She asks, “Grandfather, where is the balance between humbly accepting our life’s trials and pleading toward heaven for help, begging for a better tomorrow?” How would you answer her question?ġ2. However, she notes that experience has been her diligent teacher. In a moment of reflection, Sang Ly admits that she doesn’t mean to be a skeptic, to lack hope, or to harbor fear.
Have you ever had a dream that changed your attitude, decisions, or outlook? Was it a subconscious occurrence or something more?ġ1. Do you have your own family remedies that have been passed down? What are they, and do they work?ġ0. Koah Kchol, or scraping, is an ancient remedy Sang Ly says has been practiced in her family for generations. The two are forced to work together-and, quite frankly, they often don’t get along.” Do you agree? Can you think of examples?ĩ. Sopeap tells Sang Ly: “To understand literature, you read it with your head, but you interpret it with your heart. He says, “I know that we don’t have a lot here, but at least we know where we stand.” What do you think he means? When have you found it hard to accept change?Ĩ. At first, Ki is reluctant to welcome change, specifically to see Sang Ly learn to read. What other purposes do they serve? What “shelters” do we build in our own lives? How would you react if the “shelters” in your life were constantly being torn down?ħ. The shelters at Stung Meanchey are built to protect the resting pickers from the sun. Speaking of her clock, Sang Ly says, “Sometimes broken things deserve to be repaired.” What might she be referring to more than the clock?Ħ. Sang Ly mentions that Lucky Fat has an “uncanny knack of finding money lost amongst the garbage.” Do you suppose someone may have been helping him by placing money for him to find? If so, who?ĥ.
Sang Ly says that living at the dump is a life where “the hope of tomorrow is traded to satisfy the hunger of today.” How might this statement also apply to those with modern homes, late-model cars, plentiful food, and general material abundance?Ĥ. Sopeap calls resurfacing plots “perplexing” and then asks, “Is our DNA to blame for this inherent desire to hope? Is it simply another survival mechanism? Is that why we love Sarann or Cinderella? Or is there more to it?” How would you answer? What are possible explanations for the phenomenon?ģ. After reading Sarann (the Cambodian Cinderella), Sopeap and Sang Ly discuss how story plots repeat, reinforcing the same lessons. What role do you think luck plays in our lives? How does the idea of luck reconcile with the novel’s epigraph, the quote from Buddha on the opening page?Ģ. In the opening pages of The Rent Collector, Sang Ly’s grandfather promises that it will be a very lucky day.
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