Maizy Chen's Last Chance

Opa is Maizy’s grandfather and mentor figure. He is a static and round character. Opa’s sickness worsens over the narrative, eventually leading to his death, but he hates the way that his family treats him as if he is already gone. Though he deflects comments about his health with humor, his frustration is telling: He wants to make the most of the time he has by telling Maizy about Lucky. His looming death is a reminder of how storytelling can preserve a person’s history and legacy.

Opa teaches Maizy about the three major themes of the novel: The Importance of Familial Bonds, Connection Between Generations, and The Threat of Racism and Xenophobia. Opa lived through the discrimination that Asian Americans faced in World War II; he remembers wearing a note to school that read, “I am Chinese American” (222). Moreover, his knowledge of Lucky’s story leads him to feel strongly about issues on immigration: In response to people protesting immigration, he tells Maizy that “there’s still lots of work to be done” (76), implying that she has a role to play in addressing it. It is to prepare Maizy for this and to bolster her confidence in her own identity that Opa tells her about Lucky’s experiences with racism. Although Opa does not dismiss the pain of the racism Maizy experiences, he shows her the importance of focusing on the strength of community and family. At the end of the novel, Opa reminds Maizy about the connection between Lucky and the paper sons, which he says is Maizy herself. This signifies the importance of younger generations working to connect future generations to older ones. Opa dies confident that his granddaughter will keep his memory, and the memory of previous generations, alive.

Oma is Maizy’s grandmother and a round and dynamic character. Although Oma and Charlotte’s relationship creates tension throughout the narrative, Maizy learns that Oma’s main desire is for her daughter to be truly happy. Oma, however, does not know how to communicate this desire to Charlotte, instead choosing to criticize Charlotte’s career choice as a food stylist, which Oma does not understand. When Oma finally speaks her mind to Charlotte, she tells her that she did not originally recognize her daughter’s fearlessness and that she understands that Charlotte’s path looks different than her own. Their relationship illustrates the importance of balancing tradition against change. While the novel suggests that it is important to remain connected to one’s past, it is also important to embrace new opportunities afforded to previously marginalized groups (e.g., women); doing so can even honor one’s past by building on the sacrifices of those who came before.

The significance of personal sacrifice and helping others is in fact one of the lessons Oma teaches Maizy. When Maizy learns about the paper sons and how Lucky and Lulu helped them at the Golden Palace even though it was illegal, Oma tells Maizy, “Not everything illegal is wrong” (97). Oma believes that helping people is an honor because “when you’re in a position to help, that means you’re in a good place in your own life” (97). Although Oma appears tough, Maizy therefore learns that her rough exterior hides a gentle interior; for example, Maizy catches Oma sneaking extra tip money into Daisy’s tip jar when no one is watching and in defiance of the restaurant’s own financial struggles. This selflessness comes at Oma’s expense: Oma gave up her dream of pursuing a career as a math teacher to marry Opa, and their dream honeymoon in Hawaii to begin running Golden Palace with him. Nevertheless, Oma’s character arc sees her realizing some dreams by the novel’s end when she takes a trip to Hawaii and plans to move to Los Angeles.