One similarity between the two sisters is that they are both somewhat trapped by stereotypes and expectations. The first sister is expected to have bound feet, and "walk in shoes the size of teacups", whereas the second sister lives in a society which dictates that the Chinese run "laundry lines and restaurant chains" in America. The first sister is expected to "never [leave] home", but instead "gather patience" and be grateful. They were supposed to just stay at home to work for the family, as seen in "learning to stretch the family rice". On the other hand, the second sister is trapped by the stereotypical view of Chinese in America, where it is expected of them to open laundromats and restaurants, instead of being their own person and who they wanted to be.
The two sisters are also similar in that they both do not truly have freedom. The first sister, that is, the one in
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The first sister is described as "grateful", ostensibly because they were safe and cherished, she "gathered patience", giving the reader a sense of her waiting silently and untiringly. She "never left home", making the reader think that she is satisfied with what she has and never actually wanted to leave or go elsewhere. The word "willow" is used to describe her by the author, telling the reader than she is one who just goes with the flow, or with whatever she is told to do, instead of rebelling, as a willow is a gentle plant that just sways along with the wind, rather than standing stiff when the wind blows past. The second sister, however, "relinquished her name" to cross to America, and rebelled unremittingly. The writer describes this sister 's action as "stride". The choice of the word stride shows that this sister had her own mind and opinion, using how she walked purposefully and with big steps, unlike the first sister who had to "[learn] to walk" with her bound