Photograph of Jack, Patty, and Liang

The photograph of Jack as a baby with his parents that he often looked at in his grandparents' house in Tianjin is a symbol of the distant relationships he has with Liang and Patty even in the present timeline of the novel. The picture was of interest to him while he was still in Tianjin because he could not remember his parents, and even when he arrived in the United States, they barely paid attention to him because they were preparing for Annabel's birth. Meeting his parents, Jack felt they were "not people so much as a destination he did not want to visit" (9).

Pond

The pond behind Jack's old elementary school is a symbol of Jack's relationship with Liang. Jack recalls taking his father to the pond once years ago and he remembers every detail of what they did and...