Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

by

Jamie Ford

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Symbols

The Panama Hotel

The Panama Hotel represents the way in which memory persists and manages to reassert itself, even when it is thought to have been long since buried and forgotten. While the hotel once served as a…

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The Oscar Holden Record

The Oscar Holden record physically symbolizes the role of music as a unifying force in the novel. Over the course of their friendship, and Keiko’s imprisonment in internment camps, Henry and Keiko share two…

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Starfire Lilies

Starfire lilies, which Henry buys for his mother every week, grows with Ethel in their garden, and eventually uses to decorated Ethel’s grave, symbolize the beauty of imperfect love. Henry’s mother cares for her son…

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Henry’s “I Am Chinese” Button

The “I Am Chinese” button that Henry’s father insists on wearing represents how complex and fluid identity is. Over the course of the novel, the button (or one like it) is worn by Henry, the…

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