How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Before the altar, which was laden with offerings for the ancestors, Grandfather sat, telling stories to the very old and the very young. (1.81)
Grandfather is the patriarch--the male head honcho—of the Wong clan in China. The ritual of the New Year's festival is one constant in Shirley's life since it happens every year, and he always performs the same rites. Shirley is so much a part of the Wong family dynamic that, when she's in China, she's inextricable from her relatives. There's a concrete, unchanging structure, and she's a part of it.
Quote #2
Grandfather tapped his pipe once more, calling the clansmen to order. Straightening his back, he pronounced the official words. "I, as Patriarch, do hereby advise my clansmen that my sixth grandchild, the thirty-third member of the House of Wong now living under the ancestral roofs, and one of the thirty-ninth generation registered in the Clan Book, will now be known as Shirley Temple Wong. (1.112)
Here's the beginning of the change. Shirley updates her name from Sixth Cousin to Shirley Temple Wong and, in doing so, begins to extract herself from the Wong family as she's known it. She carves out a bit of her own identity, separate from that of her other relatives. This is the first time she is able to assert herself independent of others.
Quote #3
Taking one of Father's hands in her left and one of Mother's in her right, Shirley jumped up and down. "Take us home, Father. Take us home." (2.41)
Shirley's immediate family—her parents—doesn't change as she moves to New York City. They remain constant, but the circumstances around her alter drastically. They will be the one familiar thing in a sea of newness for her.
Quote #4
Still, Bandit dared not ask. How many times had she been told that no proper member of an upright Confucian family ever questioned the conduct of elders? Or that children must wait until invited to speak? Countless times. Only the aged were considered wise. Even the opinion of her father, the youngest son of the Patriarch, did not matter. No wonder he had gone away to seek his fortune. (1.4)
The tradition of Chinese families hangs over Shirley's head big-time. The old folks have the biggest cred in her culture, especially her grandma, and young folks don't get to say anything. This is just one Chinese cultural tradition that forms the basis for Shirley's behavior as she leaves China and evolves as she goes to America.
Quote #5
Grandmother was the matriarch of the House of Wong. What she ordered was always done. What she said was always so. (1.38)
Grandma is the number one person in the House of Wong, so you'd best not disrespect her. Shirley has to obey her and is afraid of her punishments; she's the pillar of her community. When Shirley leaves for America, she doesn't have that same center of what to do and what not do to—without Grandmother, she has to create it for herself.
Quote #6
Later Shirley wrote a letter to Fourth Cousin and boasted of how she had triumphed on her very first day in Brooklyn. Naturally, she did not mention the little mishap. Why worry the clan unnecessarily? She would never be lost again. (2.135)
Liar, liar, pants on fire. Shirley fibs to her cousin, leaving out the fact that she got lost trying to run an errand for her dad. Fourth Cousin is her best friend, so she wants to impress her and also not to worry anyone. Because the Wong family is all together, presumably Fourth Cousin is going to share the news with everyone, so Shirley's being considerate of her family and bragging all at once.
Quote #7
"Always be worthy my daughter, of your good fortune. Born to an illustrious clan from the ancient civilizations of China, you now live in the land of plenty and opportunity. By your conduct show that you deserve to enjoy the best of both worlds." (4.31)
Shirley has to carry the weight of her family's reputation on her back. Even when she's a kid in a new environment, she can't forget that she represents the Wongs and the entire country of China. That's a lot of pressure for a little kid. How's she supposed to enjoy her life and become American with that weight on her back?
Quote #8
The worst part of it was that Father did not even notice her unhappiness, her goodness. He hummed as he puttered. How could grown-ups be so blind to the pain of those younger and shorter than they? It was not fair. (8.39)
When cleaning up their basement, Shirley's father drags her into it. She's moping about during the summer and hates it—like any kid, she resents her dad for making her do some dirty work with him. And like any dad, this doesn't stop him from making her help out.
Quote #9
Her clansmen pointed and began to laugh. She called their names, reminded them of the memories they shared. There was no sign that they understood a word. (9.20)
In a dream, Shirley imagines that she's changed so much her cousins don't recognize her. She's afraid she's become so Americanized that the Wongs, still Chinese to the core, won't consider her one of them if she sees them again. Can family still be family even if people grow and change? Definitely.
Quote #10
Most importantly, she would tell him about the life he would probably never know, the life she had once lived in Chungking. (12.47)
When Shirley's baby brother is born, she plans to help him have the best of both worlds—American and Chinese. He might not ever live in China, but she'll teach him all that she learned from growing up in both places. She's going to help him have the best from both worlds.