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Character Role Analysis

Keiko and Ethel

Keiko and Ethel are, as far as we know, the only two women Henry ever loves, with Ethel picking up where Keiko leaves off. Okay, it's more like Keiko's kicked off the Henry Love Train by his dad who messes with their ability to keep in touch with each other, but whatever.

Keiko is Henry's first love and childhood best friend; he'd do anything for her and always remembers the purity and strength of their connection. But Ethel is the woman who stands by Henry throughout his whole adult life. She's also the kind of woman that his parents always wanted him to marry, a nice Chinese American woman from a good family. Despite the fact that he loves them both, Henry manages to remain loyal to both Keiko and Ethel: He ends up marrying Ethel and having a child with her, but after she dies, he seeks out Keiko—his first true love.