64 pages • 2 hours read
Ray NaylerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
An innocuous object that the novel only briefly mentions, the macaroon demonstrates how symbols work and how an object can have different significations in different contexts. For Ha, the baked good is an icebreaker, a treat she brings to introduce herself to the team. The macaroon represents greeting and gift-giving and reveals Ha’s interest in making connections. She adds another layer to the dessert’s meaning when she jokes about baking it. The comment alludes to her role as a scientist and evokes connotations of female domesticity that Ha rejects: “I would never bake” (25). This implies that Ha has no time or interest in hobbies that she deems trivial and may compromise her definition of authority. In addition, the macaroon suggests a future in which making something from scratch, in a world where everything is automated and processed, is an anomaly.
For the other characters, the macaroon takes on equally distinct meanings. For Altantsetseg’s voice translator, the faulty device doesn’t know how to compute words that have a specific regional or cultural signification. The device translates the macaroon as a “cookie thing,” highlighting how language is contextual and not universal. For Evrim, who doesn’t eat, the macaroon is a sentimental and aesthetic object: “It was a gift to me, and I enjoy looking at it” (60).
Plus, gain access to 8,450+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Animals in Literature
View Collection
Appearance Versus Reality
View Collection
Books on Justice & Injustice
View Collection
Canadian Literature
View Collection
Challenging Authority
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Colonialism & Postcolonialism
View Collection
Common Reads: Freshman Year Reading
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Earth Day
View Collection
Fate
View Collection
Forgiveness
View Collection
Friendship
View Collection
Globalization
View Collection
Good & Evil
View Collection
Loyalty & Betrayal
View Collection
Memory
View Collection
Order & Chaos
View Collection
Power
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Science & Nature
View Collection
Teams & Gangs
View Collection
The Best of "Best Book" Lists
View Collection
The Future
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection