A Question of Faith

Chapter 6

Term: pathos

After Le Ly had been kick out of Anh and Lien's house, she had decided to change her mindset. On the flight to Danang she had said to herself, "Then, what I lacked in faith I made up for in hope." Even if her faith had led her down this path, she could always hope for a brighter tomorrow. This chapter is about Le Ly wondering if her faith will be able to serve her or if she will need more hope than faith in order to create a brighter future. When they had arrived in Danang, they had decided that it would be best if Le Ly could stay with her sister, Lan, who also lived in Danang. Le Ly would be able to stay there as long as she did chores and ran errands for Lan in exchange for a place to sleep. Lan was nothing but mean to Le Ly while she stayed at Lan's house. It seemed to Lan that Le Ly could not do anything right, and Lan was always scolding Le Ly. After Lan had enough of her sister's shenanigans, Le Ly was kicked out of Lan's house. Lan had let Le Ly back into her house a few days later because their father was upset with bot Lan and Le Ly. He was upset with Lan for kicking Le Ly out of her house when Le Ly needed her most, and he was upset with Le Ly for getting pregnant without being married. He had said that he never wanted to see Le Ly again. These words hurt Le Ly like none other. After awhile, he had tried to come to Lan's apartment to make amends with Le Ly, but Le Ly hid when she heard her father at the door. Even though Le Ly had not seen her father, she was relieved to know he was not angry with her anymore. Le Ly had also given birth to a son a few days later. In order to support her son, Le Ly had a job selling souvenirs to Americans. At this point, Le Ly has much to deal with in terms of supporting herself and now supporting her son. In this chapter, the reader may feel pathos, or sympathy for Le Ly. She has now at this point given birth to a son and is in a place that is not her hometown. There is no doubt that the path will not run smoothly for Le Ly. In order for her to create a bright tomorrow, she will have to take each day at a time. This quote really describes how each person can incorporate hope into their lives: "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."-Albert Einstein. Even though Le Ly has been doubting her faith this chapter, there is one thing that cannot be shaken from her: hope.