Fortune Cookies

Fortune cookies symbolize the future, which is why Shelby rejects the messages inside each cookie until she is ready to move on and face hr future with hope. During Shelby's lowest points of guilt and anxiety, she wants to avoid any thought of her future. The idea of moving forward or improving herself is overwhelming for Shelby who is trying hard just to survive until the next day. These small fortune cookies become big reminders that Shelby is not moving forward. She is happy in this semi-sedentary life, which is actually what helps her slow down and recuperate. Shelby does not read her fortune until the end of the story when she feels hopeful and ready to accept that there will be a future where she can live happily and successfully. Shelby is so ready for her fortune that she comments, “This is [the fortune...