Hunger by Lan Samantha Chang

            "Hunger," by Lan Samantha Chang is a novella about the struggles of immigrant couple, Tian and Min, and their children, Anna and Ruth. The story is from the point of view of Tian's wife Min, whose love for him results in a tragic marriage; her husband's unfulfilled desires nearly destroy their children. Chang's characters are caught between the burden of their pasts and the insecurity of their futures. "Hunger" reveals how each character seeks an escape from their painful circumstances, with horrible results.
             Tian once had a passion for playing the violin, but because he feels the need to justify leaving his family, being a musician becomes a duty more than something he loves. In trying to escape the pain of giving up everything he had to pursue the "one thing that a person must do,"" (28) Tian decides to discipline himself to practice playing the violin. Chang chooses the word 'must' and italicizes it to emphasize Tian's attitude toward playing his violin. It is not an attitude of him loving to play but a representation of his duty; something that he must do. .
             Tian struggles practicing his violin "with a clear intensity; each note attacked the air, quick and piercing as a dagger." (20) This passage shows a violent image as if Tian is almost fighting his violin to get to the place where he can publicly perform. Typically, when a musician plays an instrument that he loves and cherishes, writers describe the relationship between musician and instrument as if it's a type of romance; serenading each other, in perfect unison and harmony. However, Chang uses aggressive diction, such as attacked and piercing, to show a forceful, intense relationship between Tian and his violin. He practices with such a violent passion that Min becomes terrified of him as she wonders "How could I have chosen such an unforgiving man? " Tian fails as a father and husband, because of his devotion to such an intense relationship with his violin.