Using the idea of “eight bites,” Carmen Maria Machado delves into the protagonist’s battle against control, identity, and change in Eight Bites. The narrative centers on her body, family, and identity relationships and uses “eight bites” as a mirror of these problems. 

The idea of “eight bites is inspired by the mother of the main character, who ate eight bites of every meal. ” Through this strict schedule, she was managing her body and life. For the lead character, this law serves as a goal; it is a way of attaining the level of control and perfection she thinks she must have. But it does serve to remind us of the challenge of meeting such outstanding standards. She wants to follow this standard but cannot let her emotions go, so displaying her interior battle: she looks for control but cannot. 

After the main character has bariatric surgery, the most recent Hieu in “Eight Bites” pops up. The fact that the surgery forces her to eat very little, she therefore has to follow eight bites as a physical reference to live. Instead free as she had hoped, she feels empty and unsatisfied. The surgery leaves her basic issues unaltered but changes her physical form. it shows us that happiness or tranquility does not result from handling one&;s body. 

,eight bites," still means the story explores family dynamics. The sisters of the main character also had the surgery and seem satisfied with their changed looks. Notwithstanding, their joy seems fake and they have covertly forsaken some of their own to live up to a criteria. Cal’s daughter opposes her decision and asks why she cannot just accept herself as is. This line of reasoning highlights women’s age disparity in their body and value perception. Trying to help their small daughters accept themselves as they are might help parents fight cultural norms of female beauty. The self-acceptance journey of the main character reflects her struggle to understand Cal. 

At last, “Eight Bites” shows the price of striving for perfection. She realizes real transformation is more about loving herself than maintaining her body. The story suggests that real change springs from inside, not outside. Via “Eight Bites,” Machado discusses the need to conform to social norms and search for a more authentic identity.