A Pair of Tickets, Essay Example

The story described in “A Pair of Tickets” is describing a journey of an American-Chinese woman. While the storyline suggests that the character’s travels and experiences are simply geographical, the author also describes another movement: a spiritual journey of “becoming Chinese”. The below essay will review the symbolism, narrative imagery, and the unique cultural messages that are present in the story.

The physical journey

As the character, June May crosses the border of Hong Kong to arrive at China, she is nearing her journey. She is looking forward to seeing her twin sisters she never met, and her “Chinese” family. While she has some ideas about how the country would look like, she realizes that it is not much different from America. She is excited to see her family. She remembers when her mother proposed to go to China to see them in a letter, and how she imagined the girls: “and I had imagined my sisters now being ten or eleven, jumping up and down, holding hands, their pigtails bouncing, excited that their mother … was coming” (Tan 155).  She also imagines the girls standing at the airport gate. She is full of anticipation, and when she finally meets her family, she finds that being “reunited” is simply normal.

Spiritual journey

The story starts with the statement of June May, reflecting on what her mother said about her being “Chinese”. At that time, she was at a denial stage, and today, after completing the journey, she realizes that her mother was right. She reflects: “today I realize I’ve never known what it means to be Chinese”(Tan 154). She finally starts asking questions, passing the denial stage, she becomes interested in both her family and the Chinese culture. She opens her heart to hear the story of her mother leaving China.

The imagery

The main character, June May is described as an educated, American woman. She is independent, and likes her life. She has makeup on the picture that was taken for her passport, but wears none for the journey. She is worried that the customs officer would think she forged her passport. The image of a made up, American girl is fighting with the woman who does not want to hide her cultural identity. The image of her aunt brings back her memories of the mother she lost; “I know it’s not my mother, yet it is the same look she had when I was five and had disappeared all afternoon”…(Tan 166).

Symbolism

The main source of symbolism in the story is based on the meanings of the characters’ names. June May’s original Chinese name means “the younger sister who was…the essence of the others” (Tan 245). Her mother’s name represents an even stronger symbolism: “long-cherished wish” (Tan 249) The wish that is mentioned in the name can be that her mother can see her daughters and the rest of the family again. While she died before she could complete the journey, Jing-mei (June May) is able to fulfill the wish and become “Chinese”.

Conclusion

The story of June May’s travels do not only tell the reader how one can reflect on their heritage, but also depicts someone’s journey to self-discovery. The main character finally stops denying that she is Chinese, and accepts that the culture, traditions, and family ties are a crucial part of her understanding of the self. Adams (64) concludes that Jing-mei “apparently re-establishes contact with Suyuan, her late Chinese mother”.

Works Cited

Adams, B. “Amy Tan”. Contemporary World Writers. 2005. Print.

Tan, A. “A Pair of Tickets”. 1982. Print.