The Joy Luck Club, Section 12: "A Pair of Tickets"

Literary Term: Dialogue

“A Pair of Tickets” is the final section of The Joy Luck Club and concludes the story in a very emotional, hopeful, and joyous manner. In this section, Jing-mei and her father, Canning Woo, have the opportunity to travel to China, reunite with Canning’s family, and meet Jing-mei’s half-sisters for the first time. All her life, Jing-mei refuted the idea that she was Chinese in any way except for her appearance, and the cultural differences between Suyuan and Jing-mei formed a barrier between them; however, as Jing-mei looks at the Chinese landscape from the window of the train for the first time, she feels an immediate sense of belonging to the country and worries that she is not Chinese enough. This shows that, as Jing-mei grew and matured, she developed a desire to discover her Chinese roots. In reality, I believe that this wish to be more Chinese stemmed from a longing to feel a connection to her family and therefore shows that one’s identity is not determined by her nationality but by her internal qualities and love for her family; consequently, the cultural barrier that separated mothers and daughters throughout the novel is proven to be truly insignificant.

*Seeing an image similar to this outside the train window made Canning Woo cry with emotion.


Almost immediately after exiting the bus and going through customs, Jing-mei and Canning are reunited with Canning’s family. All are overcome with the delight of seeing each other at last, and Jing-mei wishes nothing more than for her meeting with her half-sisters the next day to be equally joyous. The family spends the day together, sharing stories that are long overdue and simply enjoying each other’s presence. That night, after everyone is asleep, Jing-mei asks her father to tell her the story of how Suyuan was forced to abandon her twin daughters in China years ago. A dialogue, or conversation between two or more people, then follows in which Canning recounts the entire story as Jing-mei asks frequent questions. After listening intently and discovering the heartfelt devotion that her mother had for her twin babies, Jing-mei is reminded of just how important family truly is. The remarkable story of how Suyuan took every measure possible to ensure her daughters’ safety before being forced to leave them and then searching for years to find them once more is a testament to the undying love that a mother harbors for her daughters, which is, in my opinion, the single most important theme of The Joy Luck Club.

The poignant moment in which Jing-mei finally meets her two half-sisters is very touching and draws an emotional response from the reader. In an incredibly powerful statement, Jing-mei remarks, “The gray-green surface changes to bright colors of our three images, sharpening and deepening all at once. And although we don’t speak, I know we all see it: Together, we look like our mother. Her same eyes, her same mouth, open in surprise to see, at last, her long-cherished wish.” This quote not only expresses the deep love that is instantly shared between Jing-mei, her two sisters, and their mother, but also brings the story to a fulfilling conclusion. In this quote, the fact that all three women are able to share an unconditional love for each other while simultaneously feeling their mother’s spirit and presence was truly moving. Also, the fact that together, the three of them resembled their mother fully reveals the love shared between mothers, daughters, and sisters, as well as the similarities that they all share with one another. This quote, therefore, was incredibly important and a powerful way to conclude the novel.

I personally was able to draw a strong connection to this section of the book because Amy Tan focused on emphasizing the importance of family, and, other than my faith in God, my family is the single most important aspect of my life. I understand what it is like to live away from extended family and feel immeasurable joy every time we are able to gather together again, and so reading of Jing-mei and Canning’s reunification truly spoke to me. By writing in such a way that she is able to connect to her audience, Amy Tan both draws her story to a hopeful end and leaves the reader with a sense of fulfillment, making The Joy Luck Club well worth reading.

The Joy Luck Club, Section 11: "Waiting Between the Trees" and "Double Face"

Literary Term: Maxim

Amy Tan focuses this section of The Joy Luck Club on the fears of Ying-Ying St. Clair and Lindo Jong that they have passed faulty characteristics onto their daughters or have failed to raise them properly. In “Waiting Between the Trees,” Ying-Ying St. Clair shares the story of her first marriage to an unfaithful man and the grief that she suffered when she discovered his infidelities. Over the course of the next several years, Ying-Ying met Clifford St. Clair, wed him, departed for America, and gave birth to Lena, but, unfortunately, she never regained the zest and passion which she harbored for life before the collapse of her first marriage. Forever scarred by the betrayal she suffered, Ying-Ying resolved to becoming a shadow of the fierce Tiger that she used to be. Lena was also born in the Year of the Tiger, but she has grown passive throughout her life and, like her mother, has resembled a shadow; consequently, Ying-Ying worries that she is the reason for Lena’s passivity and regrets the fact that her own quiet lifestyle has distanced her from Lena and led her to watch Lena grow up “from another shore.”

