“The Bridegroom” by Ha Jin is a short story about a man struggling with homosexuality in modern China. The narrator, Old Chang, is the non-biological father of a young woman named Beina. Old Change promised to take care of Beina after the death of her father, a close family friend. Beina then marries a very handsome man named Huang Baowen. Baowen quickly becomes the center of this story. The climax of this short story is that Baowen is revealed to be a homosexual. This short story highlights the theme of Jin's homosexuality and shows the internal and external struggles of Baowen and Old Cheng, through first-person narration, setting and emotional appeal. Ha Jin chooses to use first person narration in this piece. He does this to better show the generous emotions and diverse opinions of each character. Ha Jin uses Old Chang to describe society's view on homosexuality. At first, the narrator is very judgmental and believes that homosexuality is an illness and that Baowen can be cured. When it comes to homosexuality, many people can be very closed-minded. As the story progresses, Old Cheng begins to question his feelings on the matter. After the doctor tells Old Cheng that homosexuality is not a disease, he states, "If homosexuality is a natural thing, then why are there men and women?" Why can't two men get married and have a baby? Why didn't nature give men another hole? » (Jin, 377). These questions are often asked by many people who question homosexuality. Just like Old Cheng, many people are struggling to deal with their feelings regarding this controversial topic. Society can be ignorant when it comes to homosexuality and accepting that not everyone has the same beliefs as them. Just as many... middle of paper ...... people to stop treating homosexuality as an illness, and start to better understand and/or accept homosexuals. This story also helps shed light on the struggles that a homosexual goes through. Ha Jin allows the audience to take a close look at the lives of Baowen and Old Cheng. Ha Jin is a very talented writer. He uses first person narrative, setting, and personal appeal to show his readers that cruelty and judgment against homosexuals is unnecessary in today's society. He uses these three elements to show that the criticism of this book is taken to the extreme. These aspects, along with many others, create a story that not only interests readers, but one that they can also relate to. Works Cited Ha, Jin. “The bridegroom.” Literature and the writing process. Ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day and Robert Funk. 10 ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. 276-279.Print.