Amy Tan Questions and Answers
Amy Tan
Analysis of the purpose, claim, evidence, and theme in Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks"
Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks" serves to highlight the struggles of cultural identity and acceptance. The main claim is that embracing one's heritage is crucial for self-acceptance. Tan uses personal...
Amy Tan
Themes and evolving meanings of "Chinese" in Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets"
The theme of identity is central to "A Pair of Tickets," where the term "Chinese" evolves from a foreign concept to a deeply personal one for the protagonist, Jing-mei. Initially disconnected from...
Amy Tan
How does the narrator in Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets" feel both at home and foreign in China?
In "A Pair of Tickets," Jing-Mei feels both at home and foreign in China. She feels foreign due to her height, Western appearance, and language barriers, as she struggles with Mandarin and Cantonese....
Amy Tan
Compare and contrast Amy Tan's "Two Kinds" and "Rules of the Game".
"Two Kinds" and "Rules of the Game" are both short stories in their own right, as well as sections of Amy Tan's novel The Joy Luck Club. Both describe difficult relationships between Chinese...
Amy Tan
What does "Snapshot: Lost Lives of Women" suggest about responding to personal challenges?
Tan's work helps to bring to life that the condition of being a woman is one that can transcend time. The relationship between one woman to another, mother to daughter, is something that...
Amy Tan
What is the main idea of "A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan?
The main idea of "A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan is the synthesis of cultural identity. Jing-mei Woo travels to China to meet her half-sisters and fulfill her deceased mother's wish. Throughout her...
Amy Tan
How does the external setting of Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets" affect the narrator's internal changes?
In the short story "A Pair of Tickets," Jing-mei's mother, Suyuan Woo, tells her daughter she is Chinese in her bones. She warns that there is a connection to her roots that goes deep, which means...
Amy Tan
Where does "A Pair of Tickets" take place, when does it occur, and how does the setting affect the characters and...
The characters' lives are described in great detail through the setting of the story. The story takes place in many different locales, and we get a sense from this of the differences between their...
Amy Tan
How does the narrator's view of her father change in a different setting in Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets?"
In "A Pair of Tickets," Jing-Mei's view of her father changes during their trip to China. She sees him transform into a youthful, innocent boy, full of emotion and nostalgia. Witnessing his tears and...
Amy Tan
In "A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan, how does June May grow and change?
June May grows and changes throughout the story as she travels to China to meet her mother's twin daughters. She was in quiet introspection when they first arrived at the train station, but then grew...
Amy Tan
In "A Pair Of Tickets", why does Jing-Mei feel she disappointed her mother and why did her mother abandon her twin...
Jing-Mei's mother clearly abandoned her babies because she felt she had no other choice. She may not have survived the journey, and even if she did, how would she care for them? She likely hoped...