How I Got That Name Foreignness and 'The Other' Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #4

[…] Solid as wood, happily
a little gnawed, tattered, mesmerized
by all that was lavished upon her
and all that was taken away! (93-96)

The speaker describes herself as "Solid as wood" (although "a little gnawed" by her experiences). This suggests how her experience of being a foreigner and an immigrant didn't break her, even though it was a difficult experience. What's more, she suggests that even though a lot "was taken away" from her because of her family's immigration to America, a lot was also "lavished upon her." She didn't just lose, she also gained.