“Double Face” Lindo Jong (Mother); Waverly JOng (Daughter)

NOTES

1. Lindo says that she wants her daughter to have “American circumstances and Chinese character.” Lindo wants Waverly to have American circumstances or the freedom to change the circumstances of her birth. In America, people can attend any church they want; a poor person can become a rich person. Lindo wants her daughter to have Chinese character, which means to obey her parents, listen to her mother’s mind, and learn to hide her thoughts and feelings so she can take advantage of hidden opportunities.

2. Waverly likes being a person of two faces. She is a clever woman who lives her life like a chess game. She shows one face to the world, but underneath, her intentions may be totally different. This way she is able to manipulate situations to her advantage so she can get what she wants.

3. The crooked nose represents the dual heritage both women encompass. Lindo was born and raised in China, but she has, over the years, developed the look of an American so that when she visits China, she is treated as an outsider. Waverly is of Chinese descent, so she physically looks like her mother, but she is raised an American. Their noses are crooked because they are part of both cultures and are not purely American or Chinese.