Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All

Xiaohua Wu, who goes by the English name Shirley, is Magnolia’s mother. She and her husband work long hours running a laundromat in New York City. She is portrayed as constantly working, often multitasking, as when Magnolia asks for her help with the supply closet in Chapter 8: “Mrs. Wu had her phone tucked between her right ear and shoulder, pants draped over her other shoulder, while she punched something into the computer” (116-117). Because Xiaohua is so busy keeping the laundromat going to support the family, Magnolia sees this as her mother’s number one priority. Magnolia often feels unimportant to her mother—when the reality is just the opposite. At the end of the story, when Magnolia finally confesses how she is feeling, Xiaohua tells her that she is “the most important” (118) and that being in New York with Magnolia makes Xiaohua “the luckiest person in the world” (121).

Xiaohua functions as a vehicle for one of the most important lessons that Magnolia learns: The Gift of a Wider Perspective. Shirley, as she is known to the neighbors all around them, is a popular and beloved figure. From these neighbors—and her Auntie Mei—Magnolia learns that her mother is far more than the hardworking, penny-pinching, no-nonsense figure that Magnolia sees so much of at home and the laundromat. She is the brave young woman who immigrated from China, who snuck out constantly to explore the city and dream of a bright future, and who whimsically named herself after a sugary pink drink, the Shirley Temple. She is the kind friend who sends peaches to Ms. Lam and who cooks meals for others—even cooking sausages for Iris, to substitute for the corn dogs Iris misses so much. She again shows this loving spirit when Magnolia confronts her at the end of the story. Xiaohua does not get angry or punish Magnolia for being disrespectful. Instead, she calmly sits down with her daughter and holds her close while she reassures her of her love.

Xiaohua is also a steady person who reacts to life’s obstacles with optimism and determination. For instance, she admits to Magnolia that she has encountered plenty of racism during her time in the United States, but her attitude is not anger or fear. She tells her daughter that yes, it is stressful, but she can get past these aggressions because she has “already won,” having achieved the happiness of making a life in New York and having Magnolia (121).

Iris is a Vietnamese American girl about Magnolia’s age, the daughter of one of Magnolia’s mother’s friends. She moves to New York City from Santa Cruz, California at the beginning of the story and is introduced to Magnolia by their mothers. Iris initially does not like New York, finding it crowded and smelly. She misses Santa Cruz and the ocean and is skeptical of Magnolia’s claims that the city can be wonderful. When her family is targeted by racist graffiti, she is even more sure that New York is a terrible place.

Despite her initial misgivings, Iris shows strength and courage when she opens herself up to the experience of living in New York and becomes fast friends with Magnolia. A big part of their bonding takes place during their quest to reunite lost socks and their owners—a quest that Iris herself initiates. When the novel opens, Iris is presented as more confident than Magnolia, a person who takes action to make things happen in her own life. She is the one who rescues the thrown-away socks and who suggests going out into the city to reunite them with their owners, and she exhibits breezy self-confidence when she introduces herself to Luis. In this way, she functions as a foil for Magnolia, who still needs to learn to take action and who gets embarrassed around Luis.

Throughout the story, Miller positions Iris as emblematic of Developing Confidence and Finding One’s Voice. However, Iris reveals that this confidence is a learned skill. Iris is a sensitive and deeply emotional child who has not always been able to cope with her feelings. In California, faced with an emotionally abusive father, she shut down, refusing to speak at all. With time and distance, she has become much more confident and able to manage her emotions. Speaking up and telling her mother that she wanted to move away from her father emphasizes the way her growing confidence allowed her to feel empowered. 

Iris is also insightful and kind-hearted. Magnolia calls her “the smartest, kindest person I know” (128). Iris is the one who discourages Magnolia from keeping the flamingo sock from Aspen and who writes Aspen the note “I hope you stay gray,” encouraging him to believe in himself and not let his father’s verbal abuse get to him (87). Iris is the one who sends a kind note to Alan to let him know that other people believe in him and his dream of being a fashion designer. Even though she is jealous of Magnolia’s attempts to befriend Jessica, Iris’s kind heart eventually wins out, and she accepts Jessica into their friend group. Her efforts to understand others and encourage them to be their best selves provide strong support for the story’s thematic interest in The Gift of Friendship.