Project Mulberry

Patrick and Julia continue to look for Mr. Dixon’s car. Along the way, Patrick deduces what Mr. Dixon might be like based on his car. Julia’s pessimism creates enough tension between them that Patrick doesn’t stop for kimchi when he goes home for the night. As a peace offering, Julia asks her father for help finding Mr. Dixon.

That evening, Julia receives a phone call from Mr. Dixon. He invites her to visit his house so that he can meet her and she can see his mulberry tree. Julia wonders if she can avoid the meeting and halt the silkworm project, stalling by telling Mr. Dixon about Patrick. Mr. Dixon agrees that Patrick can come but requests that Julia receive permission from her parents. When Julia tells her mother about Mr. Dixon’s invitation, Mrs. Song decides to come along as well.

The next day, Julia, Patrick, and Mrs. Song drive to Mr. Dixon’s house. Despite her continued misgivings, Julia is excited at finally finding the mulberry tree. When Mr. Dixon greets them, they see that he is Black. Julia recalls her fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Roberts, who was a Black woman. Mrs. Roberts was Julia’s favorite teacher and did her job well. However, based on her mother’s constant pointed questions about Mrs. Roberts, Julia realized her mother was prejudiced against Black people. At the time, Patrick suggested that this prejudice might stem from the Korean War, which was the first war in which Black and white soldiers were integrated in the US Army. Regardless, Julia’s main concern is what will happen next.

In the end-of-chapter dialogue, Julia and Ms. Park discuss their mutual surprise that Mr. Dixon is Black: They both initially assumed he was white. Julia is petulant that Mr. Dixon seems to have more control over the story than she does and demands to make big decisions. Ms. Park tells her to be careful what she wishes for.

Mrs. Song masks her reaction to Mr. Dixon by using her “perfect face,” which Julia notes she only uses when she doesn’t want “people to know what [she’s] thinking” (72). After an awkward pause, Julia introduces herself, surprising Mr. Dixon. He admits that he assumed she was white, surprising Julia.

Mr. Dixon shows them his mulberry tree. Julia is surprised at how ordinary it looks. Patrick explains their silkworm project but admits that he doesn’t yet know how many leaves they will need for the insects. Mrs. Song adds her knowledge about sericulture in Korea, warning that Julia and Patrick would need to visit many times to gather fresh leaves for the silkworms. Mr. Dixon, now with a positive impression of them, agrees to let them use his mulberry tree for their project. They still need to order the silkworm eggs, so Mrs. Song takes Mr. Dixon’s number.

Later that evening, Patrick tries to buy the silkworm eggs but doesn’t have money to pay for them. Seizing the opportunity, Julia tells him that she doesn’t have enough either. Discussing money humiliates Patrick, as his family often has financial struggles. Upset, he again goes home without kimchi. Feeling guilty, Julia doesn’t react to Kenny’s goading at dinner, trying to mentally justify her actions without success.

In her dialogue with Ms. Park, Julia rails about the chapter and demands that Park rewrite it. Park points out that this is exactly what Julia wanted—an end to the silkworm project and a chance to make a big decision. This doesn’t comfort Julia, but she has no alternate solution.

Things remain tense between Julia and Patrick the following day. During the only class she shares with Patrick, Julia decides to make peace with him, even if that means committing to the silkworm project. She tells him she’ll get the money from her mother. He agrees, though he hasn’t fully forgiven her.

After school, Julia gets the money and they order the silkworms. They spend the rest of the day researching (Patrick) and embroidering (Julia). Julia enjoys the practice. She also ponders ideas for her embroidery design, including the American flag. Mrs. Song rejects this idea as unfeasible. Julia continues to brainstorm. Patrick has lots of ideas for the silkworm aspect of the project, including daily photographs and filming the worms. They prepare for the eggs’ arrival.

In the concluding dialogue, Julia is softening in terms of both her fight with Patrick and the silkworm project, though she still feels the latter is too Korean. Ms. Park introduces the idea of empathy by explaining that she thought of the American flag embroidery idea by pretending to be Julia.