Appreciation of Chapters by Analyzing Characters: Jing-mei Woo

2014/01/04

Part 1: The Joy Luck Club

# Pain caused by lack of communication

# Ancient Chinese custom

A. Language Barrier
Jing-mei faces language barrier when her mother uses Chinese phrases 'chabudwo' and 'butong'. She claims she cannot remember things she didn't understand in the first place [pg 19]

Aunty Lin's explanation made her feel that "my mother and I spoke two different languages, which we did. I talked to her in English, she answered back in Chinese". She feels that they speak in their special language, half in broken English, half in their own Chinese dialect [pg 34]

Suyuan misunderstood what Jing-mei meant when she said she'll look into it - her dropping off when finishing her degree - and was convinced that Jing-mei is going back to school to get a doctorate. "My mother and I never really understood one another. We translated each other's meanings and I seemed to hear less than what was said, while my mother heard more" [pg 37]

B. Cultural Barrier
Jing-mei ignores her mother's criticisms, of her Chinese superstitions, as she thinks that such beliefs just "conveniently fit the circumstances". She even tried to tell her mother that it won't lead to a healthy learning environment, something she had learned in her Psychology class [pg 31]

C. American mindset
When Aunty Lin called JIng-mei by her Chinese name, Aunty Ying corrected the former that the kids go by their American names and for Jing-mei's, its June. Jing-mei simply responded thatits alright to call her by her Chinese name because it is "becoming fashionable for American-born Chinese to use their Chinese names". Jing-mei does not embracce the real meaning of her Chinese name but thought of it as fashion [pg 37]

Author's note:
Towards the end, it occurs to Jing-mei that they (An-mei, Lindo Jong and Ying-ying) are frightened by Jing-mei's upfront character by proclaiming she doesn't know what to tell her twin sisters about her mother. They can see their own daughters just as ignorant of all the truths and hopes they have brought to America. They also see children who think their mothers are stupid when they explain things in broken English.



Part 2: Two Kinds

  # Conflict between the aspirations of a mother and the resistance from a daughter

Suyuan is always trying to find the prodigy side of her daughter by: (pick one to remember)
> being a Chinese Shirley Temple
> knowing the names of foreign cities
> multiplying numbers in her head
> acrobatics
> poker player
> pianist

Jing-mei seeing her mother's disappointed face, made something inside her die. She feels that she will not comply to what her mother want her to be for she has new thoughts, willful thoughts and Jing-mei will not let her mother change her. Jing-mei is so adamant in her new attitude that she never gave herself a fair chance in correcting herself in her piano lessons. 

Jing-mei has the American mindset in her when she decided not to listen to her mother anymore for she isn't her 'slave' and 'this wasn't China'. She feels that her mother is 'the stupid one' [pg 141]. She strongly fought and accused her mother of the daughters she left behind in China. Jing-mei spat out the she wishes she's dead- like them.

Suyuan deeply hurt by Jing-mei's angry confessions, never asked her child to do anything, anymore.

Author's note:
The piano piece that Jing-mei performed in the talent show is somehow symbolic. She never realised the song is broken into two halves, 'Pleading Child' and 'Perfectly Contented'. She had only known the song is entitled Pleading Child but never found out until 30 years later, that another half of the song which is Perfectly Contented is what she had never learnt and performed in the talent show.



Part 3: Best Quality

Jing-mei received a jade pendant from her mother after a dinner celebration (2 months before her death). Suyuan had gave her, her 'life importance' but Jing-mei never known the meaning of the pendant she got from her mother. To her, she found it - the pendant - garish and unstylish so she had stuffed the pendant in the lacquer box and eventually forgotten about it.

After Suyuan's death, Jing-mei starts to see it as a symbol of mother's love and concern. While Jing-mei used to interpret many of her mother's words as expressions of superstition or criticism, she now sees them as manifesting a deep maternal wisdom and love.

Motherly Love
[pg 202] "..but I knew I could not refuse. That's the way Chinese mothers show they love their children, not through hugs and kisses but with stern offerings of steamed dumplings, duck's gizzards and crab" 

Suyuan also further expresses her concern over the flustered Jing-mei after being embarrased by Waverly Jong at the dinner table. She told her daughter, "Everyone else want best quality. You thinking different" [pg 208]. Here, Suyuan meant to tell Jing-mei that she has a completely different opinion from  others that set her aside, and that she is special.



Part 4: A Pair of Tickets

# Awareness of the significance of Chinese heritage

Inferiority complex
Jing-mei never really embraces the roots of her race, "I realize I've never really known what it means to be Chinese" [pg 268]. Her trip to China makes her think of her own worth. She recalled that ".. when I was fifteen and had vigorously denied that I had any Chinese whatsoever below my skin" [pg 267]. Her reluctance in embracing her own race seems to take a spin when she enters Shenzhen, China and she claims "I feel different"

Suyuan somehow know this would happen someday, that her daughter will recognise her own Chinese heritage for it is in her blood.

Author's note:
Through her acknowledgement of her own heritage, Jing-mei represents a figure of hope for both generations, that they might share in a dialogue of love that often transcends linguistic and cultural barrier.



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