Characters and relationships
This character returns to San Francisco hoping her mother will finally accept her fiancé, Rich.
Waverly Jong?
On her trip through China, Jing-Mei travels with this family member who tells her more about her mother’s past
her father
Waverly fears telling her mother this big news.
her engagement to Rich
Waverly’s internal battle resembles this symbolic struggle.
a chess game (strategy, power)
“In me, they see their mother. And they also see her part in me.”
Jing-Mei Woo
Waverly worries that this person will criticize Rich’s behavior at dinner.
Lindo Jong?
This major Chinese city is where Jing-Mei first arrives, beginning her journey into her heritage.
Guangzhou (Canton)
Rich makes this major mistake during dinner with Waverly’s family.
he pours soy sauce all over the dish without tasting it first?
The old photos of Suyuan represent this idea.
memory and the past
“You don’t know your own mother.”
Lindo Jong
In “A Pair of Tickets,” this character travels to China for the first time.
Jing-Mei (June) Woo?
The train ride deeper into China helps Jing-Mei recognize this emotional truth about her mother’s sacrifices.
her mother lived with great loss
Jing-Mei travels to this city when she first arrives in China.
Guangzhou (Canton)
China serves as a major symbol of Jing-Mei’s
true cultural identity
“I was afraid of her seeing me suffer.”
Waverly Jong
These two people are Jing-Mei’s long-lost half-sisters.
Chwun Yu and Chwun Hwa?
Jing-Mei visiting her relatives’ apartment symbolizes her crossing from her American identity into this.
her Chinese identity
Jing-Mei learns that her mother left her twin babies during this major event in China.
the Japanese invasion / wartime evacuation
The train ride represents this transition for Jing-Mei.
moving from American to Chinese self-understanding?
“They are probably my sisters.”
Jing-Mei Woo
This character guides Jing-Mei around China and reveals details about her mother’s past.
Aiyi (Suyuan’s old friend / aunt-figure)?
The final part of the trip occurs when Jing-Mei prepares to meet these two people who complete the story her mother could never finish.
her half-sisters
At the end of “A Pair of Tickets,” Jing-Mei and her sisters notice this detail that shows their connection.
their faces all resemble Suyuan’s?
The moment the sisters embrace shows this symbolic truth.
Suyuan’s spirit being “completed
“She had never lost hope.”
Who is being described? Suyuan Woo