Room to Dream

The mega hotel that is threatening to take over the Calivista, the Magna, is symbolic of all big business. The sheer size of it makes it an intimidating metaphor. Mia writes, “It was a beast. At five times the size of the Calivista, the Magna completely overshadowed us” (133). This story about small businesses beating big businesses benefits from this physically looming metaphor for corporations, emphasizing the underdog nature of Mia’s small family business. The Magna’s physical presence serves as a constant reminder to the characters, and the readers, that this business is better situated—financially and systemically—to succeed.

Kelly Yang utilizes the literary device of personification with the symbol of the Magna. When the pool light forces her parents to cancel their date night, Mia wishes “the Magna [would] back off”(193). The physical Magna building takes on the characteristics of the company that owns it, serving as an antagonistic force in the book. Mia increasingly comes to fear it and what it might mean for her family. The times that Mia mentions the Magna’s overwhelming presence typically align with other stressful things in her life. For instance, when