oppression of Fay, and Fay's oppression of Mui. Other, relatively minor forms of this sort of oppression include Meacham's oppression of Merleen Chin and Helena Meacham's oppression of both Marguerite Lopez and Mui which, in the eyes of protagonist Pao and, apparently, of the author, are personal manifestations of the second sort of oppression at work in the narrative, the sort upon which Pao bases his entire philosophy. This is societal oppression, that of a poor or working class by a wealthy ruling class with status, power and influence. This particular aspect of oppression is a dominant force throughout the story. As mentioned above, Pao bases his entire personal and professional philosophy...