How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
They asked—no, told—him to stop speaking their native Chinese. It was 1942, and they were desperate for him to learn English. Which only made Henry more confused when his father pinned a button to his school shirt that read, "I Am Chinese." (3.1)
How weird is it that Henry's parents don't want him to speak Chinese anymore… but insist that he wear an "I Am Chinese" button every time he leaves the house? Talk about conflicting messages.
Quote #2
Since Henry couldn't ask in Cantonese and his parents barely understood English, he dropped the matter, grabbed his lunch and book bag, and headed down the stairs and out into the salty, fishy air of Seattle's Chinatown. (3.8)
Forcing Henry to only speak English means that he and his parents rarely communicate anymore; they can't even have ordinary conversations about how their days went. They can only nod and smile at each other.
Quote #3
Henry smiled and replied in his best English, "I'm going to open an umbrella in my pants." His father nodded a stern approval, as if Henry had quoted some profound Western philosophy. (4.3)
If Henry can't talk to his parents, he can at least have some fun with the language barrier. Because they don't understand a single thing he says, he can spout absolute nonsense and they'll still think that he's saying something meaningful.