Lindo Jong has similar fears and insecurities in regard to her relationship with her daughter, Waverly. While Lindo and Waverly are at the beauty parlor together, Lindo compares their faces side-by-side and notices that they are very similar and even share “the same happiness, the same sadness, the same good fortune, the same faults.” Lindo raised Waverly with every intention of blending both Chinese and American culture in her life; however, as she looks at her incredibly Americanized daughter, Lindo becomes regretful that she did not instill more Chinese ideals in her daughter. Lindo worries in a manner startlingly similar to Ying-Ying that, because she was passive and allowed Waverly to adopt only American culture, she has forever alienated herself from her daughter. While Ying-Ying and Lindo share very different stories, the reader can certainly sympathize with both mothers who worry that their daughters do not understand them because of faults that they believe they made while raising their daughters.

In my opinion, the most potent quote in this section and perhaps one of the most important passages in the entire novel is when Lindo Jong, who is looking at both her own face and her daughter Waverly’s face in the mirror, remarks, “I think about our two faces. I think about my intentions. Which one is American? Which one is Chinese? Which one is better?” I believe that this quote embodies what is perhaps the most important theme of The Joy Luck Club, which is the influence that cultural differences has on the relationship between a mother and a daughter. Throughout the entire novel, cultural differences between Chinese mothers and American daughters are depicted as a sizeable barrier between the women which prevents them from truly understanding each other; however, as Lindo looks at the faces in the mirror, she can hardly discern which nationality each face represents or which she would prefer them to resemble. Lindo recalls that, while she regrets not instilling more Chinese ideals in her daughter, she also named her daughter “Waverly” after the American street on which she was born so that Waverly would always be reminded of where she truly belonged. This passage shows that the love and understanding shared between a mother and daughter is not limited to or inhibited by the physical characteristics or cultural backgrounds of each individual. The bond that exists is simply because of their unfailing love for each other. I believe that this lesson is something that people of all cultures can and should relate to, for it reminds us all to look for the internal qualities of a person as opposed to judging them based on their appearance, nationality, or cultural background. This theme, or variations of this theme, have also been repeated in many books, songs, movies, and other works, such as the French poem “L’homme Qui Te Ressemble” that I read in French class last year.

A literary term which is used in this section is maxim, or a concise statement that offers advice. When Lindo Jong was younger, she worked in a fortune cookie factory, and maxims, such as “Do not fight and air your dirty laundry in public. To the victor go the soils” were placed in each cookie.

**Visit http://learnspeak.blogspot.com/2006/09/lhomme-qui-te-ressemble-english.html for an English translation of the poem "L'homme Qui Te Ressemble."

The Joy Luck Club, Section 10: "Magpies"

Literary Term: Fable

In “Magpies,” An-mei recounts the time when she fled her aunt and uncle’s house to live with her mother despite the fact that her mother was considered a perfidious traitor for abandoning their household to become the third concubine of a wealthy merchant. Upon conversing with her mother’s servant, however, An-mei discovered that the only reason her mother had come to be Wu Tsing’s concubine was because Wu Tsing had raped her. Left utterly ashamed after Second Wife claimed that An-mei’s mother had seduced Wu Tsing, she was left with no choice but to become his third concubine, a disgraceful position in the household. Although An-mei’s mother had desired nothing more than for An-mei to live with her, she soon realized that she had doomed her daughter to living a life of shame by bringing her to live in such a lowly position in Wu Tsing’s household. Out of genuine love for her daughter, An-mei’s mother committed suicide two days before the lunar calendar. Because Wu Tsing was a very superstitious man, he feared retribution from the ghost of An-mei’s mother if he did not elevate An-mei to a higher position in his household; consequently, by killing herself, An-mei’s mother had salvaged An-mei’s life and honor.

I believe the most effective quote in “Magpies” is when An-mei, when speaking of her mother, recalls, “She whispered to me that she would rather kill her own weak spirit so she could give me a stronger one.” This quote reveals that, in addition to sacrificing her own life to save An-mei, An-mei’s mother had also died to show An-mei how to strengthen her own spirit. An-mei’s mother had never stood up for herself, and, as a result, she was taken advantage of, rejected by her family, forced into a position of low status in her new household, and denied the privilege of raising the son that she bore Wu Tsing. Similar to her mother, An-mei was also reluctant to defend herself, and thus it was for this reason that An-mei’s mother died: to show An-mei how to take a stand and avoid making the same mistakes that she had made in her own life. This effective quote therefore showcases the fact that, although her mother had lived a seemingly shameful life, with her last act on earth, she had honorably poured all her love into An-mei and given everything to provide her with a better life. On that day, An-mei says, she learned to “shout.” Now, many decades later, An-mei is pained as she watches her own daughter allow her marriage to fall apart while doing nothing whatsoever to stop it from happening. Recalling the measures that her own mother had taken to teach her how to find her voice, An-mei fears she has not conveyed this important lesson properly to Rose.

