Capstone

These titles are very strange… why?

• Each story is themed after the 23 asterisms that were unknown to ancient Chinese dynasties until they got access to European star charts, which I felt was fitting for a story discussing the Chinese American experience where there is both Eastern and Western influences at play.

• Each vignette also embodies the symbolism of these names in some form, whether that be explicitly or implicitly. For example,

  • The Sea and the Mountain: talks about the Taishanese people crossing the Pacific Ocean in order to reach the self-proclaimed “gold mountain” of California due to the gold rush, then later laying down the transcontinental railroad, and everything else that comes with this line of history…

  • The Cross: while this usually has a more religious meaning, I took it more literally, whether that be the implied seating arrangement of four people around a dinner table or the perpendicular positionality of a bow against violin strings. There perhaps is an undercurrent of “judgment” being imparted onto others in various forms.

  • From the Horse’s Hair and Abdomen: this one is very straightforward, violin bows are made from horsehair, and nerves are felt in your gut.

 

Who is the narrator in each part of the story?

• There is only one (unreliable) narrator in this entire story, and you are introduced to her reality at different stages in her life (i.e. She – the past, You – the present, I – the future).

• In terms of overarching plot, “She” is the violin star dealing with the expectations of others. “You” is an estranged adult dealing with the loss of a family member. “I” is the weary traveler that finally decides to pause after a long journey.

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What other cool star concepts are in this story?

• Stellar Association: a loose star cluster, whose stars share a common origin, but have become gravitationally unbound and are still moving together through space

  • I see each vignette like a star in this cluster, all of which share a common theme but are loosely connected to each other. When you look back, you can start to connect the dots and find patterns.

  • I also like the idea that over the course of your life, you can become different people who have the same core experiences yet have different takeaways that lead you astray.

• Observable Universe: the region of the universe comprising all the matter that can be observed from Earth in the present moment

  • All we know about ourselves is what we can see from our perspective. There are some things that we’ll never know about and that’s okay.

• Perihelion and Aphelion: the nearest and farthest points respectively of a body’s direct orbit around the sun

  • I like how a body orbits around this star—the sun—but never actually reaches it. In a way, the star is “She,” the foundational character, which “You” and “I” revolve around, trying to unpack the memories of the past through their own interpretation of the events. For “You,” the aphelion, they draw away from the memories as if to save themselves from grief and trauma. For “I,” the perihelion, they return to the scene of childhood to accept the decisions that have led them to become who they are today.

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Do you play the violin?

• No, but I'm familiar with classical music training. Apologies if I have done injustice to your instrument!

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What corner do you start with when you draw a star?

• Bottom left.