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Tyler Green Ms. McKinnon English II Pre-AP per.1 14 April 2013 Multicultural Novel Reflective Journal Response The Joy Luck Cub Chapters 1-8 Reflection: The first half of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, has vividly displayed Chinese culture and values. This collection of mini stories is one of the few novels Ive actually been able to enjoy in the last few years. So far, I have found the mothers stories vastly more interesting than the daughters stories. The mothers tend to have darker backgrounds than their daughters-though the daughters have their moments as well- providing more of a hook in my opinion. Most, if not all of the characters have suffered greatly in various ways or have acted in ways that I cannot comprehend. The novel has definitely shown the value of women in China, as well as their expectations. Many of the children in the book have experienced unusual cruelty that has just astounded me. Those that were children in the earlier decades suffered more than the others, as they were brought up in more stable households and less turbulent times.

Character List Jing-mei Woo: One of the narrators of the story. Jing-mei, having recently replaced her mother, Suyuan, at the Joy Luck Club, is shocked to learn that her twin sisters in China are alive and that it is her duty to meet them. She fears the task of vicariously relaying her mothers life to her half-

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sisters in her mothers place. She made a commitment to herself as a child to never let anyone change her. I wont be what Im not (144)

Suyuan: Decades ago, Suyuan Founded the Joy Luck Club in China, sometime before her departure and the abandonment of her twin daughters, in order to replace sorrow with joy. She spent her life attempting to give her remaining daughter a better future and trying to locate her long lost daughters in China. She had searched for years, (29)

Rose Hsu: Daughter of An-Mei, Rose has experienced the hardships of life with her mother. Back when she was still a child, Rose helplessly watched her youngest brother Bing drown. She and her mother returned to the beach to find him, but could not. Now she struggles with a failing marriage and the inability to make choices in life. He asked me to decide on the most trivial matters, as if baiting me. (127)

An-mei Hsu: An-mei experienced her childhood with Popo her grandmother, not her own mother. Her mothers choices earned her shame and stole her away from An-Meis life. As a result, An-mei learns from Popo who was somewhat harsh. to say her name is to spit on your fathers grave. (34)

Waverly Jong: Daughter of Lindo, she grew up among the poor. After her brother receives a used chess set for Christmas, she shows her potential. Waverly is a chess prodigy, a trait her mother enjoys showing off. Waverly tends to dislike being her mothers walking trophy and

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openly displays it at one point. I wish you wouldnt do that, telling everybody Im your daughter. (101)

Lindo Jong: Arranged to be married from a very young age, Lindo joins her soon to be husband after disaster that destroys her family home. Haunted by her need to honor her family, she takes the abuse of her mother in law and her cowardly husband. She uses her cunning to effectively end her marriage, without dishonoring her family, and flees to America. I made the Huangs think it was their idea to get rid of me, that they would be the ones to say the marriage contract was not valid. (59)

Lena Saint-Clair: Lena, daughter of Ying-Ying, often heard conflicts next door. She believes at times that murder is being committed, but in reality, they are just the quarrels of a family that loves each other. Her dad attempts to read her mothers feelings, but being able to understand Chinese, she learns the much darker thoughts of her mother. Eventually, her mother kills her sibling in progress. Someone was being killed. (114)

Ying-Ying Saint-Clair: Ying-Ying grew up in a rather stable family. She was an active, curious, child that asked many questions. Her mother sewed her tiger gown that she subsequently destroys by trying to cover the blood with more blood. Ying-ying gets separated from her family and begins to act more insane as she grows older. How could I tell him she was crazy?(117)

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Bing Hsu: Bing is Roses brother who drowns while rose is supposed to be watching him. I sank to my knees watching the spot where he disappeared, not moving, not saying anything. (134)

Ted Jordan: Roses husband. Throughout his relationship, he made every decision, but after he makes a major mistake, he asks Rose to make all of the decisions. He later asks Rose for a divorce. After he lost the malpractice lawsuit-his first, and a big shock to him I now realize-he started pushing me to make decisions. (126) Interesting Excerpts: In me, they see their own daughters, just as ignorant, just as unmindful of all the truths and hopes they have brought to America. They see daughters who grow impatient when their mothers talk in Chinese, who think they are stupid when they explain things in fractured English. They see that joy and luck do not mean the same to their daughters, that to these closed American-born minds "joy luck" is not a word, it does not exist. They see daughters who will bear grandchildren born without any connecting hope passed from generation to generation.(31)

I chose this excerpt because it shows a common theme in the book, the daughters not knowing much about their mothers or their heritage. All of the mothers fear that their lives and culture will be abandoned by their daughters.

I could not tell my father what she had said. He was so sad already with this empty crib in his mind. How could I tell him she was crazy? So this is what I translated for him: "She says we

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must all think very hard about having another baby. She says she hopes this baby is very happy on the other side. And she thinks we should leave now and go have dinner."(117)

I chose this excerpt simply because it seemed really powerful. The fact that her mother killed their baby and that her lie kept this family that didnt understand each other together really evoked some strange thoughts and emotions. The Truth I was only two or so. My mother had been married to Johnny for a few years and things were beginning to go wrong. I remember the nights, being carried from my mothers bed late at night, right before the fights ensued. I would return, looking through a cracked door, at the arguing and beating of my mom. It happened repeatedly. How was I supposed to keep that a secret? One day, I told my Grandpa about it, and he pulled us from the dangerous situation. To this day, my mother appreciates my choice to say what I said, and it made our lives a little more bearable.