As early as the first chapter of A Thousand Steps into Night, Traci Chee highlights how ill-fitted Miuko is made to feel within the Confucian-inspired patriarchal society that dominates the land of Awara and underscores the toxic effects of internalizing its values. Miuko is the opposite of society’s feminine ideal: “[G]irls of the serving class—and indeed, girls of all stations in Awara—[are] expected to be soft-spoken, helpful, helpless, and in every respect weaker and more feebleminded than men” (7). Miuko, in comparison, is born loud: “Miuko […] screamed so violently that the foundations shook, the bells rang in the nearby temple, and a respectable chunk of the dilapidated bridge spanning the river […] slid, fainting, into the water” (6). This division of who Miuko innately is and who society desires her to be is the primary conflict for Miuko. She internalizes the societal values and awkwardly transforms into a lesser version of herself, one that is perpetually restrained and constantly chaffing against societal impediments.

The author highlights this internalization through Miuko’s relationship with her mother. Though Miuko often romanticizes the life her mother must lead after leaving her and her father behind, she publicly holds a disdain for her because her mother goes against the societal norms that Miuko herself struggles with.