San Mao "wrote of her own experiences in the first person. Hers are genuinely moving works," says Hu Chin-yuan, an assistant professor in the English department at National Chengchi University. Hu says that for those many people who were unable to travel abroad at that time, San Mao's works provided a vicarious experience.
而三毛「從自己生活出發，以第一人稱『我』來說故事的方式，的確很能打動人」，政大英文系的副教授胡錦媛表示，對當年大多還出不了國的人們，也是一種轉化與補償。