A coin (symbol)
A coin is a symbol of happiness. According to Chinese traditions, the quarter is used for buying “more candy” after a memorial service, because it is “a traditional token of lasting life and enduring happiness”. Henry didn’t use his coin on the day of Ethel’s funeral. It was “all he had left of Ethel”. It was a simple coin, the one no one would pay attention to, but to Henry “it was a promise of something better”. When Henry places the coin on “top of Ethel’s headstone”, he hopes she would “be happy without me”.
Jazz (allegory)
Jazz is an allegory of acceptance and freedom. Henry and Keiko wanted to be accepted by the society, dreamt of being treated equally, hoped for friendship, but the society was not ready to tame its bigotry. Henry likes jazz “because it is so different, but people everywhere still like it, they just accept musicians, no matter what color they are”. If people can like something as diverse and unique as jazz, they can also try and get rid of stereotypes.
Find the sweet among the bitter (motif)
Henry’s life has never been easy, but he does what he always did and manages to “find the sweet among the bitter”. He was separated from Keiko, but he met Ethel and was happy with her. Not to mention that Ethel gave birth to their son. However, he couldn’t forget about Keiko, his thoughts kept wandering back to her. Ethel and Marty were the sweet among the bitter. After Ethel’s death, Henry was left heartbroken, but he learned that Keiko was alive and missed him as much as he missed her, so they become “the sweet among the bitter” for each other.
