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Wong Lai-Tsao
A blond girl who goes to school with Jin beginning in third grade, but whom Jin only begins to take notice of her when they’re in seventh grade. Amelia wears overalls over a tank top that reveals her bare shoulders, which excites Jin and triggers an intense crush on her. Jin shares with the reader that Amelia isn’t especially pretty, speaks with a lisp, and has some dandruff, but this doesn’t dull his affections for her. Amelia seems like a genuinely nice individual; she agrees to the movie date with Jin and appears to enjoy his company. However, when (unbeknownst to Amelia) Greg tells Jin to back off so Amelia’s popularity doesn’t suffer once they reach high school, Amelia doesn’t stand up for Jin. Aside from being the only white character who treats Jin like a full person, there’s little else defining about Amelia—she exists mostly as the object of Jin’s romantic fantasies.
Amelia Harris Quotes in American Born Chinese
The American Born Chinese quotes below are all either spoken by Amelia Harris or refer to Amelia Harris. 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:
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Chapter 5 Quotes
“When I move here to America, I was afraid nobody wants to be my friend. I come from a different place. Much, much different. But my first day in school here I meet Jin. From then I know everything’s okay. He treat me like a little brother, show me how things work in America. He help me with my English [...] I think sometimes my accent embarrass him, but Jin still willing to be my friend.”
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Chapter 8 Quotes
“It’s just that she’s a good friend and I want to make sure she makes good choices, you know? We’re almost in high school. She has to start paying attention to who she hangs out with.
Aw, geez. Look, Jin. I’m sorry. That sounded way harsher than I meant it to. I just don’t know if you’re right for her, okay? That’s all.”
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I replayed the day’s events over and over again in my mind. Each time I reached the same conclusion: Wei-Chen needed to hear what I had to say. It was, after all, the truth. And at around three in the morning, I finally believed myself.
I dreamt of the herbalist’s wife.
“So, little friend. You’ve done it. Now what would you like to become?”
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Amelia Harris Character Timeline in American Born Chinese
The timeline below shows where the character Amelia Harris appears in American Born Chinese. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5
One day in seventh-grade English class, Jin notices a girl named Amelia for the first time when she takes off her sweater to reveal her bare shoulder....
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...for volunteers to care for the animals after school and offers extra credit to volunteers. Amelia, who sits next to Greg, volunteers. Behind her, Timmy offers to let her “pet his...
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Jin stares across the room at Greg and Amelia, who are chatting happily, and later asks Wei-Chen and Suzy if they think Amelia likes...
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...Wei-Chen, and Suzy, who all burn with shame. Jin walks home alone and thinks of Amelia. He pictures Amelia next to Greg, and then thinks of Greg only. As he gets...
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After school, Wei-Chen goes to science class to feed the animals with Amelia. The monkey grabs Wei-Chen’s face and chatters at him, and Amelia comments that the animal...
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Amelia confirms that Jin is the Asian boy with the Afro and then asks if Wei-Chen...
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Wei-Chen smiles to himself and Amelia asks if Jin likes her. With a laugh, Wei-Chen tells Amelia to ask Jin herself....
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Chapter 8
...just being cynical. But as Jin bikes up a hill, huffing and puffing due to Amelia on the handlebars, he’s not so sure. Jin tries to look cool and strong in...
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Jin and Amelia sit awkwardly in the theater until Amelia remarks that the movie is about to start....
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Jin races back to the auditorium and retakes his seat next to Amelia. As she sighs over the romantic ending, Jin experiences another jolt of confidence from his...
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That night, Jin feels haunted by the possibility that Amelia was just too polite to say anything about the bubbles. He wonders if Amelia thinks...
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During a class that Wei-Chen has with Amelia, Wei-Chen approaches her and asks how the date was. Greg, who’s horsing around with other...
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For the entire morning, Jin dreams of his future with Amelia. In his daydreams, Amelia quickly says she loves Jin. They get married, have sex, and...
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...so harsh, but says he just doesn’t know if Jin is the right match for Amelia. He asks if they’re “cool” and Jin says that they are. Greg asks if Jin...
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...bell rings, Jin’s hair seems to crackle as he marches through the hallways to where Amelia chats with a friend and Greg. Jin calls to Amelia, but Greg answers first. His...
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