Opera, Karate, and Bandits, and So Close Summary and Analysis

Opera, Karate, and Bandits: This entry is dedicated to Nhuong's grandmother. At eighty, she was still a spry, able-bodied woman. She loved theater, and would always attend local plays and operas, or even stage dramas herself if no local actors had come to town for a while. In these staged plays, she would play the role of the young heroine—despite her age—and Nhuong or another of her grandsons would play the role of the hero.

During one celebration of the Lunar New Year, Nhuong and his grandmother attended an opera. Many operas were based on Chinese mythology, and this was no exception. The play involved several archetypes, including the "Faithful One," a protagonist who lost favor with the king because of the lies of the...