Sea Glass: Analysis of Major Characters
"Sea Glass: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the lives and relationships of key figures in the narrative, focusing on their cultural backgrounds and personal challenges. Central to the story is Craig Chin, a Chinese American eighth-grader navigating the complexities of identity in a smaller coastal city after moving from San Francisco's Chinatown. His experiences reflect the struggles of balancing cultural heritage with the pressure to conform to the expectations of others, particularly from his father, Calvin, who emphasizes traditional sports over Craig’s artistic inclinations.
The narrative also introduces Jeannie, Craig's supportive mother, who provides a counterbalance to Calvin's rigid expectations. Uncle Quail, a reclusive family friend, serves as a mentor to Craig, teaching him about the ocean while grappling with his own prejudices. Craig's interactions with Kenyon, a classmate from a different background, highlight themes of friendship and acceptance, particularly as Craig seeks to bridge cultural divides. Other characters, including Craig's cousins Sheila and Stanley, further illustrate the dynamics within the Chinese American community, emphasizing the varying degrees of assimilation and cultural pride. The story ultimately presents a nuanced exploration of identity and belonging in a multicultural context.
Sea Glass: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Laurence Yep
First published: 1979
Genre: Novel
Locale: Concepcion, California
Plot: Bildungsroman
Time: Late 1950's
Craig Chin, a Chinese American eighth-grader, the focal character. Until the year in which the novel takes place, he and his parents lived in Chinatown in San Francisco. He now must adjust to a new environment, a smaller Chinatown in a small city on the California coast and a high school in which most of the students are “Western people,” or non-Chinese. His two Chinese cousins also attend the high school, but they think of themselves as Americans first. Craig has to adjust to life in a much smaller city than San Francisco. He also copes with a father whose expectations for him include standard sports such as football and basketball; he has neither the talent nor the physique to be good at either, being a little overweight. He negotiates an identity as a Chinese and an American. He changes during this year under the influence of his mother, his father, and Uncle Quail, an old friend of the family. Craig's suppressed artistic and aesthetic interests, discounted by his father as impractical, emerge gradually.
Calvin, Craig's father, in his thirties. He moved from Concepcion to San Francisco with his father when he was twelve years old. He had a small grocery store there but now has taken over operation of a store owned by a friend, known to Craig as Uncle Lester. Craig's father, who had been a good athlete in high school and had won acceptance by “Westerners” that way, pushes Craig toward sports.
Jeannie, Craig's mother, who seems beyond reproach in every way. She is about the same age as Calvin and was also a sports champion in her youth, winning many awards in Ping-Pong tournaments. She is less obsessive about sports and seems to understand her husband's frustrations well enough to help Craig deal with them. She is a retiring person, and her own personality does not often come forward.
Uncle Quail, a lonely man in his seventies. He lives on a stretch of beach near Concepcion that he owns, and he has fenced it off to preserve his privacy. He lost his wife and his fishing business during World War II as a result of racial prejudice. He is still bitter and stays away from people, Western people in particular. Craig brings him groceries once a week, and they slowly become friends over the fall. Uncle Quail teaches Craig how to snorkel and about sea life in the shallow waters off his beach. Uncle Quail's unwillingness to forgive any Western people for his losses causes a major conflict for Craig when Craig becomes friendly with a Western classmate named Kenyon. Uncle Quail finally is persuaded to have both Craig and Kenyon swim at his beach. Uncle Quail asks Calvin to allow Craig to pursue his own interests and activities.
Kenyon, an eighth grader in Craig's class. Her mother, Dory, and her father, Archie, are separated. Dory is an artist and Archie a poet. Kenyon tries to be as normal as possible to compensate for her parents' oddness. She is unfriendly to Craig at first, making up names to call him and prompting others to tease him. She becomes his friend as he tries to listen to her problems concerning her parents. She becomes interested in his snorkeling with Uncle Quail. She wants to participate, but Uncle Quail at first refuses to allow a Westerner to swim on his beach.
Uncle Tim and Auntie Faye, Craig's aunt and uncle, Stanley and Sheila's parents. Both of their children are athletic and strive to be Westernized. Uncle Tim and Auntie Faye are inclined to judge other Chinese by these standards. Uncle Tim is an engineer, and Auntie Faye is a registered nurse. They do not live in Chinatown but in a big house in the Western part of town. They are portrayed more as problems for Craig to overcome than as characters in their own right.
Sheila, Tim and Faye's daughter and Craig's cousin. She is his age and is eager to differentiate herself from her Chinatown cousin. Sheila participates in teasing Craig about being too Chinese at school and about his physical appearance and city clothes.
Stanley, Craig's cousin, who is in the ninth grade. Stanley takes every opportunity to demonstrate Craig's physical ineptness. Craig describes Sheila and Stanley as “All American,” citing how they demand soft drinks and silverware when they come to dinners with the extended family in Chinatown.
Bradley, another eighth grader, who starts out as Craig's nemesis playing basketball and football but turns into a friend. Bradley is courted for some positions in these team sports because he is large and strong, but he is not terribly coordinated. By the end of the book, he and Craig have become friends.