readers the unique chance to assume and create their own details, but also reflect values of politeness and privacy in Chinese culture. Formal techniques Chu utilizes various literary techniques to make his story come alive for readers. Metaphor: [Ben Loy] "He was a stranger in his own town" (207). [Ben Loy's depression] "The black hand of darkness seemed ready to swoop down from the clouds to grab him" (207). Simile: [Snow in New York] "White flakes floated down upon the street...like white-grained rice husks flying from the milling closet" (35-6). [Time Wah Gay and Lau Shee spent apart] "The years have passed like the mere closing and opening of the eye" (115). [Money Come] "...the room was like a dimly-lit tunnel" (139). [Ben Loy's reaction to the prospect of Mei Oi's affair] "The question exploded on Ben Loy like ten thousand firecrackers" (140). [Ben Loy's depression] "Now this boulder came tumbling out of the sky, like an exhausted satellite, and crash-landed on Wah Gay's head" (143). [Moving to Stanton] "It would be like starting anew, changing a spoiled blouse for a new one" (151). Hyperbole: [Snow in New York] "Everything was white. The whole world was white" (36). [Distance between New York and Sunwei] "...ten thousand folds of mountains away from home" (66). [Ben Loy's depression] "His head spun with pains. Big pains. As big as a boulder" (143). [Lee Gong's reaction] "Lee Gong let go a typhoon-sized sigh of relief" (151). Oxymoron: "He gently dropped her on the...bed" (99). [Ah Song makes love to Mei Oi through a combination of force and romance] Metonymy In Sunwei, the "Golden Mountain" discussed represents America. Irony: Dramatic -"He immediately compared Mei Oi to Gim Peng Moy. Are they the same type of woman? No...he consoled himself" (121). [Readers are aware of Mei Oi's infidelity but Ben Loy is not] Chin Yuen is the only one Ben Loy confides in about Mei Oi's affair, but readers know that Chin Yuen fantasizes about having an affair with Mei Oi. Situational – Although Wah Gay attacks Ah Song, Ah Song is the one who is exiled for five years. Verbal – "Everybody likes sex, you know" (121). [Ben Loy is, in fact, impotent] Major themes Appearance vs. Reality: On the surface, Ben Loy appears like a "good boy", yet he is covering up secrets of a promiscuous past. Mei Oi is from China and therefore