Fish Cheeks Commonlit Answer Key Pdf (2025)

FAQs

What is the central idea of the Fish Cheeks? ›

The main idea of Fish Cheeks is to be proud of one's identity. Throughout the entire story, Amy tries to deny her Chinese heritage but learns over time that she does not need to discard her background for the sake of others.

In "Fish Cheeks", an autobiographical narrative by Amy Tan, fourteen-year-old Amy is thrown into a humiliating dinner with her Chinese family and the American boy on whom she has a crush. Years later, Amy reflects back on this embarrassing meal and realizes something about her parents and her heritage.

Amy is embarrassed by her family and by the food (including fish cheeks) served to the guests, and again by her father's belching after dinner, although he explains that it's a polite Chinese custom that shows satisfaction.

What did Tan's mother mean when she said to Amy, “Your only shame is to have shame”? Her mother is attempting to point out that Amy should not be embarrassed about her culture. Amy's actions at dinner were embarrassing to her mother. Amy embarrassed the entire family by taking the fish cheeks.

The climax of Fish Cheeks, is when the families are having a meal and belching. For Amy, the situation is described as her most embarrassing moment. The reason is that the customs of her family and Robert's family clashed.

"Fish Cheeks is named for the lean, tender cheek meat that is considered the tastiest part of a fish and a delicacy in Asia."

Novelist Amy Tan narrates and records a past experience of clashing cultures in her narrative essay "Fish Cheeks" to illustrate how we should not be ashamed of our cultural background but rather accept and embrace it.

Answer and Explanation:

The tone of the story is reflective as well as somewhat light hearted. She is reflects on this experience and about how her thoughts and feelings as a younger person about her Chinese identity have evolved as she has grown older.

Tan's mother went out of her way to prepare a disturbingly Chinese dinner because she wanted to demonstrate to her guests as well as her daughter that their Chinese heritage was nothing to be embarrassed about but rather something to be proud of. She proved this by taking the menu to the extreme.

In "Fish Cheeks" a scant 500 words short story, Amy Tan serves up a coming of age story about an Asian American teenage girl.

What is the conflict in the story "Fish Cheeks"? ›

The major conflict of this story is Amy trying to impress Robert, but cannot do so because she finds her family and Chinese culture embarrassing compared to the American one.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The Protagonist in “Fish Cheeks” is Amy. The antagonist is Amy's mother. The protagonist in “Rules of the Game” is Waverly Jong (in "Rules of the Game"), whereas the antagonist is Waverly Jong's competitor in chess and her mother.

Explanation: The fish cheeks and beige tweed mini skirt are used as symbols by Tan in her writing. The fish cheeks symbolize her Chinese culture, while the mini skirt symbolizes her desire to assimilate into American culture.

Why did Tan name this passage “Fish Cheeks”? Fish cheeks are the best part of the fish according to Chinese culture. . Fish cheeks remind Tan of her father, who gave them to her at Christmas.

Final answer: The best piece of evidence showcasing the narrator's feelings towards her family's behavior in 'Fish Cheeks' by Amy Tan is her internal thoughts and feelings of embarrassment and desire to disappear due to her family's traditional Chinese habits during dinner.

The major conflict of this story is Amy trying to impress Robert, but cannot do so because she finds her family and Chinese culture embarrassing compared to the American one.

“The Fish” Themes

The poem illustrates how that empathy can be humbling, reminding people that, even if they might be used to seeing themselves as distinct from animals, they're really in the same boat: animals and humans alike take part in all the mess, struggle, and beauty of life.

The correct option is D. Amy Tan's purpose in writing “Fish Cheeks to inform and entertain by describing real events and expressing emotion.

In conclusion, Amy Tan's purposes in writing "Fish Cheeks" are to inform readers about her cultural background and to entertain them by expressing her emotions.