“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted are the greatest poverty.”- Mother Teresa. In Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, Mother Teresa’s words of wisdom apply to Adeline's life because throughout the book, Adeline feels isolated and unwanted, and Adeline always says how much she wishes to feel wanted. She feels lonely, undesired, but more lonely at home than at school.

Mother Teresa’s words of wisdom about being lonely apply to Adeline’s life because feeling lonesome is something that Adeline is very familiar with. She is lonely when the girls at school leave, when Niang treats her like an outcast, when her siblings gang up on her, and countless other times. For example, in the book, Adeline knows she must not tell anyone how Father …show more content…
She feels unwanted when her step-siblings are favored, when she is sent away, and when her father does not know her name. On the plane to Tianjin, Father says to her: “I'm afraid I've quite forgotten your Chinese name...is it Jun-qing?” (Yen Mah 124) and “Hmm...let's see..how old are you?” (Yen Mah 125) This shows that Adeline's own Father doesn't even remember her name, birthday, or age. In this moment, Adeline feels hurt and unwanted. It also shows how little Adeline’s father remembers about her and cares about her. Mother Teresa's words of wisdom apples to Adeline’s life because in her life, she felt unwanted.

Adeline likes school better than home because of many reasons. At home, Niang is there, her siblings tease her, and she feels unloved and isolated. At school, Adeline has friends, she loves to learn, and it's the only thing that makes Father proud. She thinks when she wins class president , “Though my parents tell me I'm worthless, I've proved them wrong.” (pg 112) and “I must forget about my home. In my other life-my real life-I'm not worthless. They respect me.” (pg 112) This shows that school makes her happy while her home makes her feel lonely and