Facts
What are the three burial requirements to protect the passing of a soul as described by Ma?
2 silver coins, running water, a home
What is the significance of Lucy getting her period?
Lucy maturing, shift in power dynamic since she has let go of Ba
What do the two silver coins symbolize?
Ba’s lingering spirit. How it affects Sam (him removing the coins) and how Lucy wants his spirit gone
A worker at a large business company is given a sudden promotion to head of their department, ruling over their past boss. The worker quickly establishes authority over their past boss
Lucy: Her period gives her a sense of maturity and superiority to Sam, who felt dominant in the first part of the book
What are the two vegetables that Lucy guesses Ma is eating before Sam tells her it is mud?
Carrots and yams
What is the significance of the river scene (76-79)?
Growing rivalry between the sisters as Ba's protection is now gone
How do tigers in the story connect with greater themes (tiger skull, Ma’s chinese tiger character)?
It represents their isolation. Tigers don’t exist in California but their identification of a “tiger skull” as home shows an unwillingness to be alone
A player of a new video game is lured into a trap with their party yet manages to pass down their earnings to a newer member
Ma or Ba: Comes to America following the American dream and passes down life lessons to Lucy/Sam
What is the name of Teacher Leigh’s horse?
Nellie
What is a deeper interpretation of the message of Ba’s story on pages 142-144?
He says that there's always been gold in these hills, as home has always been right there with them
What is similar and different about the symbols of salt and gold?
Salt can represent China, as Ma says they always had salt back home, while gold can represent the home that they are looking for in America
A lakeside student is found out for skipping school lunches to pick edible mushrooms and berries from the nearby forest
Sam: His desire to be wild and disconnect from society. He must realize Ba’s dream in a sense