Second Aunt in Dial A for Aunties: Character Analysis

Overview

Second Aunt is the Chan family's bridal hair and makeup artist and the second-oldest of the four sisters, ten years younger than Big Aunt, who essentially raised her siblings while their grandmother worked. She is defined by blunt honesty, deep superstition, and a running rivalry with Big Aunt. She is the aunt who objects to being near a dead body before a wedding and who, in a moment of dark pragmatism, suggests chopping it up for curry. Her broken English, her Mandarin and Indonesian phrases, and her struggle with apps like Pinterest mark her as part of the immigrant generation the author describes in the Author's Note—a generation that sacrificed fluency for survival.

Plot Role

Second Aunt's professional role is handling bridal hair and makeup for the family's wedding business. At the pre-wedding dim sum, she confirms her assignment and shows off a hairstyle she practiced on Meddy's hair, holding her phone side by side with a photo to prove the resemblance to the bride's chosen style. During the wedding weekend, she finishes Jacqueline's hair in the bridal suite while the bride cries over her drunk groom, and she is the one who calls Meddy when Ah Guan's phone starts ringing.

Beyond her professional duties, Second Aunt is a key participant in the family's cover-up of Ah Guan's death. She objects to being near the body, but she helps move it, adds a warning note to the cooler, and joins the family's schemes. She accompanies Meddy to retrieve the stolen tea ceremony gifts, and she is part of the aunties' chaotic attempts to dispose of the body. Her role is often that of the skeptic who questions Big Aunt's decisions while still following through.

Motivations and Traits

Second Aunt's motivations are rooted in family loyalty and a desire to maintain the family's reputation. She is invested in the wedding business succeeding, and she takes pride in her craft. When Ma compliments her hairstyle work, Second Aunt gives her a warm smile.

Traits shown through actions:

• Blunt honesty: She tells Meddy she is not a whore, which is why she is so bad at dating—a crude but direct assessment. She openly criticizes Big Aunt's cake collapse at the Mochtar Halim wedding, saying nobody has a face anymore.

• Superstition: She objects to being near a dead body before a wedding, citing bad luck. Even in the middle of the crisis, she knocks on a nearby tree when someone mentions bad luck, showing her superstition persists under pressure.

• Skill and pride in her craft: She practiced the bride's hairstyle on Meddy's hair and shows off the comparison photos. She is proud when Ma compliments her work.

• Sibling rivalry: She has ongoing friction with Big Aunt, needling her about the cake collapse and blaming her for the cooler mishap. When Big Aunt misidentifies a catfish scam as a goldfish scam, Second Aunt snorts.

• Practicality: Her suggestion to chop the body up for curry is darkly pragmatic—a way to dispose of evidence. It is rejected, but it reveals her approach to problems: find a workable solution, however shocking.

Chronological Arc

Second Aunt's arc spans from the family's wedding business founding to the wedding weekend itself.

Six years before the main events, the family announces the wedding business at a dim sum restaurant. Second Aunt claims the hair and makeup role, establishing her as a committed participant in the family enterprise.

In the present-day timeline, Second Aunt confirms her assignment at the pre-wedding dim sum. She needles Big Aunt about the cake collapse and shows off her practiced hairstyle. When the family discovers the body in Meddy's trunk, Second Aunt objects on superstitious grounds, but she helps move the body to Big Aunt's bakery. She adds a warning note to the cooler.

At the bakery, she argues with Big Aunt about the overslept schedule. When the family discovers Ah Guan's body in the cooler, Second Aunt criticizes Big Aunt for putting him there, doing Tai Chi while arguing. She blames Big Aunt for the mishap and insists she will devise a better plan, then walks off.

During the wedding, Second Aunt finishes Jacqueline's hair. She calls Meddy about Ah Guan's phone ringing, and she accompanies Meddy to retrieve the stolen gifts. She and Fourth Aunt admire and try on the jewelry, but Meddy makes them return it. She is part of the aunties' attempts to move the body, and she knocks on wood when someone mentions bad luck.

