How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
When I was in love with Marvin, he was nearly perfect…But by the time my mother had had her say about him, I saw his brain had shrunk from laziness, so that now it was good only for thinking up excuses. He chased golf and tennis balls to run away from family responsibilities. His eyes wandered up and down other girls’ legs, so he didn’t know how to drive home straight anymore. (III.2.74)
Lindo points out inescapable truths about Marvin; he is perfect in Waverly’s eyes no longer.
Quote #8
The minute our train leaves the Hong Kong border and enters Shenzhen, 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. (IV.4.1)
According to Suyuan, Chinese-ness is passed on in the blood and lies dormant until the bearer (Jing-mei) enters China.
Quote #9
The gray-green surface changes to the bright colors of our three images, sharpening and deepening all at once. And although we don’t speak, I know we all see it: Together we look like our mother. Her same eyes, her same mouth, open in surprise to see, at last, her long-cherished wish. (IV.4.146)
Collectively, the meeting of Jing-mei and her sisters evoke their mother’s spirit.