In “The Difficult Path,” the symbol of the ocean represents freedom and opportunity. Enslaved in the Li household, Lingsi rarely has a chance to glimpse the sea, so she can only read about it in the poetry of Li Po. When she finally sees it on her way to the Infinite Stream Temple, she is awestruck and claims, “It whispered with a quiet thunder” (32). Her statement describes the lure of the ocean, the whisper calling to her with a powerful force. Because she is trapped in a restricted life with few opportunities, the lure of the ocean represents freedom from those limitations. In fact, when Lingsi does escape her life to live among the pirates of the Red Flag Fleet, she experiences the opportunity to take on any adventure that awaits. She shares this in her writing: “Now, as I write this on a pirate ship whose red sails paint the sky, I ride the vast ocean” (39). The mere act of writing is a break from societal expectations for women, and because she is on the vast ocean, the possibilities are limitless.

In “Sol Painting, Inc.,” water represents an escape from the shame and guilt Merci feels after the girls on the private school soccer team disrespect her family.