Quote 22
And my mother loved to show me off, like one of the many trophies she polished. She used to discuss my games as if she had devised the strategies.
"I told my daughter, Use your horses to run over the enemy," she informed one shopkeeper. "She won very quickly this way. And of course, she had said this before the game – that a hundred other useless things that had nothing to do with my winning. (III.2.12)
Lindo is very proud of her daughter and likes to feel as though she had a hand in her daughter’s success – and likely she has. Waverly, however, doesn’t appreciate her mom’s claims on her success – she wants to feel like her victories are completely her own.
Quote 23
"But if he is not a citizen, you should immediately do number two. See here, you should have a baby. Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter in the United States. Neither will take care of you in your old age, isn’t that true?" And we both laughed. (IV.3.44)
The joke is that, unlike Chinese children, American children don’t take care of their parents.
Quote 24
It started to rain again, just a light rain. The people from downstairs called up to me once again to hurry. And my thoughts became more urgent, more strange.
I asked myself, what is true about a person? Would I change in the same way the river changes color but still be the same person? And then I saw the curtains blowing wildly, and outside rain was falling harder, causing everyone to scurry and shout. I smiled. And then I realized it was the first time I could see the power of the wind. I couldn’t see the wind itself, but I could see it carried the water that filled the rivers and shaped the countryside. It caused men to yelp and dance.
I wiped my eyes and looked in the mirror. I was surprised at what I saw. I had on a beautiful red dress, but what I saw was even more valuable. I was strong. I was pure. I had genuine thoughts inside that no one could see, that no one could ever take away from me. I was like the wind.
I threw my head back and smiled proudly to myself. And then I draped the large embroidered red scarf over my face and covered these thoughts up. But underneath the scarf I still knew who I was. I made a promise to myself: I would always remember my parents’ wishes, but I would never forget myself. (I.3.45)
The night of her wedding, Lindo "discovers herself," so to speak. She decides that she doesn’t need to give up her inner identity, even though her new family has definitely been trying hard to make her give up her own sense of self. Lindo decides that she has an unchanging core and an invisible inner strength, which cannot be taken from her even though it may be hidden beneath a veil of seeming obedience and passivity.