Majorie Kemper, the author of the short story, "God's Goodness," tells about Ling Tang, presumably a Chinese or Vietnamese immigrant to the United States who takes the position of a caretaker for a terminally ill teenage boy named Mike. Throughout the story, Ling develops a brief but affecting relationship with Mike, which portrays balance between each character's complex methods of coping. From the beginning to the end it is apparent that she goes through a direct change for instance, Ling believes firmly in the power of the divine to heal through hope and prayer and prays daily for Mike's recovery despite his permission. Ling is confident that Mike will survive, but begins to loose faith as Mike's condition deteriorates. She realizes then that God's works aren't always going to be granted exactly how she requests them, and that God chooses what he thinks is best for us rather than what we believe is best.
             We begin to notice from the beginning that Ling is highly religious and relies on hope to alter the path for Mike. "She believed what she told Mike about hope – that you could use it to prop open a door so that something good might come in." Ling attempted to reach him through her beliefs, and transform his attitude to realize that if you pray had enough, god will respond in a miraculous way. It was tough to deliver this message to Mike because he was indifferent to the idea of hope due to his father's influence on him. We recognize this after Ling and Mike's father, Mr. Tipton, have a discussion about how concerned he is that she is praying for him. He tells Ling, "Naturally you're free to pray day and night, but I'd appreciate our not talking to Mike about it, or about miracles. We've spent two years choking on hope around here; hope is an ancient history...the last thing we need is a latecomer peddling miracles." Ling didn't under...