46 pages • 1 hour read
Grace LinThe Year of the Dog
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2005A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Pacy/Grace
Pacy (who is also called Grace, her American name) is a naïve and kind-hearted child who loves art and is in her older elementary school years. On Chinese New Year, her mother reveals that children typically stay up late on the holiday because it helps their parents live longer lives. After her mother leaves the room, Pacy wonders, “What if I went to sleep too soon and gave Mom and Dad a short life? If I stayed up an extra minute, would they live an extra year? Or just an extra day?” (11). While Pacy’s questions and worries indicate her care for her parents, her literal belief in this tradition shows that she is young and naïve, for she does not understand the symbolic nature of the act. Additionally, Pacy cares deeply for her friends, especially Melody, a fellow Taiwanese American girl.
Although Pacy often shows her innocence, she does not gloss over the microaggressions she faces, and her descriptions of her daily life reflect her ongoing struggle with her own bicultural identity. Early in the narrative, the lunch lady confuses her with Melody, another Taiwanese American student, and her friend Becky later tells Pacy that she cannot play the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, because she is not white. Along with as the girls at the convention who declare that Pacy is too Americanized, these challenging incidents cause Pacy’s struggle for belonging, and she begins a deeper search to fully define her identity. She even asks her mother, “So when people ask me what I am, what am I supposed to tell them?” (18). This query embodies the fact that Pacy is grappling with her bicultural identity, for she does not know how to label herself. Although she celebrates her Taiwanese culture and traditions, she also embraces many American customs.
These experiences and questions highlight the starting point of Pacy’s growth as a dynamic character. As she ages, Pacy feels a pressure to figure out who she is and what she is good at. In addition to pondering concerns about her identity, Pacy also worries about her future, wondering if school will reveal her talent. As a child, Pacy is full of questions about the world and about herself, and her existential preoccupations nonetheless highlight her innocent approach to this query, for it often takes many years for people to find themselves. However, over time, she gains insight and advice from her family and friends and makes progress in her internal explorations. When she worries about being embarrassed in her role as a munchkin in the school play, her mom shares that she was once unnecessarily embarrassed when her grandmother escorted her to school. Pacy is skeptical about how the story applies to her, but when she receives applause during the performance, she understands her mother’s message: that the worry and anticipation can be worse than what happens. As she states, “No one had laughed or whispered about a Chinese munchkin at all! I smiled into the bright light toward the audience” (85). Her fears of being judged for her appearance do not come to fruition, and this moment therefore teaches Pacy a valuable lesson. Later, when Pacy wins fourth place in the nation-wide book contest, she thinks, “Suddenly, like the last piece of a puzzle fitting into place, I realized something. I was rich” (120). Comparing her situation to a puzzle, Pacy indicates that she now understands herself much better because the puzzle is complete; she can see the picture of who she is becoming. Also, when she says she is “rich,” she means that she is happy because she now knows what her talent is and has a support system of family and friends. Throughout all of these experiences, Pacy matures and gains a better understanding of herself and the world.
Pacy’s Mom
Pacy’s Mom is a role model who teaches her children with good advice and strategic storytelling. Throughout the narrative, Pacy grapples with her identity, and this struggle comes to a climax when she is mocked by the girls at the Taiwanese American Convention. When she tells her mother that she does not belong anywhere and asks which identity she should embrace, Chinese or American, her mother replies, “Neither and both […] You don’t have to be more one than the other, you’re Chinese American” (106). Although her response does not provide the answer that Pacy is looking for, Pacy’s mom defines the complex heart of identity, for she encourages her daughter to be her authentic self rather than conforming to the limitations of a specific label. When Pacy complains that it is all confusing to her, especially given that they do not actually have Chinese ancestry, her mother does not sugarcoat the difficulties involved in forging an identity. Instead, she states, “Good thing you’re so smart. You can keep it from getting mixed up” (106). Instead of giving Pacy a formula for how to live, she encourages her daughter to use her intellect to find her own way in the world. She also recounts the story of how she struggled when she first came to the United States, as a way of sharing her own difficulties of adapting to American life. Through both counseling and stories, Pacy’s mom demonstrates that good advice does not necessarily provide ready-made answers; instead, the best advice encourages a person to find their own solutions.
