Answer:
The theme of “Fish Cheeks” is be proud of who you are. Initially, Amy was
embarrassed about being Chinese, especially in the face of having her crush, Robert,
who is white, come to her house for a Chinese Christmas dinner. That dinner “threw
her deeper into despair” and she “wanted to disappear” with embarrassment.
When her father belched loudly to show his satisfaction with the meal, Amy was
“stunned into silence for the rest of the night” because she was so embarrassed.
What Amy couldn’t see was that her parents chose all her favorite Chinese foods to
celebrate their culture and share it with the minister and Robert. Amy’s father even
saved the best part of the fish, the cheek, for her.
The fish cheeks symbolize a celebration of Amy’s culture in this story and by
offering them to Amy, her father is telling her to be proud of being Chinese. However,
Amy’s mother also recognizes that Amy wishes to be American, and so gives her a
mini-skirt, which in this story symbolizes Amy’s desire to be American. By giving Amy
both the fish cheek and the miniskirt, her parents are telling her that it’s okay to be
both Chinese and American and she can be proud of being both. Her mother advised
her that “your only shame is to have shame,” meaning don’t be ashamed of who you
are, rather celebrate your differences and the aspects that make you, you. Years later,
Amy realizes (epiphany) that her parents, by choosing all her favorite Chinese foods,
were trying to tell her to be proud of being Chinese, and that realization leads to the
theme of the story: be proud of all the aspects of who you are.
Step-by-step explanation: