Inside Out And Back Again

The motif of holidays in the story supports the theme of “Growth and Change Marked by Endings and Beginnings.” The Vietnamese holiday Tết begins and ends Hà’s year-long story, but American holidays also mark time and make an impact throughout Hà’s journey of experiences.

Mother chooses America for the family’s destination on the Fourth of July, symbolically emphasizing the connection between opportunity and freedom and their ability to start anew there. Halloween is a fearful, disorienting day for Hà because she was not expecting costumes and masks—and was therefore especially vulnerable to Pink Boy’s insults. Thanksgiving juxtaposes the family’s desire to retain Vietnamese traditions and culture (as evidenced in the scene in which Mother gets the ground pork for egg rolls from the stubborn butcher) against foreign customs such as “when Americans eat a turkey / the size of a baby” (217). Finally, Christmas highlights for Hà the care and love others feel toward her and her family members and creates within her the strong need to give a gift to a friend.

While holidays usually symbolize the coming together of friends and family to share in celebration, the holidays in Hà’s story represent a mix of cultures and customs in a new land that must be learned, the way language or history must be learned.