But a Vietnamese woman is experienced in these things and Mr. Green did not have a chance even to make a sound as I laid him on his side, pinned him with my knee, slid my hands up and wrung his neck.
In the beginning of the story, our main character is told that she is unable to worship the spirits of their ancestors due to the fact that she is female. Even after that passage, her grandfather makes a few negative comments about the chattiness of older women and Mr. Green even glares at her for being chatty. At one point, it even appeared that he was ignoring her or glaring at her simply because she is a woman talking to him or scolding him. It enforces the underlying theme that women are weak or below men.
Through the story, we see more and more that the bird, Mr. Green, is taking on “spirit” of her grandfather with his sayings, sad looks, and coughing later on. This line shows the reader that she is basically defying their beliefs in taking care of her grandfather’s spirit once and for all, and finally put him to rest.