A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

by

Yiyun Li

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Mr. Shi’s Wife Character Analysis

Mr. Shi’s wife is never present in the story—she has died— but both Mr. Shi and his daughter speak about her regularly. They reveal no details about her, but it becomes clear that even though Mr. Shi believed her to be a good woman and a good wife, they had a strained relationship because he was always so quiet about his work. He maintained the lie that this was because his job as a rocket scientist required confidentiality, but in actuality it was because he had been demoted to a menial position after his alleged affair with Yilan. He had refused to tell his wife, believing it was out of loyalty to her, but she found out anyway through the rumors that other people spread about him. Mr. Shi’s wife was closer with their daughter than he had been, and he believes that his wife would have been better at helping their daughter recover after her divorce.

Mr. Shi’s Wife Quotes in A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

The A Thousand Years of Good Prayers quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Shi’s Wife or refer to Mr. Shi’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Language, Communication, and Understanding Theme Icon
).
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers Quotes

Her eyes behind her glasses, wide open and unrelenting, remind him of her in her younger years. When she was four or five, she went after him every possible moment, asking questions and demanding answers. The eyes remind him of her mother too; at one time in their marriage, she gazed at him with this questioning look, waiting for an answer he did not have for her.

Related Characters: Mr. Shi, Mr. Shi’s Daughter, Mr. Shi’s Wife
Page Number: 190
Explanation and Analysis:
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A Thousand Years of Good Prayers PDF

Mr. Shi’s Wife Quotes in A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

The A Thousand Years of Good Prayers quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Shi’s Wife or refer to Mr. Shi’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Language, Communication, and Understanding Theme Icon
).
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers Quotes

Her eyes behind her glasses, wide open and unrelenting, remind him of her in her younger years. When she was four or five, she went after him every possible moment, asking questions and demanding answers. The eyes remind him of her mother too; at one time in their marriage, she gazed at him with this questioning look, waiting for an answer he did not have for her.

Related Characters: Mr. Shi, Mr. Shi’s Daughter, Mr. Shi’s Wife
Page Number: 190
Explanation and Analysis: