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Popo is An-mei’s grandmother, a severe and staunchly traditional woman whose harsh lessons serve to frighten An-mei. Through Popo, we see how well-meaning family members can instill life-long hurt. Beset with shame over An-Mei’s mother’s remarriage, Popo unintentionally teaches An-Mei to be completely self-effacing. For example, her terrifying stories about not being greedy and listening to her elders seem intended to teach An-mei values that Popo believes her mother lacked. However, An-mei takes from these stories that it’s dangerous to want things and form her own opinion. Popo also demonstrates how sometimes love can look like disapproval, a thread that appears in many of the maternal relationships throughout the novel. For instance, Popo tells An-mei and her brother that they were eggs that no one wants, but this negativity is designed to discourage ghosts from taking them. When An-mei nearly dies from her burn wounds, Popo taunts her back to life. Popo’s outward lack of affection is a disguise for how deeply and truly she loves her grandchildren. She loves them so much, she’s frightened to show it and thereby put them in danger.
