Language Barriers
One of the novel's major themes is how the linguistic barrier Hà faces when adapting to her new life as a Vietnamese refugee in America leads to frustration and despair. Upon arrival in Alabama, Hà's mother tells her children that they must forget about every other concern and focus on learning English, as her mother knows the language barrier will be the biggest hurdle to integration into American society. While her older brother Quang had learned English at university, Hà is at a disadvantage in Alabama. On top of the humiliation of being made to repeat the fourth grade, Hà encounters condescending attitudes from her teacher Miss Scott, who applauds her efforts to display rudimentary knowledge. Hà also is less able to defend herself against the playground taunts to which she is subjected.
Warfare
The theme of warfare plays out in the novel in both overt and nuanced ways. The most obvious example of warfare in the novel is the Vietnam War closing in on Ha's family, prompting them to leave Saigon to escape the advancing armies of the communist North. In America, Hà encounters a lower-key form of warfare in the form of the prejudice to which she is subjected at school. However, Hà stands up to Pink Boy and shows an equal display of force. With the help of her brothers, she resolves the situation, finding that she is able to go about her life in peace.
Cultural Difference
In addition to the language barrier, Hà must overcome the cultural differences she comes up against in Alabama. She has her first taste of American cultural differences in the form of food: while waiting for resettlement on Guam, Ha must eat gluey canned potatoes and beef. Later she finds that her host's fried chicken is flavorless, akin to bread soaked in water. On a social level, she encounters religious prejudice from local Baptists, such as her host's wife, who disapprove of unbaptized people. Ultimately, Hà's mother teaches her daughter that they must learn to compromise, and steadily their new lives will blend with their old lives until it no longer matters which is which.
Adaptation
Throughout the novel, Hà and her family are faced with scenarios in which they are forced to adapt—linguistically, culturally, economically, and socially. Knowing that they are starting life fresh at the society's lowest rung, as Quang says, the family's ability to adapt to their new and often trying circumstances is what will enable them to thrive in the United States. Ultimately, the family manages to maintain the routines and rituals of their lives in Vietnam while incorporating cultural elements from their new home.
Racism
Having grown up in a more ethnically homogenous society in Vietnam, Hà is confused to witness American racism. At school, she sees how the lunchroom is divided in terms of race, with white kids on one side and black kids on another. But she has no lens through which to make sense of the phenomenon, knowing nothing of America's history of racial segregation. Likewise, Hà doesn't understand why people are throwing eggs and bricks at her house, or why she becomes the target of Pink Boy's bullying. It is only once her brother Khôi explains that he receives the same taunts that she understands she is being targeted because of her ethnicity. Once she knows, she wishes she could go back to being ignorant.
Generosity
While many of the American characters in the novel treat Hà and her family with suspicion, characters such as their host, Mrs. Washington, and Pam help the refugees feel welcome in Alabama. They show their generosity with practical assistance, such as housing and English lessons, and through gifts. Their host and Mrs. Washington also develop a protectiveness over Hà, going to her school to address the issue of Hà being bullied. Amidst the adversity Hà and her family experience, generosity prevails, showing that the kindness of a few outweighs the indifference of many.
Luck
The novel begins on Tet, the lunar new year, which establishes how the family's luck for the year will go. Hà defies her mother by waking earlier than everyone else to bless the tile floor with her big toe. Predicting accurately, the teller of fate says the family's lives will be turned inside out. Later in the novel, Hà admits what she has done, and tells her mother she is worried she has ruined the family's luck. Her mother says it is just a superstition and tries to make Hà see that they are lucky to have made it out of Vietnam and been resettled in America. While Hà has difficulty adopting her mother's perspective, by the end of the novel, Hà has adapted to her new life. With a new Tet, the family's luck will be renewed for the year.
