Paul Yee’s “Teach Me to Fly, Skyfighter!” tells the tale of Sharon, a Canadian born Chinese girl living in Vancouver. Young Sharon struggles to discover a true identity that can embrace both of her cultures. As Sharon was born in Canada, she knows little about her Chinese background. This unfamiliarity seems to force her to shy away and have distaste for anything having to do with Chinese culture, including the Chinese immigrants in her class and even her own grandfather, Yeh-yeh. With the help of listening to the life story of a Chinese immigrant kite maker, Sharon’s acceptance of both cultures into her life is guided by the significance behind the kites in this story. The question is, how were these kites so important to Sharon’s character development? Through understanding the …show more content…
Samson’s kite is shaped like a butterfly and is made entirely of bamboo, which is seen as an eastern material. As Samson’s kite is too conventionally Chinese and it therefore symbolizes his lack of acclimatization to the Canadian experience and culture. Sharon’s kite incorporates two cultures and is thus a superior flyer than that of Samson’s. The symbolism behind the kites leads to great effects on the story line. The symbolism behind each of the two main kites in “Teach Me to Fly, Skyfighter!” creates significant effects on the plot points in the story. Being as how Sharon finds her multicultural identity through the symbolism of her new kite, she no longer feels the need to trounce Samson’s butterfly kite in a flying match. As a result of her bonding her two cultures this young protagonist gains a new respect and care for her grandfather and all other Chinese people. Sharon also realizes that sharing her new kite with Samson would make her feel better than making fun of him for not being able to get his kite in the