Fiction Comparisons Through Symbolism and Settings: "A Pair of Tickets" and "Volar" Anonymous College

Amy Tan’s “A Pair of Tickets” and Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “Volar” both use symbolism and distinct settings to portray the lives and feelings of two young girls that originate from a different cultural background. Although these girls are different in the way they lead their lives and the way their nationality impacts them on a daily basis, they both struggle with cultural related problems many people living in a place that is not where they originated from have to deal with. Both of the short stories use similar styles of setting and symbolism to describe two very different problems these young girls have to face because of who they are and where they are from. The setting of each story gives the audience insight of why the characters feel, act, and react in the manner they do. The subtle but powerful symbolism used throughout the stories help create more depth and meaning impacting the main characters.

“A Pair of Tickets” is about the narrator Jing- Mei going to China for the first time and discovering what makes her Chinese. Growing up in California, she has assimilated with the American way of life and the cultures in the country. She insisted that she does not feel Chinese on the inside at all even though her parents were both...