Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets" and Judith Ortiz Cofer's "Volar" both use symbolism and distinct settings to depict the lives and feelings of two young girls from different cultural backgrounds. Although these girls are different in the way they live their lives and the daily impact of their nationality, they both face cultural issues that face many people living in a place that is not where they live. 'where they originate. Both short stories use similar styles of setting and symbolism to depict two very different issues that these young girls must face because of who they are and where they come from. The setting of each story gives the audience insight into why the characters feel, act, and react the way they do. The subtle yet powerful symbolism used throughout the stories helps create more depth and meaning impacting the main characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay “A Pair of Tickets” tells the story of narrator Jing-Mei traveling to China for the first time and discovering what makes it Chinese. Growing up in California, she assimilated into the American way of life and the country's cultures. She insisted that she doesn't feel at all Chinese on the inside even though her parents were both Chinese immigrants and she looked like one on the outside. At the beginning of the story, she wants nothing to do with being Chinese and does her best to avoid it, but once she arrives in China, she learns what it really means to be Chinese and, oddly enough, she feels like she has come home. The Chinese context correlates with Jing-Mei's story of self-discovery. The setting explores heritage, location, and ethnic identity to give the reader a better understanding of Jing Mei and how it all impacts her. The setting and his Chinese parents help him discover the nature of being Chinese and lead him to change his perspective on his heritage. “I look at their faces again and I see no trace of my mother. Yet they still look familiar. I also see what part of me is Chinese. It's so obvious. This is my family. It’s in our blood” (202). Being in China and being around her family members changes her sense of culture and makes her understand that even though she doesn't live in China, she is Chinese by her roots and her family. On the other hand, the story “Volar” is about an immigrant family also residing in America. The little girl, who is also the narrator of the story, has her own version of an American dream that is very far from her reach due to her circumstances. Unlike “A Pair of Tickets,” the girl in this story struggles to fit in. Being from Puerto Rico, she struggles to appear different from others and relate to people living in America, trying to escape the harsh reality that it's her life, she would imagine herself as Supergirl watching over buildings and spying on his neighbors. This dream gave him a feeling of empowerment and control over his environment. In reality, she lives in a “Barrio” which is a Spanish-speaking neighborhood. The young girl mentions: “I woke up in my little room with incongruous things, at least in our little apartment…” (204). She remembers waking up from her superhero dreams and her disappointing little corner of life. She is very aware that her way of life was inferior to.