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Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-20

Chapters 21-40

Chapters 41-60

Chapters 61-81

Chapters 82-102

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Purple Goldfish

Purple goldfish crackers represent the degree to which different characters in the Wei-Evans family stand out. Lea finds these goldfish at Target, and she likes them because they are not sold in Hong Kong. Lea finds the goldfish during the same shopping trip in which Knox accidentally dismantles a display of soda, costing his family $100. It is significant that the goldfish are introduced at this point in the narrative, because it shows Knox’s impediment to feeling as though he’s fully assimilated to his life in the US through his ADHD. His impulsive tendencies are frequently what separate him from his brother and cause Bowen to tell him that he does not fit in.

Other people stand out in different ways in the novel in the same manner that the purple goldfish stands out to Lea. Bowen stands out because of his appearance that highlights his Asian heritage, something his siblings do not exhibit. Julie stood out in Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong, because her parents are Mandarin-speaking Chinese, and she stood out in the US in her childhood because of her birth name, Wei Wei. Christopher’s family stands out because of their Chinese heritage and this causes people to avoid their restaurant.

Throughout the novel, people who cannot fit in are emphasized, and the author proves that standing out in a crowd can be a good thing. The purple goldfish are an apt symbol for the manner in which people stand out, because while most goldfish all look the same, the purple ones look different. Goldfish crackers are a common snack for families with children in the US, and as such, illustrates how the US does not require assimilation to the point of losing one’s identity or culture.

Face Masks

The face masks the Taradippin brothers hoard symbolize the capitalist greed that also spread during the pandemic. Everybody is scared of not having what they need, and this is represented by the trip the family takes to a store where everybody is buying a surplus of toilet paper and other goods. The kids learn early in the novel that the Taradippin brothers are buying up all the surgical masks they can and are selling them to desperate people. This causes people who really need masks, like medical professionals, to have to go without, endangering them further. The Wei-Evans siblings are disgusted by this behavior, and they stand up for what is right by giving a mask to an unhoused person who they believe needs one.

Yang underlines the importance of community and safety through the presence of the masks, which evolve as the pandemic continues. Initially, Bowen and Knox must use paper towels and rubber bands in a panicking Hong Kong. When they arrive in the United States, they demonstrate their growth by sharing quality masks with those they know can benefit, such as the unhoused and medical professionals. Their efforts for community building via mask distribution eventually forces the Taradippin brothers into donating the safety equipment they have. The masks represent the choice people have to make during hard times to either help people or look out for themselves.

Dressers

Dressers are a symbol of unity and the sacrifices family makes for one another. When the Wei-Evans family first arrives in the US, Bowen and Knox are upset that they must share a room. Right away, Knox claims the only dresser as his, and this symbolizes the selfish manner Bowen acts out at the beginning of the novel. He is unwilling to help make the situation the best he can for the rest of his family, particularly his brother.

Julie buys Knox an IKEA dresser, and the family attempts to put it together. This shows how Julie has Knox’s best interests at heart. When she loses her job, however, Knox tells her that they can return the dresser. His willing sacrifice places his family above his own needs for their common good. It symbolizes his altruistic nature, and recognizing this, Bowen tells Knox that he can have one of his dresser drawers. Bowen slowly learns to share after he sees that Knox is willing to sacrifice for their family.

A dresser also emphasizes the intangible and tangible things people took for granted before the COVID-19 pandemic took them away. A dresser, a basic need, is no longer available because of financial limitations for the Wei-Evans family. By using a dresser as a symbol for unity, Yang demonstrates how need united people during the pandemic.