The Apple Fell Far From The Tree
KK Callaghan
Parable
The parable I enjoyed the most was "The Twenty Six Malignant Gates", because it shows the reader the importance of wisdom. When the mother tell her young child to "not ride [her] bike around the corner" for it is dangerous, the daughter questions her mother (Tan 87). While questioning her mother, the young girl gets angry that her mother tells her to simply listen to what she says. Then, the young girl takes off and falls before she reached the corner. This story shows that you must respect the wisdom of others, even if disagree with the matter at hands.
parable
The mom trying to protect her daughter from he dangers of the world.
quoataion
Even though the wound is covered up and you cannot see the child's face does not mean that the problem is fixed, there could still be pain.
theme
This shows how a mother sacrifices a variety of things for the well bring of her children.
Quotation
My favorite quotation from The Joy Luck Club is "That is the way it is with a wound. The wound begins to close in on itself, to protect what is hurting so much. And once it is closed, you no longer see what is underneath, what started the pain" (Tan 47). I feel as if this quote tells the reader how people try to cover things up without dealing with the matter, although this most likely ends in more pain. This is referring to An-Mei's feelings about her mother leaving her as a child. When someone feels a sense of pain, they tend to cover it up, but the fact of the matter is that you must face the pain or it will only worsen. People do not realize this, and I feel like this quote tells the reader that it is important, therefore it is my favorite quote in the book.
Mother/ Daughter Selection
If I were to read another mother/ daughter pair, I would choose Jing-mei Woo's story. I would choose this story because I would love to read about the relationship between Suyuan and Jing-mei, with Suyuan being so self-driven and then passing away, leaving Jing-mei to fill her shoes. I also find it interesting how Jing-mei's opinion of her mother changes so greatly after her mother died. Before she thought her mother was demanding and had too strong of an opinion about who she should be, but after she visits China to meet her long lost sisters , she realizes that her mother did truly love and care for her. And thus I would choose the Woo family's story to read.
Thematic Paragraph
In The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan presents the idea that sacrifice can create a stronger relationship even if presents hardships along the way. Tan shows this theme in the Woo mother daughter pairing. When Suyan Woo dies and Jing-mei decides to visit China to reflect on her mother's life, she realizes the hardships that her mother survived to be able to raise her the way that she did. Growing up Jing-mei felt withdrawn from her mother ever since she saw "[her] mother's disappointment" in her from not being able to fulfill her expectations and "something inside [her] began to die" (Tan 134). And thus the hardships are present, although in the end Jing-mei realizes that these in fact strengthened their relationship with out knowing it. Sacrificing things is sometimes necessary to develop the relationship that one wishes.