Born in the 90’s, I grew up in a globalized environment with an abundant exposure to American culture. I lacked any interest in my own culture which a child considered “not cool”. Another identity of my generation is the indifference to faith, I rarely took part in any religious activities out of my own will. But thanks to my mother who was — or maybe I should say still is — a devoting Buddhist and Daoist, I did not disconnect with the traditional part of my own culture.

Every year during the Hunger Ghost Festival, my mom would list out plenty of restrictions for us to follow, like no swimming and no wandering around at night. Even though I was not as religious as my mom, this festival was the one that affected my lifestyle the most (and not in a pleasant way) besides Chinese New Year. So to some degree, I would say that James represents myself and thousands of other children who suffered from old traditions and didn’t know the value of them yet.

During my study abroad, I befriended with many Asian American students and was intrigued by their mixed cultural backgrounds. Their experiences growing up were very different and very similar with mine, and I realized that there is a power struggle between societies from mixing and clashing cultural values. I wanted to understand the blend of traditional and American culture that I grew up in - what kind of person it molded me into and how I identified myself. Undeniably, these traditional cultures play an important role in life experience and it is our responsibility to pass them on.

New York City is perfect for this story’s setting. Diverse groups of immigrants live in New York City to pursue a better life, but most outsiders vastly underestimate the hardships unless they see it with their own eyes. The American dream is a double-edged sword for immigrants, it gives the opportunity for people like James to relish the wealthy material lifestyle but it also kills the traditional culture like it kills Deedee.