Amy Tan is a fourteen year old Chinese girl who wants to be American. Her character can be discovered by both the means of direct and indirect characterization. Using direct characterization, the author states, “The problem Amy experiences is that she is ashamed of her family” (Tan 1). This quote tells us that Amy is embarrassed of her own family. She goes on to state that this is because Amy wishes they were more American and could fit in. Through this quote and the rest of the analysis is of “Fish Cheeks,” we learn that Amy is a young girl who is self conscious about being different and just wishes to be normal. From the use of indirect characterization we can infer even more about Amy’s character. The author states, “She also prays to have