Relationships

Big Aunt: The most significant relationship. They have ongoing friction—Second Aunt needles Big Aunt about the cake collapse, and Big Aunt admonishes her. But they work together in the family business. Second Aunt's criticism of Big Aunt's decision to put Ah Guan in the cooler is pointed but fair, since Ah Guan was alive when placed inside.

Meddy: Second Aunt is fond of Meddy but blunt with her. She says listening to Meddy struggle through Indonesian or Mandarin raises her blood pressure. She is protective in her own way, checking that Meddy will be okay before leaving for the bridal suite.

Ma: Second Aunt gives Ma a warm smile when Ma compliments her work. They seem to have a warmer relationship than Ma and Fourth Aunt, who are constantly at odds.

Key Decisions and Consequences

1. Objecting to the body but helping anyway: Second Aunt's superstition makes her object, but she ultimately helps. This shows family loyalty overriding personal beliefs.

2. Suggesting curry: This darkly comic suggestion is rejected, but it shows her pragmatic approach to problems.

3. Blaming Big Aunt for the cooler mishap: She criticizes Big Aunt's decision, which is fair since Ah Guan was alive when placed inside. This creates tension but does not derail the family's plans.

4. Accompanying Meddy to retrieve the gifts: She helps Meddy get the stolen tea ceremony gifts, showing her willingness to act when needed.

Theme/Symbol Connections

• Family loyalty and moral complicity: Second Aunt participates in the cover-up despite her superstition. She is morally complicit in the family's actions, showing how family loyalty can override personal beliefs.

• Immigrant identity and language loss: Second Aunt speaks broken English, uses Mandarin and Indonesian phrases, and struggles with apps like Pinterest. She represents the immigrant generation's partial language loss, a theme the author addresses directly in the Author's Note.

• Family obligation vs personal autonomy: Second Aunt is part of the family business, contributing her skills. She does not seem to want out, but she is bound to the family's collective decisions.

Book-Specific Questions

1. Why does Second Aunt object to being near the dead body before the wedding, and what does this reveal about her character?

Second Aunt objects because she believes being near a dead body before a wedding brings bad luck. This reveals her deep superstition, which coexists with her practical willingness to help. She objects, but she helps anyway, showing that family loyalty trumps her personal beliefs.

1. How does Second Aunt's relationship with Big Aunt shape her actions throughout the novel?

Second Aunt's rivalry with Big Aunt shapes her actions in several ways. She needles Big Aunt about the cake collapse, criticizes her decision to put Ah Guan in the cooler, and insists she can devise a better plan. This rivalry creates tension but does not prevent them from working together.

1. What does Second Aunt's suggestion to chop the body up for curry reveal about her approach to problems?

The suggestion reveals her pragmatic, darkly humorous approach to problems. She sees a practical solution—dispose of the evidence—rather than getting stuck on the moral or emotional implications. It is a shocking suggestion, but it is consistent with her blunt, direct personality.

1. How does Second Aunt's superstition coexist with her willingness to help dispose of the body?

Second Aunt's superstition makes her object to being near the body, but her family loyalty overrides her personal beliefs. She helps move the body, adds a warning note to the cooler, and participates in the cover-up. Her superstition persists—she knocks on wood even in crisis—but it does not prevent her from acting.

1. What role does Second Aunt play in the family's cover-up, and how does she contribute to the plan?

Second Aunt contributes to the cover-up in several ways. She helps move the body, adds a warning note to the cooler, accompanies Meddy to retrieve the stolen gifts, and participates in the aunties' attempts to move the body. She also criticizes Big Aunt's decisions, which leads the family to consider alternative plans.

For more on how Second Aunt's choices fit into the novel's larger questions, see the themes of family loyalty and moral complicity, the ending explained, and the discussion questions.