Asian American:
Amy Tan
The Hundred Secret Senses
Joy Luck Club
Hispanic American
Jewish American
Native American
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Characters
Olivia is the narrator of the story. She is scared when she learns that Kwan will be coming to live with her family because she thinks that Kwan is coming to replace her. When Kwan comes to live with them, Olivia feels that Kwan is taking the place of her mother. Olivia wants her mother's attention, but rarely gets it. Because of this, Olivia doesn't appreciate Kwan's love and wants to get rid of her.
Kwan is the eighteen year-old half-sister of Olivia from Olivia's father's previous life in China. After her dad's death, Kwan comes to live with Olivia and her family. Kwan is naive, outgoing, open, and trusting. She tells Olivia all about her life in China.
The mother of Olivia is not a very good mother. She breaks promises to people who are close to her; she broke two of three vows made to her husband and often breaks promises to Olivia as to when they will do things together. She spends more time with charities and friends than with her family. It is almost as if looking good in public is more important to her than her family. When Kwan comes to live with them, she gives up even more of her parental roles by passing them onto Kwan.
Summary
Before Olivia's Chinese dad dies, he tells his white wife that he has another daughter living in China. His wife makes three vows to her husband: to never remarry, to uphold the family name, and to find his daughter Kwan and take care of her. Olivia and her family prepare to meet Kwan. The mother is expecting Kwan to be skinny and shy and is surprised to find Kwan chubby and outgoing. After sharing a room with Kwan, Olivia is the only member of the family to learn Chinese. Kwan tells Olivia that her father left her mother when she was pregnant with another baby. Kwan's mother died soon after. Olivia feels that Kwan is taking her mother's place. Kwan tells Olivia that she has yin eyes and can see dead people, but does not want Olivia to tell anyone about her gift. Olivia tells her mother against Kwan's wishes.
General Critique
This story is set in the present time. The story instantly becomes dramatic when Kwan reveals that she has "yin eyes." Also, the story is very real in the sense that Olivia's mother ignores her--that is unfortunately a very real problem. Olivia's father left his first family in China, a problem which must have been encountered by many families. The dialogue in this story and in all of Amy Tan's stories is very convincing. Kwan speaks with a Chinese accent. Besides sounding real, the dialogue reveals character. The story encounters irony in Olivia's life experience. Olivia wants her mother's attention more than anything, but she does not receive it. Kwan becomes the "mother," and Olivia hates her for it.
Style/Literary Technique
The story is written in first person through Olivia's eyes. One of the signature components of Amy Tan's writing style is the way she uses dialogue to reveal character.
Symbols
1. The grasshopper incident signifies the fact that Olivia has no appreciation for Kwan and her Chinese heritage.
2. The yin eyes symbolize Kwan and Olivia's ancestry.
3. The fact that Olivia does not like Kwan is a symbol of her indifference toward Chinese culture.
Themes
1. Things are not always what they seem.
2. America, with the passing of time, is losing the heritage and culture of the people who come here from other countries.
Thought Questions
1. Why do you think Olivia hated Kwan so much when Kwan had no feelings of hostility toward Olivia?
2. Why did Olivia immediately tell her mother about Kwan's "yin eyes?"
3. Has there been any time when you felt neglected by someone you cared about?
4. Why did Olivia and her mother imagine Kwan as a movie star?
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