A brief parable introduces one of the novel's primary themes: transformation. An old woman remembers purchasing an unusual "swan" in a Shanghai market; the swan had originally been a duck, but it stretched its neck so long — trying to become a goose — that it eventually looked exactly like a swan. The old woman took her swan and booked passage on a ship bound for America, and during the journey, she imagined what it would be like to raise a daughter in America. She hoped that her daughter would be valued for herself — and not valued as only a reflection of her husband. She would give her daughter this swan, "a creature that became more than what was hoped for."
In America, immigration officials immediately confiscated the swan, and, in her confusion with all of the official forms and papers to fill out, the woman forgot why she came to America and what she left behind. Many years later, the woman still treasured a single feather from the wondrous swan; she planned to give her daughter this feather — she would do so on the day when she could speak "perfect American English" to her daughter.
Within this parable lies Tan's ironic treatment of the theme of the American Dream — the belief that America is a guaranteed Land of Opportunity, of success and happiness. An old woman sets off on a journey, certain that this fabled destination will ensure her a fresh start, a place where her daughter can gain respect and accomplish wondrous things, unburdened by the enormous hardships that she herself suffered in the past. In a sense, the woman's dream comes true: Her daughter gains respect, but meantime, she becomes so Americanized — "speaking only English and swallowing more Coca-Cola than sorrow" — that the two women are unable to communicate with one another.
