Mah Jong and Chat
Jake Pogue
"Feathers From A Thousand Li Away"
My favorite parable in The Joy Luck Club is "Feathers From A Thousand Li Away". I really appreciate this parable because it shows the dedication and love the woman has for her child. She plans to make sure she lives a happy life no matter how much pain she endures. "'Over there, nobody will look down on her, because ... [she will] speak only perfect American English... she will always be too full to swallow any sorrow! She will know my meaning because I give her this swan-a creature that became more beautiful than what was hoped for'"(Tan 17). At the end of the parable, the woman talks of how even after she had lost the swan, she still plans on giving her daughter the feather of the swan, only telling her in perfect english. I like how even after she lost the swan, she still finished her goal, in order to make her daughter too happy to feel any pain.
Hsu Family
Through all the sorrow and pain the Hsu family suffers, they still stick together in the end. The Hsu family throughout the novel suffers many tragedies, such as the loss of An-Meis grandmother, her child, and her husband, as well as Rose losing her husband. After all the tragedies, An-Mei still loves and sticks with her daughter. I appreciate this family because throughout a horrible series of events, they stay by each other with love and compassion.
Quotation
"I know we all see it. Together we look like our mother...open in surprise to see, at last, her long-cherished wish"(Tan 288). To me, this quote surrounds the whole idea of the book. The whole book is about the mothers and daughters becoming closer to eachother. I especially like this quote because it does fulfill the dream that Suyuan had, to have her family reunited finally.
Thematic Paragraph
In The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan presents the idea that perseverance in family turmoil may be difficult at times but in the end, will always lead you to your dreams. In the novel, we hear that Jing-Meis mothers wish was to be reunited with her long lost children, and she spends all of her time searching and trying to find them. Sadly she dies a few hours before a letter from her lost daughters is opened by her husband. Suyuans friends and Jing-meis "aunties" tell Jing-Mei that "'[She] must see [her] sisters and tell them about [her] mothers death... but most important, [she] must tell them about her life'"(Tan 40). Jing-Mei agrees and finds her sisters in China, after meeting and reconnecting with her family and her Chinese heritage. Through this, Jing-Mei realizes how much she is like her motherland how her mothers persistency finally gave her the wish she always wanted.