Every history has more than one thread, each thread a story of division.
-- Narrator (Pages 1 - 65)

Importance: The narrator says this in immediate reference to the migration of the monarch butterflies. The line, however, also speaks to the narrative structure as a whole. Like the movements and patterns of the monarch colony's lives, so the narrator's story is comprised of multiple strands. He uses this concept to shape his letter to his mother, combining once disparate memories and thoughts into a cohesive storied unit.

That night I promised myself I'd never be wordless when you needed me to speak for you.
-- Narrator (Pages 1 - 65)

Importance: The narrator makes this declaration after he fails to help Rose and Lan translate their order at the butcher shop. It is after this night that he realizes how much his mother needs him to play the role of family interpreter. This instance initiates many of the complexities of the narrator's relationship with...