The Girl Who Wrote in Silk

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racism and attempted death by suicide. 

The silk sleeve of the ceremonial robe that Mei Lien embroiders for Yan-Tao symbolizes the connections between the present and the past, embodying The Cultural and Personal Value of History. The sleeve is the story of Mei Lien’s tragedies and triumphs, carrying her story through a century until it finds Inara, who allows Mei Lien’s truth to be heard. 

The first description of the sleeve reveals its beauty and its mystery: “The entire thing had been cut from whatever it had once been attached to. But, intriguingly, every inch of the sleeve was intricately embroidered with richly colored threads, creating pictures as detailed as if they were paintings” (23). The sleeve’s hidden nature, its beauty, its mystery and its intricacy all inspire Inara to dig into the history of her home, her family, and even her country. 

The sleeve leads Inara to Daniel, and their shared quest to trace its origin leads Daniel to the truth about his family. The novel ends with the sleeve finally joined with the robe it was meant to complete: “[T]he full impact of the robe and sleeve hit her. They were together […] the contrast between [the robe] and the sleeve was remarkable and showed how intensely the robe had been loved” (370).