Symbols If You Could See the Sun Ann Liang

The Sunrise Symbol in If You Could See the Sun

What the Sunrise Literally Is

In the final pages of If You Could See the Sun, the sunrise appears as a literal dawn breaking over Beijing. Alice and Henry watch the “first light of dawn spilling over the Beijing skyline” after they have agreed to launch a tutoring app and shared their dreams for the future. This moment is the novel’s only concrete sunrise scene, but it carries the weight of everything Alice has lost and is about to gain.

Where the Sunrise Appears

The sunrise occurs in Chapter 20 (the final chapter), just after Alice has been expelled, made peace with her parents, and received Mr. Chen’s offer of a scholarship at a smaller international school. She meets Henry by the koi ponds “before dawn,” and as they talk, the darkness lifts and daylight arrives. No other sunrise is depicted earlier in the story. However, the novel uses light-and-dark contrast throughout—Alice’s invisibility episodes, the courtroom-like confrontation scenes, and the shadowy market where she finds calm (Chapter 18) all build toward this final illumination.

How the Sunrises’s Meaning Changes

Earlier in the novel, Alice associates light with success: the stage lights at the Top Achiever Awards, the sunlit courtyards of Airington, and the glow of Mr. Chen’s certificates. But that light is always external—a spotlight she has to earn, a reflection she cannot see. The sunrise at the end is different. It is shared (she holds Henry’s hand), unearned (it simply comes), and unattached to achievement. Instead of proving herself to others, Alice is simply present. The light no longer measures her worth; it promises a future she can build on her own terms.

Character Connections

  • Alice Sun: The sunrise marks her acceptance of leaving Airington. She no longer needs the school’s validation. She says to Henry, “Together, we’ll conquer the world,” but the tone is playful, not desperate. Her identity shifts from scholarship student trying to stay invisible to a young woman who can see herself and let others see her.
  • Henry Li: Henry is the one who leads her to the sunrise. His earlier reluctance to help has turned into partnership. The sunrise scene is the first time they kiss without fear or blackmail.
  • Mr. Chen: Though not present at dawn, his advice sets the stage. He told Alice, “To live well, you must learn to see yourself first.” The sunrise is the visual embodiment of that self-recognition. Mr. Chen also shared his own past of feeling invisible, linking the teacher’s journey to Alice’s new beginning.
  • Alice’s family: The sunrise follows Alice’s reconciliation with her mother (the gift of hand cream) and her father’s forgiveness. The dawn suggests that family love can continue even after leaving Airington.

Theme Connections

  • Invisibility as Marginalization: Alice’s invisibility made her feel like “nothing” without Airington. The sunrise shows her becoming visible again, not because a spotlight hits her, but because she chooses to be seen. (See the invisibility as marginalization theme.)
  • Class Privilege and Inequality: Leaving the elite school is a loss of privilege, yet the sunrise holds no bitterness. Alice rebrands her blackmail app into a tutoring tool, and Henry uses his family’s influence to help her—a compromise that underscores how privilege can be repurposed. (See class privilege and inequality.)
  • Moral Compromise and Ethics: The sunrise occurs after Alice has confessed her role in the kidnapping and accepted expulsion. The dawn does not erase her crimes but signals a willingness to move forward ethically. (See moral compromise and ethics.)
  • Identity and Self-Discovery: Alice finally knows what she wants to become (a journalist or English professor) and no longer needs Airington to define her. The sunrise is a blank slate. (See identity and self-discovery.)
  • Family Sacrifice and Pressure: Alice’s parents sacrificed everything for her education. The sunrise comes after she thanks her mother with hand cream—a small gesture that acknowledges those sacrifices without needing to repay them. (See family sacrifice and pressure.)

Study Questions with Answers

Question 1: How does the sunrise contrast with the earlier imagery of invisibility and darkness in the novel?
Answer: Invisibility is a curse that separates Alice from others and from her own reflection. The sunrise, by contrast, is a shared experience—she watches it with Henry, and it illuminates a landscape she can finally see. The novel’s darkness (hidden identities, secret blackmail, the shadowy market) gives way to daylight that exposes nothing shameful, only possibility.

Question 2: What does the sunrise suggest about Alice’s understanding of “success” by the end of the book?
Answer: Earlier, success meant awards, recognition, and staying at Airington. The sunrise redefines success as the freedom to choose one’s own path—even a smaller school, even a budding romance, even a plan that includes “starting small” instead of conquering the world immediately. The light is no longer a reward but a permission to begin again.

Question 3: In what way does the sunrise connect to Mr. Chen’s advice about learning to see yourself?
Answer: Mr. Chen tells Alice that being invisible to others is not the real problem; the problem is not seeing herself. The sunrise is the moment Alice stops looking for external validation. She sees herself through her own decisions—she has accepted expulsion, reconciled with her parents, and chosen Henry. The dawn’s light reflects an inner confidence that no award could provide.

Question 4: Why do you think the author places the sunrise after Alice’s confrontation with Andrew and the school board, rather than during her earlier triumphs?
Answer: The sunrise belongs to a moment of honesty and vulnerability, not triumph. Alice has just admitted her mistakes, lost her place at Airington, and yet she feels “ready to survive anything.” The dawn appears only after she has stopped trying to control the narrative. This sequence suggests that genuine hope is born from acceptance, not victory.

For a full exploration of the novel’s themes and characters, visit the book overview or dive into the analysis of Alice Sun and Henry Li.