Tasha

Tasha, the doll, symbolizes Sylvie’s deep, everlasting love for Grandma. Grandma made Tasha by hand and gave it to Sylvie when Sylvie was a young child. Sylvie loved the doll but misplaced it before moving to New York. When Sylvie returns as an adult to visit Grandma, Grandma finds the doll and lovingly gives it back to Sylvie.

Racism

The central characters’ experiences of racism symbolize the destructive and universal nature of racial oppression. The novel’s central characters are all of Chinese descent, and they all experience acts of racist aggression in their respective homes of New York and Holland. The ubiquitous and distressing natures of these experiences showcase the persistently harmful presence of racism in modern times.

Teaching Credentials

Amy’s lack of official teaching credentials symbolizes the inevitability of personal setbacks. All of the characters in the novel experience personal hardships and...