The Joy Luck Club

The Joy Luck Club

The Joy Luck Club

Entry #

Category

Page #

Quote/Evidence

Comment

Setting

1

Jing-Mie Woo's Mother story telling

p.19

“What do you mean by everything?”

Her confused way of telling the end of story with different meanings creates suspense in the story. As the obstacles, which existed between, the American and the Chinese cultures are worsen by poor language translation, imperfect translation of language, the mothers used storytelling to avoid these barriers and to communicate with their daughters. All the stories narrated in the novel are mostly educational, giving advices according to the experiences or warning against various mistakes.

2

Gathering at Hsus' House

p.21

We all are seated around… looks like a Spanish Candelabra 

Everyone has gathered at Hsus' house and it creates a family atmosphere. This setting creates an atmosphere of coziness and closeness between the family members as they sit together with each other discussing general events and happenings.

3

An-mei Hsu Scar

p.39

Now I could imagine my mother, a thoughtless woman… 

An-mei is a little child who is been looked after her grandmother and her grandmother is telling her different stories. This setting creates a curious atmosphere regarding An-mei mother. As her mother has always pushed her towards becoming a person she wants An-mei to become, An-mei is irritated and doesn't think highly of her mother. She wants to be who she prefers to be and doesn't want anyone to force her in becoming someone else.

4

 Jing-Mei Woo: Two kinds

p.142

When I stood up, I discovered my legs were shaking 

The setting is simple, a story of mother and daughter. Mother is pushing her child to become something she can be proud of and daughter is finding her own identity. This setting shows the conflict between a mother and her child. Mother wants her child to become who she wants her to be while the child is still figuring herself out and trying to go about her own way.

Plot and Structure

1

p.18

“I pushed towards Chungking, until my wheel broke”  

This part of the story is portraying the situation in Kweilin and how that whole situation got worst in the city and how her mother is running with her babies to stay alive. These two sisters remain isolated in China because the mother was forced to leave to them on the curb, at some point of time for her flight during the World War.

2

 

p.41

And her hand dropped and she begins to cry… 

Her grandmother is telling her forget her mother however, An-mei suddenly remembers her scar and her memories associated with that scar and she remembers her mothers' suffering. She remembers before Popo expired, her mother cut the flesh of her arm and put the flesh into a soup for Popo. Based on a Chinese ritual, such an act might save the life of a family member who is about to die. It also depicts the sign of a deep respect. Since that day, An-mei started to love her mother as she put herself in pain by cutting her flesh to ease the sufferings of Popo, representing which lies in her bones.

3

 

p.138

“Why don't like me the way I am” 

Young Woo ...