In chapter four, the story basically is set in the Fountain Court restaurant, during the Full Moon dinner where Ruth was planning to celebrate with her family and friends and Arts family, including his parents who were visiting from New Jersey. However this all changed when Miriam insisted she be included in their celebrations and knowing Art, he agreed, without considering the extra preparations Ruth would have to do just because of the extra four people.

At the beginning of the chapter, Ruth meet the Kamens, Arts parents and although they share the formal greetings, Ruth knew that they will always consider Miriam the mother of the two girls, and also consider her as family. Following the meeting was the introduction of all of Arts and Ruths family and friends.

During the dinner, the children seemed to be ignorant of Chinese culture and the foods they ate and they kept poking fun at the dishes that arrived. Although this could be seen as ignorance to Ruth, Ruth saw this as disapproval of herself. Also, a scene happened when Nicky split water on Lulings dress and Luling was irritated and asked him why he did that, Nicky saw this as being chided and he began to cry.

The most important part of this chapter was when Sally was looking at a picture of Luling, Gaoling and their family and she commented that Luling looked unhappy in that photo. The statement This because my mother just die led to the unraveling of the truth, That Lulings mother was Precious Auntie and not the mother Gaoling and her shared. Ruth was skeptical about what Luling was saying, dismissing it as maybe Lulings dementia kicking in so she changed the topic in order to avoid thinking about it.

Later that evening, Luling started showing everyone the pearls that Ruth had gotten her. To luling, they were the real expensive sort of pearls and for that, she was proud of Ruth but in sactual fact, they were not the expensive pearls. They were fake, everyone who touched them knew, except for Luling.'And had Gaoling known all along that the necklace was fake? that Ruth, the good dauighter, was also a fake?'

Themes

Relationships:

Art and Ruth-how they give and take in the relationship and how Ruth feels towards Miriam.

Mother-dauighter-how Luling could sense that something was wrong with Ruth when she looked at her.

Secrecy: The unraveling of Luling's secret, that Precious Auntie was her real mother and not the mother she all along had claimed.

Character analysis

Ruth:

too giving:

not self confident:

obliging:

Luling:

intuitive:

Art:

inconsiderate:

insensitive:

Gaoling:

loving towards luling:

Favourite quotes

1)'And had Gaoling known all along that the necklace was fake? that Ruth, the good daughter, was also a fake?'

2)'Even from acorss the table, Ruth could see that Luling was beaming at her with moderly adoration'

Questions

1)When Ruth told Art that 'There isn't room for four more people', was this a way of telling Art she would really appreciate it if Miriam did not come? And when Art said ' we can just squeeze in more chairs' shown that he was oblivious to how Ruth was feeling?

2) Was the pearls a way of saying that Ruth, like her mother, is mistaking something fake, and non existant as something real and furthermore, treating it like a treasure? eg: her relationship with Art.

Most memorable moment