*This is a picture or a magpie, the bird of joy.

Personally, this story spoke a great deal to me because I, too, am very tentative to stand up for myself; in fact, I will allow myself to be taken advantage of on a regular basis because I am constantly afraid of making someone angry. My mother is very similar to me in this regard, but she has learned through her own life experiences that, sometimes, it is critical for a person to stand up for themselves. My mother has reminded me frequently that I am worth defending myself. I also know that my mother would do anything to protect me, as I would for her and my own future children, and therefore this story of An-mei and her mother was very relatable to me and surely many of my classmates and peers.

A literary term that applies to this section is fable, or a brief story that leads to a moral and often uses animals as characters. In this section, An-mei’s mother tells her a story in which a turtle swallows tears and turns them into magpies. This fable was meant to teach that tears cannot wash suffering away and can only feed others’ happiness; therefore, one must swallow their tears.

My mother and I

The Joy Luck Club, Section 9: "Without Wood" and "Best Quality"

Literary Term: Hyperbole

This section of The Joy Luck Club covers “Without Wood,” which is narrated by Rose Hsu Jordan, and “Best Quality,” which is narrated by Jing-Mei Woo. While the two women share very different stories about their adult lives, Amy Tan makes the fact that both women were able to draw comfort and support from their mothers during unpleasant times clear. In “Without Wood,” Rose Hsu Jordan discusses the emotional struggle that she faced while dealing with a divorce from her husband, Ted. Rose uses a hyperbole, or an intentional exaggeration to create an effect, when she remarks, “I felt such pain… as if someone had torn off both my arms without anesthesia, without sewing me back up.” Rose expresses both feelings of indescribable pain and relief, as well as a desperate need for revenge; however, she admits that, more than anything, she is hopelessly confused. When Rose finally discovers that Ted is in a hurry to make the divorce final because he intends to remarry immediately and take the house that he and Rose had once shared, she feels manipulated and defeated for many days. Despite this, An-mei is able to comfort her, saying, “Why can you not talk to your husband?” and, “I am not telling you to save your marriage… I only say you should speak up.” Encouraged by An-mei’s words, Rose finally stands up for herself and firmly tells Ted that she will be the one to keep the house and that he will have to find another place to live with his new wife.

In “Best Quality,” Jing-mei Woo also faces a challenge in her life which her mother is able to help her overcome. Jing-mei’s mother, Suyuan, invites the entire Jong family over to the Woo home in order to celebrate the Chinese New Year together. At the dinner table, Waverly finds a sly way to insult Jing-mei’s financial position. Jing-mei, who had grown up with Waverly and was accustomed to the clever ways in which she would criticize and degrade her, was aggravated that, once again, she had been ridiculed in front of her family and friends. Jing-mei retaliated, but her attempt to insult Waverly merely backfired and ended up humiliating Jing-mei even more. After dinner, Suyuan reassures Jing-mei that she has no reason to be ashamed and that not always having the best quality of something is not a sign of weakness.

While Rose and Jing-mei were struggling with two entirely different situations in these stories, their experiences are similar in the sense that both women, who had managed to stay relatively close to their mothers even through adulthood, were able to seek strength, guidance, wisdom, and support from their mothers in a time when they were feeling defeated and downtrodden. The fact that both An-mei and Suyuan loved their daughters so unconditionally and both Rose and Jing-mei were able to confide in their mothers speaks volumes for the durability of mother-daughter relationships. I believe that the most important quote in this section is when Suyuan gives Jing-mei her pendant and says, “For a long time, I wanted to give you this necklace. See, I wore this on my skin, so when you put it on your skin, then you know my meaning. This is your life’s importance.” This quote is powerful because it embodies the desire of all mothers in society, which is for their daughters to understand their love for them and learn the wisdom they so desperately want to pass on to their daughters. After all, this bond between a mother and daughter is one of the most important things in every woman’s life.

*This is a jade green pendant similar to the one that Suyuan gave to Jing-mei.

**Please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6phS1HryoXs to view a video poem that I believe discusses messages that An-mei and Suyuan intended to convey to their daughters in this section.

