49 pages • 1 hour read
Gloria ChaoAmerican Panda
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 19-23Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 19 Summary: “Clash of Cultures”
When Mei receives Xing and Esther’s wedding invitation in the mail and sees that her parents aren’t invited, she feels nostalgic for when her family was united. At Chow Chow, a family friend recognizes Mei from her dim sum meeting with Xing, which shocks her parents. They explode with anger, and Mei reveals that she sought out Xing and that she will not be a doctor. Her parents accuse her of being ungrateful and rejecting their cultural traditions. Mei tries to communicate her anxieties about her identity, but they don’t understand; they disown her and leave. Mei calls Xing in tears. He picks her up and tries to console her by claiming that their rejection gets easier to handle over time, even though he misses them.
That night, Nicolette reveals that she has been trying to overcome her shy high school persona by feigning confidence. Mei tells her about her disownment in tears, and Nicolette claims that Mei is better off without her parents. Suddenly, Nicolette’s former lover slides frozen urine under their door as revenge for contracting chlamydia from her.
Later, Nicolette takes Mei chair surfing as a “hack.” They slide down underground tunnels on rolling chairs, and Mei feels briefly free. When she slides into Darren, he joins in their adventures. The three of them sneak onto the domed roof of a campus building to stargaze. Nicolette sneaks away, leaving Darren and Mei alone. Mei feels beautiful with him, and they kiss. Before leaving, Darren agrees to accompany Mei to Xing’s wedding. He sympathizes with her family situation, and Mei feels comforted by his words.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Dr. and Dr.”
When Mei stumbles upon an old baby picture, she finds comfort in the Porter Room, while resolving to remain true to her independence. In a Chinatown grocery store, Mei runs into Mrs. Pan again, but this time Mrs. Pan claims that her son Hanwei is no longer single. Mei knows that this lie is because her disownment has made her romantically undesirable. Outside, Mei bumps into her parents, but they ignore her, and she is crushed again. Mei goes to the financial aid office to sort out her school situation. She must start the lengthy process of emancipation because she is under 18. Mei then runs into Eugene Huang, Mama Lu’s desired match for her. He has heard of Mei’s disownment and is relieved that he isn’t being matched with her anymore. Mei finds him arrogant and dismissive, which makes her thankful to be free from their parents’ matchmaking as well.
Chapter 21 Summary: “The End”
As Mei gets ready for the wedding, Nicolette tells Mei that she can call her “Nic,” her nickname reserved for friends. Darren meets Mei at her dorm with hot chocolate before they head to the church together; she finds comfort in Darren’s presence. Xing thanks Mei for supporting him as Mei experiences anxiety. She feels guilty and heartbroken because this marriage cements Xing’s perceived betrayal. Mei and Darren meet Esther’s parents, the Wongs, who approve of the marriage but are reserved and traditional in their own way. During the wedding, Mei sees clearly how much Esther and Xing love each other and how accepting the Wongs are of Xing. As the pastor conducts the ceremony in Mandarin, Aunt Yilong bursts into the church and accuses Xing and Esther of murdering Nainai.
Chapter 22 Summary: “Murderers”
Yilong curses the wedding attendees with bad luck. She tells everyone that Nainai died of heartbreak due to the rebellion of Xing and Mei. Members of the wedding party drag Yilong out of the church as she screams. Mei is in shock as Xing and Esther disappear for a moment. When they return, the wedding goes on normally. Even though Xing sheds tears, Mei notes that he seems sure of his love for Esther. They kiss, and Mei cries as their marriage is made official.
Mei is in emotional turmoil during the reception despite Darren’s kind words. They don’t eat the traditional Chinese meal provided. Mei finally meets Esther, who apologizes and shares her anxiety about being the reason for Xing’s disownment. Mei and Xing share a meaningful glance before Mei is overwhelmed and leaves with Darren. On the way, despite Darren’s protests and reassurances, Mei breaks up with him because she claims that her situation is too complicated.
