The pigeons
The author symbolically uses the pigeons to represent perfect distraction. Mr. Spring has been hearing the secret talk of women unintentionally. When trying to avoid listening to the women talk, the pigeons appear and circle his head. The author writes, "The pigeons, circled his head. He felt in his pocket for a li-chi which he usually carried for their pecking." The pigeons distract Mr. Spring from the women's talk, and he focuses on finding something for them to peck.
Arranged Marriages
Arranged marriages in the story represent ancient Chinese culture. Laura is secretly in love with Kai Tzu, but she does not want her parents to know about it because it goes against the Chinese culture. Laura's parents have already arranged her marriage with the Chinese schoolmaster’s eldest son. Laura knows this arrangement, but she is not in love with the son of the schoolmaster. The arranged marriage symbolizes the ancient mindset in the Americanized Chinese parents who still believe that it is their responsibility to find suitors for their daughters and sons. For instance, Laura's marriage was arranged when she turned fifteen years old without her knowledge. The author writes, "Therefore, Chin Yuen's parents had betrothed their daughter, Laura, at the age of fifteen, to the eldest son of the Chinese Government schoolteacher in San Francisco.”
Dozens of Babies (Symbol)
The reader realizes that Mrs. Spring Fragrance loves babies when she visits her cousin in Clay street. One of the things she loves is visiting her friends to see the dozens of babies born since she last visited the city. The dozens of babies are symbolically used by the author to represent Mrs. Spring's love for babies. She had her babies, but unfortunately, all died at an early age. The author writes, "Mrs. Spring Fragrance loved babies. She had two herself, but both had been transplanted into the spirit land before the completion of even one moon.”
Ah Oi
Ah Oi symbolizes the true character of an Americanized Chinese girl. Ah Oi is a pretty Chinese girl who loves partying. The author writes, “It was one of the theater parties that Mrs. Spring met Ah Oi, a young girl who had the reputation of being the prettiest Chinese girl in San Francisco, and the naughtiest.” Unlike old-fashioned Chinese parents living in America, the young Chinese born in America have completely transformed into the American culture. The young Chinese teens want to choose spouses of their preferences. On the contrary, Chinese parents want to preserve their culture by arranging marriages for their children.
Mrs. Spring’s Letter to Laura
Mrs. Spring's letter to Laura symbolizes the fulfillment of inner desire. Lately, Laura has been suffering because she was destined to marry a man she does not love. Mrs. Spring had done everything to comfort her, but she remained confused despite showing bright eyes. When Mrs. Goes visits her cousin in the Golden Gate City Park, she later meets Ah Oi, the prettiest Chinese girl who is already in love with the eldest son of the Chinese Government teacher. Mrs. Spring finds this as good news because at last Laura will end up marrying the man of her dreams but not the arranged one by her parents.
