Story Jars

The blue story jars Lily and Ricky find in Halmoni's basement symbolize the power of imagination. Lily cherishes them, imagines that they hold untold stories and secrets, and treats them as though their breaking is significant. However, towards the end of the novel, Halmoni informs her that the jars are just jars -- moreover, they were bought at a flea market some years back simply because they look nice. While Lily's dismay elicits sympathy from the reader, the jars in and of themselves remain symbols of the power of a child's imagination, which can transform even the most ordinary objects into something sacred and special.

Mud

In the novel, Halmoni recalls feeding Andy -- Sam and Lily's father -- some mud in order to keep him grounded. She says that he would often forget himself and talk too much without thinking, thus by putting a...