The Magic Fish

Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2020

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Pages 1-117

Pages 118-184

Pages 185-229 and Author’s Note

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Character Analysis

Tiền Phong

Tiền Phong is one of the novel’s two main protagonists. He is 13 years old, and he and his family are refugees from Vietnam. Tiền and his mom enjoy reading fairytales together, and this becomes a way for them to communicate. As they dive into stories, it is also an escape from the world and from their struggles.

For much of the novel, Tiền struggles with telling his parents that he is gay and has feelings for his friend Julian. He tries asking one of the librarians to help him find the right word for “gay” in Vietnamese, but to no avail. When he describes the experience to his friend Claire, he says, “it felt weird technically coming out to the librarian before I even told my parents. It’s all weird” (46). He is afraid of burdening his parents, especially his mom because of his grandmother’s illness.

This struggle continues—and worsens—throughout Tiền’s journey. After Mrs. Flynn asks him about his dance with Julian, he feels distant from his friends. He tells Claire that it’s hard for him to ask for help. Claire helps him to understand that she loves and supports him. Tiền eventually recognizes that he can rely on his mom too, despite the treatment he receives from other adults in his life.

Hiền Phong

Hiền Phong is the other protagonist in the novel. She grows a great deal over the course of The Magic Fish. Hiền’s voice opens the novel when she describes the sense of in-betweenness that she and her son feel. She feels stuck in the ocean between Vietnam and the United States. As Hiền later tells her aunt about crossing to America on a boat: “My past and present selves speak two different languages. It feels like I died on that boat” (176). She feels guilty for leaving her mother while feeling worlds apart from Tiền.

When Hiền’s aunt recounts the story of the magic fish, Hiền’s in-betweenness is apparent. She asks her aunt to confirm that the story really goes this way, to which her aunt replies, “Probably. They’re only stories. They’ll change when they need to” (147). This encourages Hiền to move forward and let go of her guilt for leaving.

Hiền’s growth is symbolized by her willingness to change a fairytale. At the beginning of the novel, as Tiền reads to her, she makes him promise to read it as it appears on the page so that she can perfect her English. At the end of the novel, Hiền changes the ending of a fairytale so that two women fall in love. This shows her growth and provides a sense of comfort for Tiền; he understands that she loves and accepts him.

Claire and Julian

Claire and Julian are Tiền’s closest friends. Claire is the first person that Tiền comes out to when she realizes that he has a crush on Julian. She encourages him to tell Julian, knowing that their friend’s aunt is gay. She also supports Tiền. Like Hiền, Claire is afraid that Tiền will miss out on high school experiences. Eventually, with Julian’s help, she is able to convince Tiền to come to the school dance.

Julian also shows his love for Tiền platonically. He compliments the patches on Tiền’s jacket, which Tiền’s mom had sewed on and he had felt insecure about. Julian offers to dance with Tiền at the dance. While he is straight and isn’t interested in Tiền romantically, he doesn’t make Tiền feel uncomfortable for having feelings for him.

Mrs. Flynn

Mrs. Flynn is an antagonist. She heightens Tiền’s fear of coming out and further burdening his parents. When he has a brief outburst, Mrs. Flynn puts him in detention. She forces him to meet with Father Niles, whose anti-gay comments make Tiền feel even more isolated and afraid of telling his parents that he’s gay.