Quote 10
I will use this sharp pain to penetrate my daughter’s tough skin and cut her tiger spirit loose. She will fight me, because this is the nature of two tigers. But I will win and give her my spirit, because this is the way a mother loves her daughter. (IV.2.80)
Ying-ying believes that she must give Lena her spirit. A mother must sometimes cause her daughter pain, but it is borne out of great love and intended to help her daughter have a better future. This is similar to how An-mei’s mother killed herself, causing her daughter pain, but ultimately giving An-mei a better life.
Quote 11
All these years I kept my true nature hidden, running along like a small shadow so nobody could catch me. And because I moved so secretly now my daughter does not see me. She sees a list of things to buy, her checkbook out of balance, her ashtray sitting crooked on a straight table. (I.4.2)
Ying-ying claims that she has always kept her true nature hidden "like a shadow" – we will see what this means in our next quote.
Quote 12
Standing perfectly still like that, I discovered my shadow. At first it was just a dark spot on the bamboo mats that covered the courtyard bricks. It had short legs and long arms, a dark coiled braid just like mine. When I shook my head, it shook its head. We flapped our arms. We raised one leg. I turned to walk away and it followed me. I lifted the bamboo mat to see if I could peel off my shadow, but it was under the mat, on the brick. I shrieked with delight at my shadow’s own cleverness. I ran to the shade under the tree, watching my shadow chase me. It disappeared. I loved my shadow, this dark side of me that had my same restless nature. (I.4.53)
Ying-ying’s shadow is restless, clever, and adventurous – just like her, she says. This darker shadow side of Ying-ying, we later learn, is part of her identity as a Tiger – the two tones of the tiger stripes represent the golden nature and the dark, cunning nature.