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Melanie
While Jin still lives in San Francisco, he spends an afternoon every weekend with his mother at the herbalist’s shop, sitting in the front with the herbalist’s wife. The herbalist’s wife is an ancient woman who busies herself on her abacus doing calculations until one day, she engages Jin in conversation and asks what he wants to be. When Jin shares his dreams of becoming a Transformer but suggests that this wish is impossible to fulfill, the herbalist’s wife suggests this isn’t entirely true—Jin can be anything he wants if he’s willing to forfeit his soul. When Jin is in seventh grade, the herbalist’s wife returns to him in a dream, declares that Jin has indeed given up his soul, and helps him transform into a white boy named Danny.
The Herbalist’s Wife Quotes in American Born Chinese
The American Born Chinese quotes below are all either spoken by The Herbalist’s Wife or refer to The Herbalist’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
“Yeah, but Ma-Ma says that’s silly. Little boys don’t grow up to be Transformers.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I’m going to let you in on a secret, little friend: it’s easy to become anything you wish...
...so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8
Quotes
I replayed the day’s events over and over again in my mind. Each time I reached the same conclusion: Wei-Chen needed to hear what I had to say. It was, after all, the truth. And at around three in the morning, I finally believed myself.
I dreamt of the herbalist’s wife.
“So, little friend. You’ve done it. Now what would you like to become?”
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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The Herbalist’s Wife Quotes in American Born Chinese
The American Born Chinese quotes below are all either spoken by The Herbalist’s Wife or refer to The Herbalist’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
“Yeah, but Ma-Ma says that’s silly. Little boys don’t grow up to be Transformers.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I’m going to let you in on a secret, little friend: it’s easy to become anything you wish...
...so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8
Quotes
I replayed the day’s events over and over again in my mind. Each time I reached the same conclusion: Wei-Chen needed to hear what I had to say. It was, after all, the truth. And at around three in the morning, I finally believed myself.
I dreamt of the herbalist’s wife.
“So, little friend. You’ve done it. Now what would you like to become?”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
