By depicting the ghosts as idealized versions of Tian and Min, Chang argues that these ghosts are inflicted with an insatiable desire to ameliorate the wrong deeds they committed during their lifetimes. Throughout the novel, Tian’s history is often brought up since his actions convey the longing he has to rekindle relationships with his family. Ruth notices how “Tian’s specifications – the chopsticks, the breakfast food, the placement of lamps” were blunders of his willpower to forget those who disowned him (29). These errors represent how Tian is unable to forget his past due to his unbreakable loyalty to his family. This loyalty can also be seen through Tian’s meticulous, painstaking efforts to mold Ruth into the perfect violinist. Ruth’s “days were filled with school and practicing, carrying some …show more content…
Tian sees himself as a failure after he was laid off at the conservatory, but through Ruth he wants to prove the success of his departure to his family. Tian’s undying loyalty to his family forces his to constantly justify himself to his family, although they are not with him. Ruth believes this loyalty is so strong that she imagines Tian to have gone in death to “the house” (96). “The house” refers to the Tian’s childhood home, where Ruth hopes the memory “can satisfy [Tian’s] ghost” (96). Ruth imagines the ghost will do what Tian was unable to do – return to his family and his home – thus serving as the person Tian wanted to be. In the eyes of his family, Tian’s departure was an unforgivably wrong deed; however, Tian’s ghost, by going back to Tian childhood house, tries to make Tian finally feel at peace with his decision. While Tian is separated from his family by a geographical barrier, Min is emotionally isolated from her family. When Tian and Ruth are arguing, and Min tries to interject her own opinion, Tian scolds her and says “You keep out of this. This has nothing to do with you”