Thousand pieces of gold
Thousand pieces of gold By Ruthanne Lum McCunn The novel Thousand Pieces of Gold, by Ruthanne Lum McCunn, is a story of struggle and survival for a woman named Lalu. ... After hearing many stories of a prosperous America, Lalu was anxious to go, and often dreamed of bringing gold back to her family. Upon arrival in San Francisco, her hopes and dreams of an America whose streets were paved with gold, was quickly shattered as she stared at a street filled with “horse droppings, rat feastings on pilings of garbage, rags and broken bottles. ... ” (McCunn, 100) After watching the rest of her fellow group members being sold like pieces of meat in a meat market, Lalu was sold to a woman, who sold her to a saloon owner named Hong King. ... But before she could execute her plan, Charlie and Hong King were involved in a heated poker game, were Charlie would bet a large amount of gold in exchange for Polly’s freedom.