*Describe two to three symbols from the story and suggest what they symbolize.

The Jade Peony

At the dawn of the 20th century, the peony was declared to be the National Flower of China. Jade is the gemstone most associated with Chinese cultural artifacts. Together, the combination of peony and jade make for perhaps the quintessential symbol of Chinese history and heritage. That the titular symbol is most strongly associated with the grandmother fighting against assimilation into Canadian society, it takes on even greater meaning.

Shirley Temple

In a way, Shirley Temple is the perfect symbolic counterpoint to the jade peony. Liang’s obsession with the talented young girl who was the most popular movie star in the world in the 1930’s is authentic. The grandmother’s resistance to anything having to do with such an icon of western culture is perfectly understandable. Jade is ancient and peonies are eternal. By the 1940’s, Shirley Temple’s movie career was over and she becomes a symbol—for the grandmother at least—of the emptiness and ephemeral quality of western culture.

Wind Chimes

The wind chimes are instruments not of music, but of navigation. The sound of the chimes helps those ghostly spirits find their way back home. For a story set in Canada about Chinese immigrants dealing with assimilation into western culture, the symbolism is manifest.