The Joy Luck Club, Section 8: "Four Directions"

Literary Term: Juxtaposition

“Four Directions,” which is narrated by Waverly Jong, explores the relationship between Waverly and her mother, Lindo. Waverly was planning to wed for the second time in her life; however, although she had mentioned her fiancée, Rich, to her mother several times, Lindo had never actually met Rich personally. In addition to the fact that Lindo had never met Waverly’s fiancée, Waverly explains that her mother tended to be very critical, opinionated, frank, and tactless, while she herself was sensitive and thin-skinned. The way in which Waverly viewed her mother can be seen in the following statement: “In her hands, I always became the pawn. I could only run away. And she was the queen, able to move in all directions, relentless in her pursuit, always able to find my weakest spots.” Because of all these factors, Waverly admits that she has dreaded and even feared telling her mother of the engagement.

*Lindo was born in the Year of the Horse, meaning she was likely to be frank and obstinate.


Despite the way in which Waverly views Lindo, the fact remains that Waverly still sought her mother’s approval. Ever since Waverly began to be defeated in chess tournaments as a teenager, she admitted to being worried that she was only ordinary. Perhaps it is because of this fear of being less than perfect that Waverly desires so greatly her mother’s approbation. Waverly not only seeks her mother’s approval, but she takes Lindo’s evaluations of others very seriously, as well. Waverly mentions that her mother could make her see things in people she had never seen before and that this was one of the major contributing factors to the collapse of her first marriage. The fact that Waverly wants so desperately for her mother to approve of Rich and not to sully her love and image of him even suggests that she has little self-confidence in herself. Regardless of her fear and anxiety, however, Waverly finally builds up the confidence to introduce Rich to Lindo and explain to her that they are engaged. When she does so, Lindo states that she had already known this in her heart, and, after much questioning from Waverly, Lindo assures her that she does not disapprove of Rich in any regard.

A literary term that can be applied to this section is juxtaposition, which refers to placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast. When observing her mother, Waverly exclaims to herself, “Oh, her strength! her weakness! –both pulling me apart.” In this sentence, “strength” and “weakness,” which are two seemingly very contrasting qualities, were placed next to each other in a juxtaposition to show that both strength and weakness can be equally powerful and are worthy of both admiration and fear.

I believe that the most effective quote in “Four Directions” is when Waverly, when referring to Lindo, comments, “I could finally see what was really there: an old woman, a wok for her armor, a knitting needle for her sword, getting a little crabby as she waited patiently for her daughter to invite her in.” This quote is so poignant because, with this revelation, Waverly has finally seen how much love Lindo has harbored for her after all these years. This quote also serves as a testament to the indestructible strength of the bond between a mother and a daughter, which is a very important element of The Joy Luck Club.

**I believe that the both Lindo's approval of Rich and the relationship that Waverly and Lindo have formed at the end of this section draw connections to the song "Mama's Song" by Carrie Underwood. I was unable to upload the link, but this song can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq7haX4af54&feature=fvst.

The Joy Luck Club, Section 7: "Rice Husband"

Literary Term: Flat Character

“Rice Husband,” which is narrated by Lena St. Clair, discusses the crumbling marriage of Lena and her husband, Harold. The problems with Lena and Harold’s marriage are largely based upon money. Because Harold feared that money would corrupt their relationship, he told Lena, “As long as we keep the money thing separate, we’ll always be sure of our love for each other.” As the story unfolds, however, it becomes clear that Harold’s attempt to avoid financial issues only made it an even bigger factor in the relationship. He even insisted that he and Lena keep separate checking accounts and split the cost of all shared expenses evenly. As a result, Harold initiated the use of a list on the refrigerator to record each person’s expenses. Ironically, Harold, who emphasized the importance of keeping the issue of money out of their relationship, actually made finances the single most important factor in their marriage.

The list on Harold and Lena’s refrigerator is a manifestation of the financial conflicts within Lena and Harold’s relationship; however, the true reasons for the collapse of their marriage run much deeper and became far more complex. Harold insisted that costs be split evenly, yet he ensured that he made seven times more money than Lena, who had given him the idea to create and head his own firm in the first place. Lena actually gave Harold the idea for “theme eating,” the focus of his firm, but he took all the credit for the idea and left Lena making much less money. This shows that, while Harold emphasized equality in the relationship, he actually enjoyed having superiority. Harold began to take advantage of Lena, and his approach to the relationship became very objective. For example, when Lena admitted wholeheartedly to Harold how much she loved him, he had not really listened or heard the emotion in her voice because was only focused on the things he had to accomplish that morning. As a result, he simply replied, “I love you, too. Did you lock the door?” While the reader is sure to feel sympathy for Lena because of her situation, the fact remains that Lena is also partially to blame for the failure of the marriage, for she never made any attempt to express her distress to Harold. Harold is a flat character, or a character that does not develop in the course of a story. After all the many years of his relationship with Lena, he never changed and never once made his love for Lena the focus of his marriage to her. Despite the fact that Lena was well aware of this, however, she never stood up for herself or made an effort to change anything.

