Moon Shadow Analysis

The story begins in the Middle Kingdom which is what the Chinese people call China. Moon Shadow is afraid of the demons, which is what they call Americans. Moon Shadow is afraid of demons because his mother told him about how the demons lynched his grandfather. Moon Shadow’s mother doesn’t like to answer his questions about America. The Tang people refer America as the Land of the Golden Mountain. Moon Shadow has never met his father and the people in the village call him a maker of marvelous kites. Moon Shadow gets to finally go to America because his cousin, Hand Clap brought a letter from his father. Hand Clap tells Moon Shadow about the demons and how mean they are. Moon Shadow arrives in America and he arrives in the Company building.

Moon Shadow is very curious about his father’s name.

Each one of his relatives gives him a gift and when Black Dog arrives, he gives Moon Shadow a knife. He warns them about the drunk demons. The demons throw a brick at the window and the window breaks. They leave and they clean up the broken glass on the

floor. Moon Shadow finally sees his room and he is confused by the foreign objects in the room. Windrider explains the objects to Moon Shadow. Uncle Bright Star gives Moon Shadow a wood carving of a monkey and he sleeps with it next to him. Moon Shadow goes to a school for Tang kids and he gets a job. He has to deliver and pick up laundry and he works for sixteen hours everyday. Moon Shadow learns why his grandfather was killed by the demons. They meet a man named Mr. Alger with a horseless carriage. They help him out and Moon Shadow wonders if the meeting with Mr. Alger was a test from the Dragon King. They find out that Black Dog got in trouble and he doesn’t want their help. Windrider knocks him out with a punch and throws him over his shoulder. Black Dog’s drug use obsession comes back and Black Dog comes back stinking of opium. Moon Shadow is given the job of collecting overdue bills in the Tang town. Black Dog beat up Moon Shadow and steals the money that he collected from his job. All the Tang decide that Windrider and Moon Shadow should live with demons.They arrive at the demon place and Windrider asks Moon Shadow to stay in the wagon. When Moon Shadow meets the demons he is surprised that they are nice and are not monsters that he expected. Miss Whitlaw gives them cookies and a strange white liquid that they are not familiar with. Miss Whitlaw tells them that it is called milk and when Moon Shadow sees the stained-glass window he is amazed. Moon Shadow has tea and he has his own, but she insists that she uses her own. When she makes the tea Moon Shadow stops her before she ruins the tea.

When Moon Shadow takes out the trash he meets three demon boys and they throw garbage, vegetables. and stones at him. Moon Shadow keeps the incident to himself. Moon Shadow writes a letter to the Wright Brothers with Miss Whitlaw’s help. When Windrider finds out that Moon Shadow wrote a letter to the Wright Brothers, he gets upset and crumples the paper. When Windrider flattens the letter he tells Moon Shadow to write another letter. They go to Ocean beach and they have Thanksgiving sandwiches for lunch. Moon Shadow asks Windrider if he can fly a kite, but Robin wants to fly the kite too. They decide to take turns flying the kite. When Windrider and Miss Whitlaw decide that it is time to go, Windrider releases the kite by cutting the string. Robin tells Moon Shadow that Jack hates being hit in the nose. Moon Shadow punches Jack and he feels like he won’t get bullied by them again. They go stargazing on the patio and they share their knowledge on constellations and they compare their myths. A week after the Feast of Pure Brightness, an earthquake happens. They dress out of their sleepwear and look at the wreckage. They decide to help all the survivors and the use chair legs as

clubs. When they have lunch, they get water, but the pump doesn’t work. They get the water bucket from the rooms. A person steals Miss Whitlaw’s money, but she lets them take the money. A person announces that there is a fire south of the Market. Lefty warns them about the soldiers and how they are shooting anyone who they see. When they arrive at the building and they are happy to see it still standing. They arrive at the Golden Gate Bridge and soldiers are giving out bread. The Company has dinner with the Whitlaws and a soldier tells them to leave. The soldiers gather up all the Tang people and march them around San Francisco. Uncle demands them to stop and it works. Robin and Moon Shadow exchange gifts. Moon Shadow and Windrider move to the foothills of Oakland and they live in a barn. They try to get the scent out by using disinfectant spray, but it doesn’t work. They decide to use the incenses that the got. They write a letter to their family and they send back a really big envelope. The first one is from grandmother and it scolds Windrider. The second one is for MoonShadow and it tells him to support his father no matter what. Three years later, Dragonwings is finished and they start decorating it. They have to wait until mid-September to fly Dragonwings. Black Dog comes back and he wants their money. Black Dog threatens to kill Moon Shadow and Windrider gives it to him. They can’t ask other people because everyone calls him “Crazy Chinaman.” They decide to build another version of Dragonwings. The Company pays their rent and they came to help fly Dragonwings. They bring Dragonwings onto the top of the hill and the Whitlaws catch up. They get ready to fly and they start moving.They start flying, but a propeller breaks and Windrider crashes. They check Windrider, to see if he is okay and he goes to the hospital because he has broken ribs and leg. Windrider realizes that family is more important than flying. They start living in the new Company building and Windrider heals. They find out that Black Dog was murdered before he could use the money. Windrider goes to the Middle Kingdom, so he can bring Mother to America.