“Happy Endings,” “Obituary,” and “Oompah Loompah”

What is the significance of Shirley Temple? What meaning does she hold for Lovey?

Around the time when our author was growing up in Hawaii, Shirley Temple was an American icon. She was the role model for all of the little girls around the country on how to look, how to act and how to bring happiness to your life. Growing up a little Japanese girl in Hawaii, Lovey was an outsider of outsiders. She lived in a place that was not connected directly with the continental U.S. and the people in Hawaii were considered outsiders themselves. She did not fit in with the kids at school and they used her looks against her, she became a very easy target for ruthless elementary school children. Shirley Temple was the perfect American which was what Lovey wanted so desperately to be, with her perfect curly hair, rosie cheeks and ability to make everyone love her.

Lovey was constantly reminded by her teacher why she was not a model American, her inability to speak standard English like all other Americans along with her inability to properly read and write. She had no way to fit in because she was always teased about how stupid she was and how hard it would be to become an American without good schooling. Shirley Temple made everything look so easy to Lovey with her carefree nature and the fact that millions of children loved her. Lovey envied Shirley Temple’s life, and how every episode on TV ended so perfectly for her. Lovey and Jerry would play out the endings of her shows at Sunday school because they would never be able to see the end before leaving. Lovey even played out her own version of Shirley Temple’s shows with herself as the star and Shirley Temple admiring her perfect life.