Gambling with Water Ghosts

I felt it was more than appropriate to talk about the novel, Water Ghosts, on such a dreary and rainy afternoon! This novel by Shawna Yang Ryan certainly offers a more unusual take on the relationship between Chinese immigrants and Americans during the 1920s.

My reasoning for the title of this post, "Gambling with Water Ghosts", has a dual meaning. First, some of content within the book may be a little difficult in regards to what is considered "appropriate" in a high school classroom setting, so you may be gambling with a bit of trouble from parents or supervisors. I spoke about this in my previous post, and if Beloved was considered inappropriate by many, I would not be the least bit surprised if there was a fuss about Water Ghosts. Some of the content that could be considered inappropriate to includes prostitution, homosexuality, cussing, sexual relations, etc. This is where I stress that you teachers out there read and RE-READ the novel each time you present it to your classroom, so that you are prepared to deal with how to appropriately relay this to your students, but how to deal with backlash from parents if that issue presents itself.

Secondly, the title relates to Richard Fong, the owner of a gambling hall in Water Ghosts. I'd like to give you a little background info about a few of the main characters in the novel in case those of you reading have no idea what I am talking about. ATTENTION: Spoiler alerts if you read further! Fong Gum is Richard's birth name - however, upon his arrival to American over a decade ago, he decided to Americanize it. After starting from the bottom of the totem pole, Richard has finally been able to make a living for himself, and even spend extra money on having relations with a white American prostitute, Chloe. Richard has made a routine life for himself in America, though he has definitely had his fair share of harsh experiences along the way. After living comfortably, Ming Wai, his wife from China, appears out of the water on a boat with two other Chinese women. Poppy, another Chinese immigrant woman who happens to be the owner of the prostitute home in which Chloe resides, ALSO happens to be some sort of a psychic. Though she knows there isn't something right about these three women, no one else can see what she sees. Ming Wai moves in with Richard, and seems to be barely alive. He has difficulties with accepting her into his home and into his life, which continues to be a struggle throughout the novel. Let's fast forward a bit to the end of the novel for the sake of your attention span. After a huge rainstorm causes a flood in Sacramento, where the novel takes place, Richard and Ming Wai escape their apartment, but Richard does not escape the flood. He drowns while holding on to Ming Wai, and seems to accept his death by becoming one with her.

My main point in explaining this to all of my readers is this: Richard was struggling with a conflict that many of us face today. He was partially stuck in his old world while yearning for his new desires, such as Chloe. Though Richard's conflict between old and new was the main one discussed in the novel, I think it would be not only beneficial, but necessary for your classroom to do an exercise in where they list each characters past and present memories and desires. Due to the lack of quotation marks in the story, it is very difficult to keep track of the flow of each character's life, and lose sight of the overall story being told.


I feel it is best to list each character's past and present desires as a whole, because some students may be completely lost without this guidance. After listing their desires, I think it would be appropriate to discuss how they ultimately affected each character by the end of the novel. Discussing issues such as gender roles, sexuality preference, and immigration can also be discussed as a whole to make sure things stay appropriate, mature, and strictly educational. Questions about how gender roles, sexuality and immigration can be discussed in terms of how our culture's opinions on these issues have changed since the 1920s, and what the repercussions may have been if these things happened if people did not fulfill the norms of that time.

Here are some quiz questions you could ask the class. I feel these quiz questions should not be used for points, because the novel is even a bit hard to follow for veteran readers.

1. Why did Chloe want to be "baptized" by Sofia?
2. What happened to the three "water ghosts" at the end of the novel?
3. What is Richard's very first reaction to Ming Wai?
4. When did Poppy first realize she was able to see ghosts?

Are there parts of the novel that you feel are more important than each character's past and present desires? Is there a different way you would teach this to a high school classroom? This is definitely a tougher read, so I think keeping it as simple as possible is vital for the reader's understanding of the novel as a whole. Let me know your thoughts!