“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.
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.
You picked a really strong quotation here, and I think your choice of juxtaposition as a rhetorical strategy is well founded. Think about how juxtaposition is a common thread throughout the novel, and how might it contribute to the overall message?
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