Major themes of this story by Don Lee are love, art and rivalry. Set in California, a Japanese-American furniture artisan is caught-up in rivalry between his girlfriend and a female customer. Both women are poets. Although once good friends, they fell-out after their first books got very different reviews. The girlfriend, whose work was rated poorly, believes the other woman is trying to ruin her life. Things take a dark turn when she reports receiving threatening phone calls. Readers are left wondering whether these are real, or contrived to destroy her rival. Other themes include self-image, insecurity, paranoia, and sacrifice.
It is interesting to ponder the relevance of the title to the story. The expression What’s that got to do with the price of eggs in china? is a rhetorical question signifying that something is irrelevant to a matter being considered. To me, this is reflected in the theme of sacrifice. For Dean, his art (which had been his life and is embodied in his stockpile of zelkova wood) is irrelevant in trying to protect Caroline.
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