Project Mulberry

A white boy of mixed Western European descent and from a large family, Patrick is Julia’s neighbor, classmate, and best friend. Unlike Julia’s other friends, Patrick is enamored of Julia’s Korean heritage and absolutely adores kimchi, to the point that he gets his own bowl when he stays for dinner. A determined, ambitious, hardworking bookworm, Patrick researches their project and sheds light on big questions. He is the one to reference the Korean War as a possible reason for Mrs. Song’s prejudices toward Black people, and he looks up the logistics of the silkworm project. His talents and preferences contrast with but also complement Julia’s, highlighting the theme of Types of Productivity/Skill Sets.

Patrick is good with kids, bringing Kenny into Project Mulberry as an assistant, and he takes his responsibilities seriously. Patrick often helps care for his own younger brothers and does odd jobs for pocket money (it’s implied that his family struggles financially). He is quick to defend Julia when others assume she is Chinese and to find solutions for her fears, such as the association between silkworms and Susan B. Anthony. His personal motivations for Project Mulberry include winning the competition prize and overcoming his scoleciphobia (worm phobia). Despite his curiosity and inquisitive nature, Patrick does not always notice subtleties, such as the unique symmetry of Korean embroidery. Though Patrick is aware of ethnic and racial prejudices and is a staunch ally, he does occasionally exhibit white privilege, such as when he overlooks Julia’s hesitance regarding the silkworm project.

A retired Black widower whose children and grandchildren live far away, Mr. Dixon owns the single mulberry tree in Plainfield. He is the only major BIPOC character mentioned in the novel apart from the Songs. Though the initial meeting between Mr. Dixon, Patrick, and Julia is awkward due to incorrect assumptions about one another’s race, the three gradually become friends, and he enjoys their regular visits. Mr. Dixon mistakenly assumes Julia is Chinese, but he also tries to allay Mrs. Song’s suspicions with food and flowers from his garden.

Mr. Dixon becomes a mentor/grandfatherly figure to Julia and Patrick both in his knowledge of gardening and cooking and in terms of diversity. Because of him, Julia begins to think more deeply about the importance of solidarity and active antiracism, but she also learns that no one is perfect. Mr. Dixon and Julia both make mistakes and surface-level assumptions, but they learn and grow from them throughout the novel.

Head of the Wiggle Club and a staunch sustainable farmer, Mr. Maxwell is ostensibly Patrick and Julia’s mentor figure, though his role is limited as the Wiggle Club only meets once a week. Mr. Maxwell encourages Project Mulberry and inspires them to incorporate sustainability. Despite his good intentions, he misses the point of Julia’s reluctance to kill the silkworms. He assumes she is only hesitant to harvest the silk for the first time and not that she empathizes with the worms’ hard work and hopes for the future. This negates the effects of his advice and symbolically mirrors his white privilege—specifically, his ignorance regarding the immigrant experience of working hard to secure a better future.

Julia’s seven-year-old brother Kenny is (according to her) a “snotbrain” (33). He and Julia have a strained relationship throughout most of the novel, though he admires Patrick. Julia hesitates to include Kenny in Project Mulberry, though his involvement keeps him out of trouble and offers unexpected insights. For example, he suggests that they put a cocoon in a jar for easy filming and that not all the worms need to be killed for silk.

Kenny also shows unexpected compassion, offering his coveted Connecticut quarter to comfort Julia during the silk harvest. By the end of the novel, Kenny and Julia’s relationship improves enough that she introduces him to Mr. Dixon and assists Kenny in collecting quarters. Though they are only five years apart in age, Kenny represents the “future generation” with regard to multiculturalism; Julia recognizes the complexity of perception across racial and ethnic lines, and Kenny becomes the student who will absorb and pass along these lessons.