The Stories of Sui Sin Far Literary Elements

Short fiction

“Mrs. Spring Fragrance” and “Its wavering Image” are set in America in predominantly Chinese-American communities.

“Mrs. Spring Fragrance” and “Its wavering Image” are narrated in third-person voices.

The tone in "Mrs. Spring Fragrance" is adulatory, whereas the mood endorses assimilation. In "Its wavering Image," the tone is hypercritical, whereas the mood encourages alienation.

In "Mrs. Spring Fragrance," Mrs. Spring Fragrance is the protagonist. In "Its wavering Image," Pan is the protagonist, whereas Mark Carson is the antagonist.

In both "Mrs. Spring Fragrance" and "Its wavering Image," the conflicts entail reconciling the protagonists' dual identities of being both American and Chinese.

In "Mrs. Spring Fragrance," the climax occurs when Laura learns that her arranged marriage will not occur. In "Its wavering Image," the climax occurs when Pan proudly embraces her Chinese ethnicity.

Mrs. Spring Fragrance's assurance of Laura in "Mrs. Spring Fragrance" foreshadows Laura's successful love story with Kai Tzu.

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"Its Wavering Image" employs historical allusion by citing the "Sam Yups."

"Mrs. Spring Fragrance" alludes to literature by incorporating poets attributed to American poets.

The imageries of white and Chinese races are predominant in both “Mrs. Spring Fragrance” and “Its wavering Image.” The exploration of Chinese culture in both stories presents real imageries found in a Chinese community.

In "Its wavering Image," Mark Carson's insistence on claiming that Pan is a white woman after she declares that she is Chinese is a paradox that underscores their divergent world views on the issue of race. Additionally, Mark Carson employs paradox when he remarks about Pan's concurrent beauty and ugliness.

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In “Mrs. Spring Fragrance,” a moon connotes a month. A sword connotes betrayal or backstabbing in “Its Wavering Image.”

Mrs. Spring Fragrance personifies stars in “Mrs. Spring Fragrance.” Mark Carson personifies a kiss in "Its Wavering Image," implying that the kiss spoke like a human being.