Characters

The main character in the short story “Edge of the World” by Souvankham Thammavongsa is the narrator, a 45-year-old woman who is still marked by the fact that her mother left her. The narrator’s mother is also an important character. The mother is unable to adapt to life in her new country, as it different from life in Laos. 

The relationship between the characters plays an important role. The relationship between the narrator and her mother illustrates the differences between the Western and Lao cultures. The relationship between the mother and her husband hint that she is not close to him and that they are not connected.

You can read a full characterization of the narrator as well as an analysis of the relationship between characters in the following pages.