Pair Of Tickets
From the first breath of life, people begin to develop a sense of who they are. Cultural heritage is the source of identity and the key to what sets nations apart from one another. Amy Tan’s short story “A Pair of Tickets” illustrates the journey that a mother and a daughter face trying to understand the different cultures and perspectives of the Chinese and American way of thinking. Through the use of setting and theme, Tan demonstrates the importance of family, heritage, and identity. From a young age, Jing-Mei, the protagonist of the story, has been struggling to find her ethnic identity. “I was fifteen and had vigorously denied that I had any Chinese whatsoever below my skin. I was a sophomore at Galileo High in San Francisco, and all
…show more content…
Jing-Mei’s trip to China is initially to fulfill her mother’s wishes of going home, but it is essentially a personal attempt to connect with her Chinese heritage. Her initial thought of China was that it was going to be a poor and corrupted country — assumptions she collected from her mother’s stories. However, China was not what she had anticipated. “We are caught in a stream of people rushing, and shoving, pushing us along, until we find ourselves in one of a dozen lines waiting to go through customs. I feel as if I were getting on a number 30 Stockton bus in San Francisco. I am in China, I remind myself. And somehow the crowds don’t bother me.” (183). Tan gives the reader a glimpse of Chinese culture and society, which is far different from the American stereotypes of China. The similarities between modern China and the city of San Francisco gave Jing-Mei a feeling of home and comfort. “The minute our train leaves the Hong Kong border and enters Shenzen, China, I feel different. I can feel the skin on my forehead tingling, my blood rushing through a new course, my bones aching with a familiar old pain. And I think, My mother was right. I am becoming Chinese.” (179) For the first time in her life, she felt a sense of connection to her family and heritage. At this moment, Jing-Mei begins the process of self-discovery as an Asian-American
Jing-Mei’s trip to China is initially to fulfill her mother’s wishes of going home, but it is essentially a personal attempt to connect with her Chinese heritage. Her initial thought of China was that it was going to be a poor and corrupted country — assumptions she collected from her mother’s stories. However, China was not what she had anticipated. “We are caught in a stream of people rushing, and shoving, pushing us along, until we find ourselves in one of a dozen lines waiting to go through customs. I feel as if I were getting on a number 30 Stockton bus in San Francisco. I am in China, I remind myself. And somehow the crowds don’t bother me.” (183). Tan gives the reader a glimpse of Chinese culture and society, which is far different from the American stereotypes of China. The similarities between modern China and the city of San Francisco gave Jing-Mei a feeling of home and comfort. “The minute our train leaves the Hong Kong border and enters Shenzen, China, I feel different. I can feel the skin on my forehead tingling, my blood rushing through a new course, my bones aching with a familiar old pain. And I think, My mother was right. I am becoming Chinese.” (179) For the first time in her life, she felt a sense of connection to her family and heritage. At this moment, Jing-Mei begins the process of self-discovery as an Asian-American