The Boat (Symbol)
The titular story is not the story about the author, but rather a story about a young teenager named Mai who is forced to flee her homeland of Vietnam in order to survive the horrific warfare that occurred there. She travels by boat to a new home and, on the way, realizes that life will never be the same. Instead of her hope depending on the restoration of the past and the way things used to be, she now has to accept that her life will be one of survival and adaptation. The boat is a symbol for transformation because it takes her from one life to another.
Rain (Motif)
Rain appears throughout Le's stories at key moments. In fact, the entire collection starts with the sentence, "My father arrived on a rainy morning" (p.3). This sets the tone for Nam and his father's reunion to be somewhat negative; there is a chill between them after many years of not seeing eye-to-eye. Throughout the rest of the stories, rain appears when characters are feeling strong emotions or facing significant life changes. Mai's boat is knocked off-course by a rainstorm; it rains as Henry stumbles around drunkenly before his daughter's concert; Jaime listens to the rain while lying awake the night before his fight. This motif of rain connects the settings and tones of Le's stories even though they take place in different countries and time periods; the motif also makes sense symbolically because rain represents a build-up and release of pressure.
Sunny Weather (Motif)
In contrast to Le's motif rain, Le uses sunny weather to represent stasis. This can be seen most prominently in the title story of the collection, "The Boat." Mai and the other refugees on the boat first experience a rainstorm soon after they leave Vietnam, which represents the transition away from Mai's old life. The refugees then face countless days of sun beating down on them, causing dehydration, sunburns, and delirium. The sunny weather and open sky seem to stretch on forever, representing how Mai does not see a way out of the situation.
Truong (Symbol)
Truong is a character in "The Boat," a young boy who is the son of Quyen, Mai's closest friend on the boat. To Mai, Truong represents her family. She sees her brother reflected in him, but, more importantly, she also sees her father, to whom she became somewhat estranged after his time in a reeducation camp. This symbolism is particularly important to understanding the end of "The Boat." Just when land has been sighted, Truong dies of a sickness that has been going around the boat. Mai also had this sickness, but she recovered. This represents Mai losing her family as she embarks on her new life, as well as showing that she is the only one who made it out of the horrible situation in Vietnam.
Elise's Cello (Symbol)
In "Meeting Elise," it is explained that Henry had very little involvement in his daughter's life since her mother took her away to Russia when she was just one year old. The only contact Henry had was when he sent large sums of money, particularly to support his daughter's musical development by buying her a top-of-the-line cello. This was something Henry could feel proud of helping to nurture since he was an artist himself. When Elise comes to the United States to perform, it is likely that she brought along her prized cello, representing her carrying a piece of her father with her. However, after refusing to see her father, she writes him a letter saying she will pay him back for the cello. This demonstrates that she has reached adulthood, decided that she does not need her father for anything, and is ready to completely cut him out of her life.