Furthermore, Pacy’s mom acts on the advice that she dispenses. For example, she models her willingness to try new things by taking the entire family to the TAC and by incorporating American customs into Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Like her words of wisdom to Pacy about forging her own identity, she puts her own spin on sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. As Pacy observes “Mom made them, but she didn’t put them in a bowl like Americans did. She molded them into small cakes and then decorated them with herbs” (122). Pacy’s mom therefore adopts American traditions and adds her own flair, modelling how to embrace new things without losing her own identity. She also emphasizes the significance of the family’s Taiwanese culture and traditions, teaching her daughters how to cook traditional food and prepare the celebratory red eggs for Albert’s party.
Melody
Melody, Pacy’s best friend, embodies the values of loyalty, friendship, and perception. On the day the girls meet, another student named Becky talks about her excitement for the Day of the Unicorn. When Melody starts to object, she picks up on the fact that Pacy fabricated this celebration to make Becky happy. Instead of revealing Pacy’s well-intentioned lie, Melody smiles at Pacy and keeps the secret. Melody’s instant understanding of the deeper social situation exhibits her ability to perceive more than what is said; additionally, her reaction proves that she is a kind-hearted friend. Rather than revealing Pacy’s lie, she plays along to save her new friend from embarrassment. Melody’s response suggests that she also understands the difficulties of explaining her culture to those who do not understand. In fact, when Pacy later complains about the mean girls at TAC, her mother reiterates how special Melody is, saying, “I wanted you to have friends from our culture [...] because they are Chinese they are more likely to understand. Look at you and Melody. Don’t you think she understands?” (105). Pacy’s mom articulates that Melody’s friendship is special because the two girls had a connection before they even met: their shared culture and common experiences.
Melody’s loyalty is woven throughout the narrative, for she encourages Pacy during the school play and celebrates her friend’s success in the national book contest. Additionally, whether Melody realizes it or not, she also conveys important life lessons for Pacy. When she gets quiet at Pacy’s ambition to work with Teddy Jackson on the science fair project, her change in demeanor teaches Pacy that maintaining friendship is more important than pursuing a crush. Also, when Pacy recognizes that there is a lack of Chinese representation in books and film, Melody tells her, “Go write your own, then” (72). Instead of mocking her friend’s belief, she encourages and challenges Pacy to make a positive change. Melody therefore urges Pacy to enact change herself instead of relying on others. In this way, Melody’s friendship supports Pacy and provides important learning moments for the sake of the broader narrative.
Pacy’s Dad
Pacy’s dad is a minor character in the narrative, but he serves as an extension of his wife by showing support for his children in different ways. Early in the narrative, for example, Pacy does not have enough Chinese candy to fill the Chinese New Year tray, and she worries when her sister chastises her for putting M&Ms in the extra space. However, when Pacy shows the tray to her father, he eagerly eats the mixture and says, “We should have both Chinese and American candy for the new year” (4). His reaction is the opposite of what Pacy expects, and the moment emphasizes the importance of honoring both cultures that contribute to the family’s identity. Her father’s actions demonstrate support for Pacy not only in her decision about what to include on the dish, but also in her life, for he celebrates the Taiwanese and American parts of her. Furthermore, he supports Pacy in other ways, specifically when he encourages her to embrace her artistic abilities. When she runs out of paint when illustrating her book, The Ugly Vegetables, he buys her new ones. Likewise, when the shop owner notes that the paints he purchases are high quality, he insists that his “daughter is not a beginner!” (91). This emphatic defense of Pacy’s abilities, both in words and exclamatory emotion, highlights his unwavering support of his daughter.
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