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Life in Saigon
These events take place in Khoi's life while he is still living in Saigon with his family. -
Khoi spots the first white blossom
While seemingly a brief, negligible set of lines, the white blossoms that Khoi spots can be seen as a symbol of not only his initial childishness, but also his compassion and empathy. Only a person - a child - who is pure of heart can have the totality of empathy that Khoi is capable of, as is later emblematized by his care for the chick, even after its death (more on that later). -
Khoi and the eggs
In this scene, Khoi further reveals his desire to care for something in his insistance on keeping an egg in the hopes that it will hatch (rather than eat it). While this compassion is central to his character, Ha's statement about him, that he is her "most tolerable brother" that she most wishes she could emulate, is even more important, in that it shows that Khoi's goodness is plainly visible to the other characters, even the inward-looking, still-young Ha. -
Debating the merits of leaving Saigon
In this poem-chapter, all of the family members are given a voice - through Ha's narration - in the attempt to decide whether or not to leave Saigon. Here, Khoi begins to display maturity, though nevertheless grounded in his childlike (but not longer childish) tone. His protest against leaving is grounded in his desire to see his father, and for his father to know that they are safe. He is not indignant and high-minded like Quang, nor is he egocentric like Vu. -
Khoi silently solicits the help of his sister in his attempt to stay in Saigon
The night of the family's deliberation, Khoi approaches Ha to enlist her help. He doesn't want to leave, and he makes her promise to stay, too. While she does contradict him soon after, Ha initially agress to do as he does, which reveals her love for Khoi and their peculiar - though, at this point, not wholly fulfilled - bond with one another. He is still childlike, but his insistence on staying is bold, and it shows that compassion takes precedence over survival for him. -
Khoi's leap of faith
Khoi is convinced to leave. This occurence is profoundly important in Khoi's development because his mother, quite unironically, informs him that his actions would affect the rest of the family. She knows that he "cannot stand to hurt anyone, anything," so his acquiescence is inevitable but nevertheless remarkable. He wants his father to be proud of him, but more importantly, he cannot stand to hurt his mother (as Ha states at the end of the chapter). -
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At sea
This section details Khoi's growth while on the ship to America. -
The death of the chick and Khoi's apprach to despair
Khoi reaches the brink of sanity in his young life at this point in the story, although we have not yet reached his most pivotal turning point. His clinging to the chick - even long after it has died - is a symbol. It epresents not his desire to stay in Saigon, but, again, his need to care for something. This explains why he breaks down when the chick's corpse is wrested from him. He despairs not at the loss of his home, but at his failure to keep something in his care alive and safe. -
Khoi grows up with one act of faith
Finally, we reach the moment where Khoi's compassion ceases to be childish and moves into the realm of early young adulthood. His ability to relinquish the dead chick and allow Ha to throw it into the sea without protest is arguably Khoi's most pivotal moment in the novel. He grows, his relationship with Ha becomes an unshakeable bond, and he emerges from his despair (see paper report for a more in-depth analysis). -
Khoi as the solid rock on which Ha rests
As the family becomes accustomed to living like people again, there is noticeable activity for all of the children, with the notieceable exception of Khoi. Vu attracts all the girls with his "martial arts," while Quang has assumed the role of the family translator (being the only one among them who can speak English). Khoi remains quiet, and Ha finds this refreshing, as she admits to turning to him for comfort. He's quiet now not because he despairs, but because he'd rather observe than fuss. -
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Life in Alabama
The events in this section are culled from Khoi and his family's life after becoming settled in Alabama -
Khoi recoils after at the prospect of eating American chicken
Khoi doesn't soon forget. He refuses to eat "anything with wings" because he would -as any of us would - prefer to avoid the emotional pain that the memory of the dead chick would stir. It is tempting to say that this is a regression for Khoi, but we have to remember that the rest of the family hated the American chicken, too, but his reason is born of genuine human pain. -
Khoi, Ha, and the bicycle
Without Khoi, Ha's emotional health would develop more slowly. In keeping with Khoi's status as the foundation on which Ha's growth finds stability, his silent agreement to allow Ha to ride his bicycle with him helps enliven and uplif Ha, who has recently been struggling with loneliness and, worse, bullying ath the hands of the "pink boy." Without Khoi's kindness, she would be left without an outlet for her emotions, and thus her emotional development would be stunted. -
Khoi's plan to save Ha from Pink Boy
Toward the end of the Part III, Ha is still sruggling against Pink Boy and his bullying. It is fitting that Khoi, who has remained mostly silent in the plot of Part III (aside from his reliable presence on his bicycle) has hatched the plan that eventually foils Pink Boy's plot to have Ha beaten up. Khoi reveals his willingness to take action and defend his family, in a way that is both intelligent and forceful. He commands respect, and his brief line - "I have a plan" - moves Ha and the reader. -
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A new year
An epilogue of sorts, the events extracted from Part IV of the text reveal the plans of Khoi and the rest of his kin. -
Khoi designs to be a veterinarian
Khoi comes full circle: he decides that he wants to be a veterinarian, which fulfills his compassion and care for animals (clearly symbolic of his care and love for people, as well, as seen in his actions defending and uplifting Ha). He is finds in his inward tendency an outward vocation, and he boldly proclaims his desire to see it through.