Chapter 23 Summary: “Good-Bye”
Mama Lu leaves a secret message for Mei informing her of the details for Nainai’s funeral, against Mr. Lu’s wishes. Mei sneaks in late to the service, a traditional Chinese funeral with singing and music to show respect for the dead. After everyone leaves, Mei apologizes to Nainai’s body and says goodbye. Mama Lu appears and tells Mei that she should go before her father sees her. Mei is hurt, especially when Yilong and Mr. Lu arrive and also demand that she leave. Her father again sets the terms for their reconciliation: Mei’s obedience. Mei angrily rejects this and desperately begs them to accept her as she is. When Xing and Esther arrive, Yilong kicks them out as well.
Esther suddenly grabs her belly, revealing that she is pregnant. Everyone is in shock when Xing admits that he and Esther are having a boy whom his family has lost the privilege of knowing. Mei tries to get her family to reconcile and communicate. Xing agrees to forgive if their parents apologize, but they refuse. Mei accuses Mr. Lu of failing as a father, bringing him to tears. Mei, Xing, and Esther leave, and Xing claims that he doesn’t care if his parents ever change their mind.
Chapters 19-23 Analysis
Mei’s conflict over Balancing Happiness With Family Dynamics and Parental Expectations becomes more complicated as she outright rejects her parents’ demands and they shun her. Her anxiety comes to a head, especially when she attends Xing’s wedding and her parents are absent. Meeting the Wongs also puts her own family’s dynamic into perspective: Mei was under the impression that the Wongs were more carefree and easygoing than they turn out to be. At the wedding, they are stoic and abide by their own strict wedding traditions, even as they welcome Xing into their family. Mei thus realizes that Esther’s parents aren’t the exact opposite of her own like she expected: “But it wasn’t so black-and-white, was it? Maybe the only lesson here was that I needed to stop comparing everyone” (223). Although Taiwanese families like Helen’s and Esther’s provide more context surrounding her own family’s behavior, Mei realizes that adhering to cultural traditions is a spectrum of choices. Mei’s diction here also highlights the title of the novel; she references the black-and-white colors of the Chinese panda that Mama Lu compares Mei to later. It is also a callback to Mei’s conversation with Darren about filial piety. Mei starts to realize that the concepts of obedience and tradition are filled with gray areas in between, just like her.
During the wedding, Mei also notes the “irony” of the Wongs accepting Xing instead of the other way around: “Tradition dictated that women leave their families to join the male’s in marriage, but the opposite had happened today as a result of tradition” (225). This proves to Mei that starting new traditions is possible and that families are connected by compassion and support, not just by blood. Mei’s family takes this to the opposite extreme. They ignore their blood relation to their children, instead denying their support for their life choices. Mei points out how her father’s behavior is beyond ironic, both illogical and contradictory: “Baba, you disown Xing for disobeying you, not providing grandchildren—which isn’t even true anymore—yet that’s what you’ve done too, since according to you, you have no kids” (244-45). She shames him in front of his deceased mother, which brings him to tears. This moment further demonstrates Mei’s coming-of-age arc. Not only does she stand up to her father, but she also thinks for herself and uses her father’s logic against him. Although Mr. Lu was the target of this tirade, it is Mama Lu who proves to be most deeply affected by Mei’s words.
Mei’s development is aided by her newfound friendship with Nicolette. Like Mama Lu, Nicolette also plays matchmaker, except she matches Mei with Darren, whom she wants to be matched with. Unlike Mei’s other friend Helen, Nicolette is neither Taiwanese nor initially friendly or sympathetic. Nicolette has her own coming-of-age moment in college, experimenting with sex and rebellion in an attempt to “undo” her previously reserved persona. In a way, she is more like Mei than Helen is. Nicolette is on her own journey of identity and independence. Because she is so outspoken and accepting of Mei, Mei feels like she can be herself around her. Therefore, the juxtaposition between Nicolette and Mei shows how the search for a stable identity is not inherently tied to culture; it is universal and capable of forging unexpected friendships.
