Storytelling

Storytelling is a motif woven throughout this novel. Keller treats storytelling not only as a tool through which she expresses meaning to the reader, but also as a tool through which Lily and Halmoni – her characters – express meaning to each other. Thus, the reader begins to understand that storytelling is, besides being a tool used by the author to impart meaning, also a central pillar of Korean culture and the way in which culture and identity are passed on in the Reeves family.

Beginning in Chapter 1, Teller sets the stage for storytelling to play a primary role in Lily’s learning about herself and her Korean heritage. Lily sees a tiger in the road that is visible only to her and says that the tiger belongs in one of Halmoni’s stories. This statement reveals two things: firstly, that Halmoni often tells stories; and secondly, that...