Comparative Analysis of Volar and a Pair of Tickets

Judith Ortiz Cofer's 'Volar' and Amy Tan's 'A Pair of Tickets' both use symbolism and discrete perspectives to represent the lives and emotions of two young girls that arise from a diverse cultural upbringing. Both stories share the same topic about home, family, and childhood. Although these girls are complex in the way, they manage their lives. Their nationality affects them daily; they both grapple with related cultural obstacles because they are not born in the US. The definite but potent symbolism used throughout the stories helps build more wisdom and meaning to the main characters. Both stories carry substantial use of symbolism to present a more enlightened purpose to the main characters and their efforts as individuals with a unique culture living in America.

'A Pair of Tickets' is about the narrator Jing-Mei traveling to China for the first time and exploring what makes her Chinese. The setting of China corresponds to Jing- Mei's story of self-discovery because, at first, she was not ready to accept her identity as she explains: 'I was fifteen and had a vigorously denied that I had any Chinese whatsoever below my skin'(pg.186). The environment of a story explores culture, place, and ethnic integrity to give the reader a more excellent knowledge of the Jing-Mei and how it all made an impact on her. The context and her Chinese relatives help her learn about the essence of being Chinese and cause her to shift her point of view about her ancestry. Many events throughout the tale signify her characteristics and her journey in acquiring her culture.

On the other hand, the story 'Volar' is about a family of immigrants also living in America. The little girl has her story of an American dream that is very far from her limit because of her conditions. Unlike in 'A Pair of Tickets,' the girl from this story has a hard time fitting in. Being from Puerto Rico, she strives to look changed than everyone else and to relate to people living in America, so by trying to flee the hard truth that is her life; she would assume herself as Supergirl watching over the buildings and viewing on her neighbors. The dreams gave her a sense of empowerment and authority of her surroundings. In reality, it is the opposite.

As for the theme, the ideas that are present in the story 'A Pair of Tickets' by Amy Tan was a theme of rejoining family, and it happened at the end when she finally found her identity as she explains; 'And now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood. After all these years, it can finally be let go.' The primary symbol of this story would be the pictures. At the start of the novel, the only part of their mother that the twins had was the photographs. The photographs personify symbolism and turns into an extraordinary reckoning of family and shows one of life's everlasting bonds. The first photo was the picture of her family, and on the back, her mother wrote, 'Please care for these babies with the money and valuables provided. When it is safe to come, if you bring them to Shanghai, 9 Weicheng Lu, the Li family, will be glad to give you a generous reward. Li Suyuan and Wang Fuchi.' Another example where the photograph showed symbolism was at the end when all three sisters took a picture together. 'Together, we look like our mother.

The theme of the story 'Volar' by Judith Ortiz Cofer is a yearning to flee, to respond to what is more vibrant and more satisfying, and she sees it in her dreams. The girl fantasizes about being a superhero in a dream because she is in acute need of freedom from her life and a sense of control from her miserable conditions. Her mother also hopes she could escape as well by flying away and traveling back to Puerto Rico. The contradiction amidst the girlish dreams of being a superhero and fundamental truth becomes starkly visible in this story. She even recounts going through bodily changes in her dreams; 'My legs would grow long, my arms harden into steel, and my hair would magically go straight and turn a golden color'¸and detail performing bold tricks on her parent's landlord, 'whom I knew my parents feared, sitting in a treasure-room dressed in an ermine coat and a large gold crown. He sat on the floor, counting his dollar bills. …I blew a little puff of my superbreath into his fireplace, scattering his stacks of money…'.

Works Cited

• Tan, Amy “A Pair of Tickets”. The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays, 12th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, (186-202). Print.
• Cofer O, Judith “Volar”. The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays, 12th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, (203-206). Print.