Jing-Mei Woo-->A Pair of Tickets: Chapter 16-term: epiphany

Queen Mother of the Western Skies

The last chapter of the book is about Jing-Mei going to China to find her long lost sisters.  She starts out wondering what about her makes her Chinese.  She is frustrated and confused with the different cultures and where she belongs.  After thinking back to what her mother said about it being in her blood, she has an epiphany.  Jing-Mei exclaims, "And whens she said this, I saw myself transforming like a werewolf, a mutant tag of DNA suddenly triggered, replicating itself insidiously into a syndrome, a cluster of telltale Chinese behaviors..." (267).  She realizes that her mother was right all along.  The chapter continues with their long train ride to see her father's aunt.  They stop to visit with her awhile while they are in China.  Jing-Mei starts to get nervous to meet her sisters.  She does not know exactly what she is going to say.  Finally, in hope to fulfill her mother's dream, she meets her sisters.  She says she doesn't see a trace of their mother in them, but they look familiar.  She says, "And now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood. After all these years, it can finally be let go" (288).  I felt like this sentence wrapped up the book perfectly, because the whole book has been about the importance of family.  This last chapter reminded me of brothers and sisters that are reunited later in life.  This book really taught me the importance of family and culture.