49 pages • 1 hour read
Stealing Buddha's Dinner
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Symbols & Motifs
The Statue of Buddha
Originally in the Nguyens’ living room and later in Noi’s room, the statue of Buddha represents her relationship to Noi, Buddhism, and her ancestors. Each day, Noi carefully places fruit on the altar and leaves it for a couple of days as a sign of respect. This fruit becomes special to Bich. The statue of Buddha is such an important motif that it is referred to in the title of the book, and the title chapter refers to when Bich decides to attempt to “test Buddha’s wrath” (193) by stealing a piece of fruit off of the altar. When she lives in Noi’s room, they sleep with their heads towards the statue as a sign of respect. Through the statue, Bich is able to personally test her relationship with Buddhism and to learn more about herself.
Food
Food is another constant motif in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner. It drives the story, and it’s clear that food was a vital part of building an identity for Bich. American food comes up repeatedly in the book to illustrate Bich’s fixation with American culture: “I wanted to savor new food, different food, white food. I was convinced I was falling far behind on becoming American” (52). To Bich, food seems like the easiest way to assimilate, and she struggles not having access to the snacks and packaged meals she desires. Vietnamese food represents her connection to her culture and is most often made by Noi. Specifically, cha gio, Vietnamese spring rolls, come up more than once when Bich is exploring her Vietnamese identity.
Television Commercials
Bich writes that “[b]efore [she] started school, [her] concept of the world was largely formed by TV shows” (95). She believes that commercials and television shows are a direct reflection of what American life should be like. To her, they represent the ideal: “The commercials held our interest as much as any show, for they let us know what we should be eating, playing, and wearing. They let us know how we should be” (48). She sees products and lives that her classmates have access to but she does not, and it skews her understanding of the way American life is and can be.
Literature
Bich finds solace in reading. She writes, “some people have imaginary friends; I had characters in books,” (150). However, like most of her friends, the characters in her favorite books are also white. Also, like those friends, Bich sees the characters in her favorite books as models for who she should be. Bich tries to “[make herself] over into the whitest girl possible” (163) through the lessons of books like Little Women, Little House on the Prairie, and Harriet the Spy. Literature often comes up when Bich is trying to adjust to a situation she is unsure of, like when she imagines she is a character in Grapes of Wrath during the teacher’s strike.
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