“ ‘It doesn’t matter,’ I say… ‘I knew it would happen.’ ‘Then why you don’t stop it?’ asks my mother. And it’s such a simple question.” I believe that this is the most important quote in “Rice Husband” because it shows Lena’s internal struggle as she wonders why she never did anything to stop the collapse of her marriage to Harold. I believe that this situation is something that many readers can connect to. Many people, including myself, are prone to make the same mistake that Lena did: being so afraid to take a stand that they allow harm to come to themselves. I believe that this passage from “Rice Husband” is incredibly effective because it reminds us all to stand up for the things in our lives that are worth saving.

The Joy Luck Club, Section 6: "Two Kinds"

Literary Term: Aboslute

I personally believe that the relationship between Jing-mei and her mother described in “Two Kinds” is by far the most intriguing and complex relationship developed in the novel. Despite the fact that Jing-mei and her mother, Suyuan, were very similar, their emotions, hopes, dreams, and personality traits were intertwined in such a way that they always seemed to clash in catastrophic ways. At first, both Suyuan and Jing-mei had high hopes of Jing-mei becoming a child prodigy; in fact, Jing-mei went as far as to use an absolute, or a word free from limitations or qualifications, when she confessed, “In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect.” This statement reveals what was perhaps the biggest issue between Jing-mei and Suyuan: Suyuan had set too high a standard for Jing-mei. The truth of the matter was that Suyuan simply believed that, with a combination of Jing-mei’s natural abiliites and the promise of living in America, Jing-mei would be able to succeed at anything she tried. Conflict arose, however, because Suyuan did not articulate this love and confidence in Jing-mei in a way that Jing-mei could understand. When Suyuan made constant attempts to ascertain Jing-mei’s hidden talent, Jing-mei interpreted this to mean that Suyuan would accept nothing but perfection from her; consequently, Jing-mei became angry and could not understand why her mother could not accept her for who she truly was.

*While searching for Jing-mei's hidden talents, Suyuan first told Jing-mei that she could be a "Chinese Shirley Temple."


When Suyuan forced Jing-mei to take piano lessons, Jing-mei resolved almost immediately to never truly try to succeed. Looking back, Jing-mei later admitted that she had set herself up for failure, and it is for this reason that I believe Jing-mei used her decision to not try her best at playing the piano as a grand act of retaliation against her mother. I feel that the most important quote in this section is when Jing-mei says, “For unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I wanted to be. I could only be me.” This quote is so effective because it shows that in an attempt to prove to her mother that she would be whoever she chose to be and not who she was made to be, Jing-mei channeled her resistance against her mother in a way that was harmful to herself. Jing-mei became so determined to prove Suyuan wrong that she convinced herself that she had to be mediocre to triumph over her mother. In this way, Jing-mei used mediocrity as a weapon and therefore set herself up for failure.

I personally believe that Jing-mei’s performance at the piano recital was highly symbolic of her internal struggle and the relationship that she had with Suyuan. As Jing-mei began to play her piece, she was very confident in herself and her abilities. As the music progressed, however, one bad note followed another until the entire song was a disaster. Jing-mei had the ability to make the piece beautiful, but before she was aware of what was happening, the song had become a jumble of notes that were not harmonious, and she was stuck in a pattern of repeating these mistakes throughout the song. In a similar way, Jing-mei and Suyuan, who were both very determined and similar, had the ability to have a beautiful relationship; however, they allowed themselves to be caught in a sea of miscommunications, faulty expectations, and relentlessness that kept them from existing harmoniously. They repeated these mistakes over and over until the entire relationship seemed beyond repair. As the years passed, however, I believe that both women came to understand their love for another; unfortunately, the tragedy remains in the fact that they never confessed this to one another. Because everyone is vulnerable to making the same mistakes that Jing-mei and Suyuan made, this story is relatable to almost anybody, and the lesson we must all take from “Two Kinds” is to let the people in our lives know how much they mean to us and accept them for exactly who they are.