Ethel Lee (née Chen) Character Analysis in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Henry’s late wife and Marty’s mother. In the first present-day chapter of the novel, Ethel has been dead of lung cancer for six months. Ethel met Henry in the post office where she worked as a young woman. She fell for him by seeing how devoted he was to Keiko, who was in an internment camp at the time and to whom Henry religiously wrote letters. Ethel and Henry begin dating during the war and get engaged on V-J Day. Ethel is depicted as a kind and understanding person, though she doesn’t appear in many real-time scenes in the novel.

Ethel Lee (née Chen) Character Timeline in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

The timeline below shows where the character Ethel Lee (née Chen) appears in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...he was 12 years old. Now, at age 56, Henry is a widower (his wife, Ethel, died of cancer six months earlier) and father to “an ungrateful son” named Marty. Standing... (full context)

Lost in sorrowful memories of his late wife, Ethel, Henry decides to go to Bud’s Jazz Records to look for a recording by Oscar... (full context)

Family Dynamics and Inheritance Theme Icon

Henry thinks about when Ethel told him the news of her cancer. She’d said that she hoped her death would... (full context)

Henry says goodbye to Marty, and then heads to the cemetery where Ethel is buried. He lays starfire lilies, which he and Ethel used to grow in their... (full context)

Henry removes a lily from Ethel’s bouquet and places it on the nearby grave of his mother. He also brushes off... (full context)

...wishing he could tell Marty about Keiko, but he feels conflicted given that Marty’s mother, Ethel, has only been dead six months. (full context)

...memory” and feels sure her presence lingers somewhere in the hotel. He also thinks about Ethel, and feels comforted knowing that she “would always approve of things that might make [him]... (full context)

...panics, thinking that Marty has come to argue with him about how he cared for Ethel—the two had disagreed about whether Ethel should be placed into a hospice, with Henry insisting... (full context)

...that he does still love her; he loved her even as he was married to Ethel, whom he also loved. However, now as then, Henry is sure that he “love[s] [Keiko]... (full context)

...Henry speak on the porch. Marty asks if his grandfather, Henry’s father, or his mom, Ethel, knew about Keiko. Henry says he told his father about Keiko, and his father stopped... (full context)

Henry reflects on his marriage to Ethel: “He had been a loyal and dedicated husband, but he would walk blocks out of... (full context)

Henry visits a nursing home in West Seattle, where Sheldon, now 74, is living. Since Ethel’s death, Henry has been visiting Sheldon every Sunday, but today he has come to give... (full context)

...thanks the girl, and realizes he doesn’t even know her name. She introduces herself as Ethel Chen. (full context)

Henry has been dating Ethel for five months, though he knows he will never take her to the Black Elks... (full context)

...and Henry discuss the irony of Henry having waited for Keiko; now, he is asking Ethel to wait for him. Henry tells Sheldon that his father loves Ethel, and now wants... (full context)

Ethel suddenly comes running up to Henry and Sheldon, embracing Henry. “Listen!” she cries. Henry begins... (full context)

...one week, Henry will be leaving for China. As Henry approaches his house, he sees Ethel waving from his apartment window. Henry rushes upstairs, and finds Dr. Luke, who tells him... (full context)

...sits at his father’s bedside, telling him that Japan has surrendered, and that he and Ethel are engaged. In Chinese, Henry’s father says, “I did it for you.” In an instant,... (full context)

...Hotel, knowing that “if he [takes] another step toward the hotel, […] he [will] break Ethel’s heart.” He turns away, and sees Ethel across the sidewalk; she’s followed him. Henry and... (full context)

...in a week, so he decides to visit Marty’s dorm for the first time since Ethel died. In Marty’s room, Keiko’s sketchbooks are spread out on the desk, but Henry finds... (full context)