In keeping with fairytale conventions, Xing Xing’s stepmother is the novel’s antagonist. Napoli doesn’t reveal the woman’s name, which keeps the character’s identity closely bound to her narrative function and the negative traits associated with it. The author humanizes the archetypal wicked stepmother by presenting her as a product of her patriarchal society. For example, because she’s physically “large and strong,” “everyone expect[s] Stepmother to be an exceptional breeder” (27). This dehumanizing description of her physical appearance reflects her culture’s belief that a woman’s worth comes from giving birth to sons. Instead of questioning these patriarchal norms, the stepmother blames herself for not meeting her culture’s standards, and her feelings of failure increase her obsession with arranging an advantageous marriage for Wei Ping and securing a male heir for the family. As a result, she perpetuates harmful patriarchal standards and personally inflicts The Violence of Beauty Norms on her daughter.

The devolution of the stepmother’s character demonstrates how patriarchal norms and internalized misogyny perpetuate harm. From the novel’s outset, the stepmother demonstrates the harm of neglect through her physically and emotionally abusive behavior toward Xing Xing. She calls her stepdaughter “Lazy One” even though Xing Xing does almost all the work of maintaining the household, signaling the futility of the protagonist’s efforts to please her. The stepmother has a pattern of taking people for granted, and she “had not treasured Wei Ping” until she and her husband grew more distant and she became jealous of his close relationship with Xing Xing (27).

The stepmother has opportunities for redemption, such as when Xing Xing nurses her back to health, but she instead becomes increasingly cruel. She manipulates and isolates Wei Ping to hoard the girl’s affection for herself, and she feigns kindness and gratitude for Xing Xing as part of her scheme to slaughter the carp. The killing of the fish is a defining moment for the character in both the traditional tale and the novelized retelling. Napoli adds an additional layer of menace to her choice by emphasizing that the  stepmother knows the fish is the reincarnation of the Xing Xing’s mother. Fueled by jealousy and desperation, the stepmother gives into her worst impulses and ends the story unchanged.

Wei Ping is Xing Xing’s half-sister. In ancient Chinese versions of the fairy tale, the Cinderella figure’s half-sister receives little development, but Napoli expands her into a round and dynamic character. Although she sometimes says hurtful things to Xing Xing, Wei Ping also shows concern and affection for her half-sister, and Xing Xing considers the girl her only real friend apart from the carp. Wei Ping also serves as a foil to the protagonist. The girls are only a year apart in age, and they both face mounting pressure after their father’s death jeopardizes the family’s financial security. While Xing Xing worries that she might be sold into slavery, her stepmother becomes fixated with the idea of restoring the family’s socioeconomic status by marrying off Wei Ping, an obsession with devastating effects on Wei Ping’s mental and physical health. Although both girls are subjected to patriarchal norms, Wei Ping is directly impacted by the violence of beauty standards in a way her half-sister isn’t. For example, Napoli links Wei Ping’s occasional bouts of unkindness and her willingness to let Xing Xing do all of the work for the household to Wei Ping’s recently bound feet, which cause her “excruciating pain” and restrict her movements.

Although both sisters face struggles, their development moves in opposite directions as the violence of beauty norms consumes Wei Ping’s character.

In contrast to Xing Xing, who becomes kinder and more determined to break free from her restrictive environment, Wei Ping becomes increasingly embittered and solitary. At times, Wei Ping’s pain completely isolates her from her surroundings: “It wasn’t clear she knew what was going on. She rolled her head from side to side. She clasped her arms across her chest, and her fingers dug into the flesh of her upper arms” (55). This scene depicts the pain of foot binding that cultural taboos prohibit the characters from discussing. Near the end of the novel, Wei Ping betrays her bond with her half-sister and sides with her mother even though she was fond of the carp—a choice Napoli presents as the inevitable result of the deterioration of Wei Ping’s autonomy. When she depends upon her mother to orchestrate her future, “[w]hat else could a practical girl do?” (174). The author positions Wei Ping as a tragic figure who embodies the steep cost of her culture’s beauty standards.

Master Wu is Xing Xing’s late father. He was a skilled potter who specialized in making fine ceramics, such as the bowl that Xing Xing places the carp in: “The outside of the bowl pictured a frenzy of jumping fish; the inside, the blaze of a single dragon” (24). Xing Xing remembers her father as a humble and honorable man who “[n]ever cared much about riches,” “loved simple things,” and cherished “basic virtues, like loyalty” (171). Additionally, Wu placed his relationships with his family over societal expectations. In particular, he honored his late wife’s dying wish to let Xing Xing perform tasks for him that are usually performed by a man’s wife. This decision is significant both because it deepened the main character’s bond with her father and because it marked “the start of Stepmother’s distaste for Xing Xing” (26). Master Wu’s creativity, hard work, intelligence, and kindness mirror his daughter’s. By establishing him as a loving parent, Napoli explains why the protagonist continues to look to her father’s memory for solace.

Although he dies before the story begins, Wu protects Xing Xing’s agency by refusing to have her feet bound and by ensuring that she receives training in the arts even though “[n]one of the boys around here was educated, much less the girls” (12). He personally taught Xing Xing calligraphy, and she uses this skill to navigate challenges like securing passage on the ship with the doctor. Throughout the novel, Xing Xing reflects on her father’s lessons to guide her through challenges. For example, she notes that although Confucius teaches that “fate ruled the cosmos,” her “[f]ather had told her that some people were fated to use their heads” (76). She thinks of this lesson when she escapes the menacing poultry seller, illustrating the tangible impact that Master Wu continues to have on his daughter’s life even after his death. In a society defined by patriarchal values, Master Wu stands out by encouraging Xing Xing’s to develop her own identity and autonomy.

Prince Zhu Cheng Yun is the distinguished military leader who reigns over Xing Xing’s home province and pledges to marry her at the end of the novel. He’s described as a “surprisingly young” man with “a thin mustache” and “a small wispy beard” (177), and he pads his clothing to make himself look bigger because his culture believes wisdom is stored in the stomach. Xing Xing teases him for altering his appearance to appear wiser, and he reacts to her bold words with appreciation for her honesty and intelligence rather than offense or disdain.

Because the prince appears in only one chapter, Napoli employs direct characterization to quickly establish the traits that persuade Xing Xing to spend the rest of her life with him. For example, the narrator speaks of his “tender” expressions, “charming” mannerisms, and his “purity” of intent toward Xing Xing. The author presents the well-traveled prince as a kindred spirit to Xing Xing through their shared love of wordplay, such as when he says that she’s “destined to be the brightness of [his] life” because her name means stars (183). The narrative indicates that fidelity is the core of the prince’s character because he’s known throughout his province as “Loyal Zhu.” Napoli portrays the prince as a devoted, intelligent man who honors Xing Xing as the destined love of his life.

The prince’s proposal provides Napoli’s fairy tale retelling a familiar happy ending. As in the traditional story, the prince appears at the story’s conclusion to reward the Cinderella figure’s patient endurance of hardship with a life of abundance and respect. However, in defiance of romantic conventions, Xing Xing’s initial impression of the prince is that he’s “pleasant enough, but nothing special” (178). By sidestepping the love at first sight trope, the author imbues the fairytale characters with psychological realism. At the same time, Napoli offers hope for the future of the couple’s relationship by describing the prince as “a companion who knows how to be tender, a companion [she] may grow to cherish” (184). The prince’s offer of marriage brings Xing Xing’s struggle for freedom and autonomy to a joyful resolution by allowing her to leave behind her abusive, restrictive existence with her stepmother and start a new life where her individuality is valued.