Character Analysis
Kristina and her family briefly go to visit her grandmother in San Francisco around Kristina's seventeenth birthday. Clearly, Grandma is in her final days—she has dementia and has mostly lost control of her speech and mind. After all, she stands up in church and announces that she has to go to the bathroom (I Would Celebrate Several Ways.6-7).
Even though she has good moments and bad moments, Grandma still manages to be a source of strength and kindness for Kristina. For Kristina's birthday, her grandmother gives her her own grandmother's locket, with pictures inside of both their wedding days. "I ask only one thing," Grandma tells her. "Please pass it on to your own granddaughter" (In One of Her Better Moments.4). In spite of her condition, she still obviously values tradition in her family and particularly wants to establish a connection with Kristina before her death.