Knife (mispronunciation) - "How to Pronounce Knife"

The child's mispronunciation of the word "knife" in "How to Pronounce Knife" is a symbol of her difference and alienation from her classmates. As a Lao immigrant in a seemingly white-majority classroom, the narrator already looks different from her peers, but when she mispronounces "knife" while reading, using the pronunciation her father has given her, that difference is made more apparent. She refuses to believe her classmates when they correct her because she has a hard time believing that her father could be wrong.

Nose Job - "Paris"

In "Paris," the nose job Red contemplates getting is a symbol of her desire to assimilate and to conform to the white beauty standards of her boss, Tommy. It is noted that several women at the chicken processing plant where Red works have gotten nose jobs and then been promoted to working...