Saying Goodbye to Yang

Jim is the first-person narrator of “Saying Goodbye to Yang,” thus readers experience his coming to terms with loss first-hand as he wrestles with how he is perceived. The perspective makes Jim the story’s key protagonist, the only one we have intimate knowledge of, so his journey drives the action. Jim is at times an unreliable narrator, as he deflects from his true feelings when focusing on the financial costs and scheduling burden associated with Yang’s demise. We also only see Yang through Jim’s perspective, and Jim keeps Yang at an emotional distance. It is difficult to understand the level of sentience Yang possesses from Jim’s limited knowledge. We also know when he is lying to others—like Kyra, George, or Russ—because he is self-aware and critical of himself. There are also moments of levity that punctuate the story that we are privy to because we are in Jim’s shoes: e.g., the virtual reality boxing match he is terrible at in Quick Fix, and his posturing with Russ to make it seem he has more technical savvy than he does add catharsis.

Jim’s narration is matter of fact when recounting the episode in his life that culminates in Yang’s funeral, digressing into humor or pathos at times. Yet nature imagery recurs throughout when Jim tries to explain his feelings. He is descriptive about the “red and orange leaves falling around” (13) him and Yang when they rake leaves, an anecdote that ends with Jim’s realization that he considered Yang a son at times. This is echoed in his description of the funeral, on a similarly bright, crisp fall day, the light “bringing out the ocher and amber of the season” (20). Jim describes feeling that time has slowed down after he was given Yang’s voice box, explaining, “The light of the setting sun had stretched across the wood floors of our home for what seemed an eternity” (18). Nature is a touchstone for Jim as he processes the denial and acceptance of his grief.