Zou Lei

Zou Lei is one of three major characters and the one the novel arguably focuses on the most. She is an intelligent woman who is capable of adapting to her situation. She learned English through television and her various odd jobs. Zou Lei is also a hard worker, willing to sell DVDs, work for managers that do not respect her, and even hike 20 miles to a factory to make ends meet. Her love for Skinner is real. However, Zou Lei has an immature mindset at the beginning of the story. She expects the American dream to be as easy to obtain as it sounds. Only through hardship does she realize that that is not the case. Throughout the novel she realizes that she is relying on Skinner too much for her green card. She feels guilting for placing more pressure on him when she knows he is...