Reaction paper to The River's Song

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date Reaction to “The River’s Song” “The River’s Song” by Suchen Christine Lim is a fascinating novel. The book takes the reader through the transformation of Singapore caused by capitalism and the advancement of technology. In addition, it has numerous interesting characters, including Ping, Weng, and Yoke Lan. For example, when the book starts Ping lives in a small house and is working in the local markets and landlord’s café to sustain herself at school. As it appears, her mother had left her for Hong Kong where she is seeking big fortunes as a nightclub singer. The paper focuses on various things about “The River’s Song,” including my favorite character, class issues, power dynamics within society, the plot of the novel, and the use of narrative techniques. My favorite character is Ping. Ping is used in the book to not only show the transformation of a young girl in different social classes but also the change happening in Singapore, Chinatown. Despite Ping’s age, she is hardworking and does everything to make ends meet. Ping also portrays humor, which is why she is my favorite character in “The River’s Song.” For instance, there is a point in the book where Ping is remembering how she used to work in Market Street. Around 4:30 a.m., before even the market was opened, Ping says “A rat the size of a kitten darted out of the drain. She jumped out of its way” (Lim 42). In the market, Ping was the only young girl working there since she was not intimidated by the big boys. She was focused on earning money so that she could buy herself schoolbooks. “The River’s Song” depicts class issues, which entail the power dynamics that usually occur in society. Besides, society has wealthy, middle-class, and poor people. Ping’s family is used to take the reader through the different dynamics of social classes. For instance, at the beginning, Ping is residing in a place that resembles a slum. However, her life changed when her mother, Yoke Lan, got a rich husband. When Ping went to visit her mother, she did not believe that there were people who lived such a good life since she had been used to struggling. Ping describes, “A secluded, tree-lined Eden of sundrenched, two-storey bungalows with large gardens and green lawns hedged and fenced in, protected by burglar al...