Flying Lessons & Other Stories

“You’ll consider putting up a fight here, but don’t.”

After finally playing in a game at Muni Gym, the narrator is shoved back into the bleachers by Dante. The narrator considers resisting because he played so well but does not, which shows character growth. He recognizes that in this moment, words are not needed and that he will get his chance to play again.

“Maybe words aren’t what’s important. Maybe words would just steal away your freedom to think for yourself.”

The narrator notices that both his father and Dante say very little to him, yet they are both supportive adults in his life. He recognizes that assistance comes in many forms, and it does not have to be verbal. By personifying words as someone who steals, the narrator emphasizes that both men have given him the gift of space to figure things out on his own.

“But the sea was what mesmerized me. It whispered with a quiet thunder, and when I saw the ‘waves made of dragon scales,’ just like in one of Li Po’s poems, I gasped.”

As Lingsi proceeds to the Infinite Stream Temple, she glimpses the ocean, which is personified here. By giving the sea the human ability to whisper with a quiet thunder, Lingsi emphasizes how powerful the pull of the ocean is for her. It is as if the water is luring her closer, and she is in awe of it. This is also foreshadowing, for the sea will ultimately provide an escape from her current life when she is taken in by the Red Flag Fleet.