Flies

1. Casual Stylization of the Story

This story is about a family dealing with a major fly infestation, but it’s really about way more than that. The dad is obsessed with killing the flies—he shoots them with rubber bands, and the kids have jobs: Didi points out the flies, and Ying Ying cleans up the dead ones. The mom’s over it and just wants the flies gone ASAP.

Meanwhile, there’s tension between the parents—they’re divorced but still living together, and it’s messy. The dad used to have a job but now stays home, and the mom works two jobs. The flies seem to make everything worse, and the dad’s weirdly intense about them, like they’re some kind of enemy.

Then there’s the nasty hot tub in the backyard—it’s broken, filled with gross water, and probably the source of the flies. When the exterminator, Johnson, comes, he doesn’t do much, and Ying Ying sneaks a peek into the hot tub and sees a giant dead rat floating in it. Gross.

The parents fight a lot, and it’s clear the mom’s done with the whole situation. At the end, she tells Ying Ying they’re moving out soon—without the dad. Ying Ying’s left feeling confused and stuck in the middle.

2. Summary

A family struggles with a fly infestation while dealing with deeper issues—divorce, financial stress, and unresolved anger. The dad takes out his frustrations by obsessively killing flies, while the mom is exhausted and planning to leave. The flies symbolize the family’s dysfunction, and the discovery of a dead rat in a neglected hot tub adds to the gross, decaying vibe of their life. In the end, the mom decides to move out with the kids, leaving the dad behind, and Ying Ying is left to process the mess.

3. Key Takeaways

  • Family Dysfunction: The flies represent the family’s unresolved problems—constantly coming back, annoying, impossible to fully get rid of.

  • Divorce & Tension: The parents are divorced but still living together, creating a toxic environment where old arguments keep resurfacing.

  • Roles & Responsibilities: The dad, once the provider, is now unemployed and controlling at home. The mom is overworked and done with his behavior.

  • Growing Up Too Fast: Ying Ying is caught in the middle, acting as a mediator and dealing with adult problems way before she should.

  • Neglect & Decay: The broken hot tub and dead rat symbolize neglect—both in the house and in the family’s relationships.

4. Important Points / Moral

  • Unresolved Issues Fester: Just like the flies and the rotting hot tub, ignoring problems makes them worse.

  • Kids Bear the Weight: Ying Ying and Didi are stuck dealing with their parents’ mess, showing how divorce and conflict impact children.

  • Control & Helplessness: The dad’s obsession with killing flies is his way of controlling something when his life feels out of control.

  • Moving On: The mom’s decision to leave shows that sometimes, cutting ties is the only way to escape a toxic situation.

Final Thought: Sometimes, the real "flies" in life aren’t the bugs—they’re the problems we ignore until they take over everything.

1. Symbolism & Metaphor

  • Flies represent the family’s unresolved conflicts—persistent, multiplying, and impossible to fully eradicate. The father’s obsession with killing them mirrors his need for control in a life where he’s lost authority (job, marriage).

  • The Hot Tub is a decaying relic of better times (once a luxury, now a breeding ground for disease). Its stagnant water and the dead rat inside symbolize the rot in the family—hidden but festering.

  • The Rat could represent the father himself—once strong, now bloated, lifeless, and trapped in filth. Its sudden appearance shocks Ying Ying, just as the truth about her parents’ relationship shocks her.

2. Family Dynamics & Power Shifts

  • The Father’s Decline: Once the breadwinner (kitchen boss at a retirement home), he’s now unemployed, stuck at home killing flies, and clinging to authority through petty control (yelling about water waste, dictating chores). His aggression toward flies and Johnson reflects his frustration.

  • The Mother’s Resentment: She works two jobs, handles finances, and is emotionally checked out. Her quiet packing at night shows she’s already mentally left—she’s just waiting for the physical move.

  • Ying Ying’s Role: At 11, she’s forced into adulthood—mediating fights, comforting Didi, overhearing adult conflicts. Her disgust at the flies (and the rat) mirrors her growing awareness of her family’s dysfunction.

3. Cultural & Generational Tensions

  • Immigrant Struggle: The father’s lecture on water scarcity in China contrasts with the mother’s pragmatism (“we don’t even pay for water”). His traditional views (e.g., cursing Johnson for patting Ying Ying’s head) clash with the kids’ assimilation.

  • Language as a Barrier: Shanghainese is the language of parental arguments—Didi doesn’t understand, but Ying Ying does, burdening her with secrets. Her rejection of the dialect mirrors her rejection of the family’s unresolved past.

4. The Illusion of Normalcy

  • The parents pretend they’re still a unit (eating together, shared chores), but the divorce lingers beneath every interaction.

  • Ying Ying and Didi cope differently:

    • Ying Ying internalizes stress (rage-thrashing on the bed, obsessive fly disposal).

    • Didi disassociates (shrugging off fights, focusing on childish things like Sphero robots).

5. The Ending: Silent Escapes

  • The mother’s midnight packing is methodical, almost peaceful—she’s not fleeing in anger but finally freeing herself.

  • The father’s bike ride into the night mirrors his earlier disappearances to China, but this time, he might not come back.

  • Ying Ying is left with the weight of her mother’s words: “You have to help him now. It’s your job.” The role reversal is complete—the child must parent the parent.

Final Interpretation: A Family’s Slow Collapse

This isn’t just a story about flies—it’s about how neglect (emotional, physical) breeds decay. The hot tub’s rot, the flies’ persistence, and the rat’s grotesque reveal all parallel the family’s unaddressed wounds. The mother’s escape is survival; the father’s fate is uncertain. Ying Ying, stuck in the middle, loses her childhood to the mess adults refused to clean up.

Moral: Dysfunction doesn’t die—it just finds new hosts. The only way out is to leave the rot behind.