The story “A Pair of Tickets”, Essay Example

The story “A Pair of Tickets” is describing a journey of an American-Chinese woman.  Amy Tan discusses the relations of heritage, place, and ethnic identity. At young age, Jin-Mei denied her ethnic identity.   She took a journey to China to fulfill her mother’s wishes of her to locate her abandoned twin sister. Jin-Mei mother’s is no longer alive, but Jin-Mei is trying to carry her mother’s dream of coming home. While the storyline suggests that the Jin-Mei travels and experiences are simply geographical, the author also describes another movement that consists of a spiritual journey of “becoming Chinese.” Tan uses symbolism, narrative imagery, and the unique cultural messages toconvey the life of a young woman by examining how American influences have altered her ability to accept ethnic identity.

Jin-Mei has refused to accept the fact that she is Chinese and has mixed emotions about traveling to China. For example, “I was 15 and had a vigorously denied that I had any Chinese whatsoever under my skin” Before arriving to China, June has a negative perspective of China because she is comparing it to America. She thought of China as dirty place because the country was run by communist.  As the character, June May crosses the border of Hong Kong to arrive at China, the author is symbolically representing the split in emotions June May is experiencing. Although she is looking forward to seeing her twin sisters she has never met, she has some anxiety about being in China. While she had some ideas about how the country would be, she realizes that it is not much different from America. This realization by June May is symbolic because it confirms that she really doesn’t know who she is. She had when I was five and had disappeared all afternoon” (Tan 166).Yet, the main source of symbolism in the story is centered around 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”.

Tan begins the story by reflecting on something that June’s mother said and ends the story with a statement made by June. Tan uses this to show the transition that June has made. In the beginning, June was in a state of denial; however, 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 once she passed the denial stage. Just as many people that parents moved to America when they were young or were born in America denied their ethnicity, June did not have a clear concept of her ethnicity. Many non-native Americans begin to feel that their original culture is inferior to the American culture they have become an active part of. They want to be true Americans in every sense of the word. Nonetheless, when June becomes interested in both her family and the Chinese culture, she realizes that it is possible to embrace both American and Chinese culture.June opens her heart to hear the story of her mother leaving China.

The main character, Jin-Mei 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).

The story of June May’s travels does not only convey to the reader how one can reflect on their heritage, but also depicts a 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 herself. Adams (64) concludes that Jing-mei “apparently re-establishes contact with Suyuan, her late Chinese mother”. This journey has allowed June to realize just how important family, culture, and heritage are. June is able to embrace the Chinese heritage without forsaking her American upbringing. Tan is trying to convey to the reader that no one culture, heritage, or belief system is better than another, but together they form a unique person.