Sacrifice To The Elder
Preston Petty 7th
Writing Prompt #1
Writing Prompt #2
Writing Prompt #3
Thematic Paragraph
In The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan presents the idea that sacrifice and suffering expresses how a mother and daughter are so close. The story of An-Mei's mother is the strongest example of this expression. She sacrifices flesh from her arm to honor her own mother. "This is how a daughter honors her mother. It is shou so deep it is in your bones. The pain of the flesh is nothing. The pain you must forget" (Tan 48).It is as though the pain is nothing compared to her obligation to her mother. An-Mei Hsu's mother also sacrifices her body to Wu Tsing so that she can have at better reputation than just a beggar. She does this so that An-mei can look up to her. Her suicide, while seemingly selfish, is the ultimate sacrifice she can make for An-mei. By killing herself, she is showing An-mei that being a disgraced to the family is no way to live. In dying, she gives An-mei the strength to take her own path in life. Lindo sacrifices her pride and happiness to keep her parents' promise to Wu Tsing. Suyuan must sacrifice her daughters, abandoning them in order for them to have a chance at life. All of the mothers make a great sacrifice in leaving China in hopes of finding a better life for their daughters. Like the duck, they must stick their necks out in order to become swans. Once they have settled in America, both mothers and daughters are faced with another form of sacrifice. All the women have sacrificed the chance to be with the culture in order to struggle and revel in the space between cultures. This is the ultimate sacrifice they make for one another.