The development of the characters in the ending of the novel surprised me. Mah's character was built as a traditional older woman. One would expect a character, or at least I did, to be disgraced that their child is having premarital sex or moving in with their unmarried partner. Therefore, Mah's response to Liela's decision to move in with Mason was surprising. "Give it a test. Remember to have a way out," was not at all expect (). I expected at least a small argument or passive aggressive resistance but not advice. It made sense almost as immediately as I read it. She had already been through a lot with relationships, things unspoken and left unknown. Mah wanted what was best for her daughter and she understood that this non-traditional route could be beneficial in the long run.
It made me realize that traditions are broken down by experiences. Mah wasn't accepting of Leila's fast past relationship because she was "Americanized," what I first thought, but because of her failed marriage in Hong Kong. Leila wasn't becoming "Americanized," rather she was deciding on her relationship based on what she experienced and saw in America. It reflects the title of the book and superstitions, its not superstitions that change lives for the better or worse but those experiences change the direction a life heads.
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