Persistant Hope
The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates
My favorite parable was the Twenty-Six Malignant Gates, as it showed that sometimes the mother is right. This idea of parents knowing what is best for their children is a large theme throughout the book, and is represented well, in the parable. When the little girl bikes away from her mother "she falls before she reaches the corner", showing that the mother was right, and it would've been wise to listen to her mother.
Another Mother-Daughter Pair
If I had the option to read a second mother-daughter pair, I would have chosen the Hsu family, as I believe I would have found it very interesting. With the mother of An-mei committing suicide, and An-mei's grandmother disowning An-mei's mother completely, I feel as if the chapters concerning them would have been very deep and thought provoking. Also with the death of An-mei's child, I believe it would have been interesting to see how An-mei copes with the loss.
Quote
"On her journey she cooed to the swan: "In America I will have a daughter just like me. But over there nobody will say her worth is measured by the loudness of her husband's belch. Over there nobody will look down on her, because I will make her speak only perfect American English." (Tan 2)
The quote I have chose falls perfectly with the theme of hope and persistence, as the woman in the parable the quote is from is hopeful that she will be able to raise a daughter in America. She wants to be able to have a daughter that is free from what she had to go through in China, and promises herself that she will raise her daughter well. The woman says that she will makes sure her daughter isn't looked down upon there, and refuses to let her daughter speak anything but perfect English.
Thematic Statement
In the Joy Luck Club, Ann May presents the idea that persistence is necessary to survive in difficult conditions . The theme of persistence is prominent in all of the stories, as the characters kept moving through the tough times they went through. Each mother daughter pair kept moving forward through each of the terrible situations they had to face. The theme is all throughout the book show that the people in the book were persistent and made it through their issues while holding their heads high. This determination is something that one needs in life, as it helps people get through things that they might not be able to without it.