The Latehomecomer

by

Kao Kalia Yang

Youa’s Husband Character Analysis

Youa’s husband dies before the story starts—although he’s dead, Youa often calls on his spirit to protect her family, emphasizing the significance of ancestors in Hmong spirituality. Toward the end of the book, Kao learns that Youa was forced into marrying her husband, an elderly widower, when she was 20 years old. Despite the forced marriage, he was a kind and generous man, and Youa grew to love him dearly. Yang leverages Youa and her husband’s marriage to argue that true love grows over the course of a lifetime and has little to do with romantic infatuation.

Youa’s Husband Quotes in The Latehomecomer

The The Latehomecomer quotes below are all either spoken by Youa’s Husband or refer to Youa’s Husband . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Politics, Refugee Camps, and Inhumanity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 12 Quotes

My younger brother and sister could not take care of themselves. They were still just children, so I did not want to marry. Your grandfather was old. I cried at the ground when my cousin agreed to the marriage. There was nothing I could do. I had to marry him.

Related Characters: Youa (speaker), Kao Kalia Yang, Youa’s Husband
Page Number: 223
Explanation and Analysis:

My grandfather was not a bad man, as my grandmother grew to know and love him.

Related Characters: Kao Kalia Yang (speaker), Youa, Youa’s Husband , Romeo and Juliet
Page Number: 224
Explanation and Analysis:
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Youa’s Husband Quotes in The Latehomecomer

The The Latehomecomer quotes below are all either spoken by Youa’s Husband or refer to Youa’s Husband . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Politics, Refugee Camps, and Inhumanity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 12 Quotes

My younger brother and sister could not take care of themselves. They were still just children, so I did not want to marry. Your grandfather was old. I cried at the ground when my cousin agreed to the marriage. There was nothing I could do. I had to marry him.

Related Characters: Youa (speaker), Kao Kalia Yang, Youa’s Husband
Page Number: 223
Explanation and Analysis:

My grandfather was not a bad man, as my grandmother grew to know and love him.

Related Characters: Kao Kalia Yang (speaker), Youa, Youa’s Husband , Romeo and Juliet
Page Number: 224
Explanation and Analysis: