THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT

(Excerpt)
By: Amy Tan

Prepared by: LEVY P. CORONEL

What would you do if your
child were born with six
fingers on each hand?Why
would you do this?
At what age do you think a
person has a very sure
sense of self? Explain your
answer.
Do you think we are surer of
ourselves when we were
children? Or are we surer of
ourselves as adults? Explain
your answer.
AMY TAN
(Author)
• Amy Tan was born February 19, 1952 in Oakland, California. Tan grew up in Northern
California, but when her father and older brother both died from brain tumors in 1966, she
moved with her mother and younger brother to Europe, where she attended high school in
Montreux, Switzerland. She returned to the United States for college, attending Linfield
College in Oregon, San Jose City College, San Jose State University, the University of
California at Santa Cruz and the University of California at Berkeley. After college, Tan
worked as a language development consultant and as a corporate freelance writer.

• In 1985, she wrote the story “Rules of the Game” for a writing workshop, which formed the
early foundation for her first novel The Joy Luck Club. Published in 1989, the book explored
the relationship between Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters, and
became the longest-running New York Times bestseller for that year. The Joy Luck
Club received numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Award. It has been
translated into 25 languages, including Chinese, and was made into a major motion picture
for which Tan co-wrote the screenplay.

• Her other two books, The Kitchen God’s Wife (1991) and The Hundred Secret Senses (1995),
have also appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. Her latest novel, The
Bonesetter’s Daughter, was published in 2001. Tan has also written two children’s
books: The Moon Lady (1992) and The Chinese Siamese Cat (1994), the latter of which was
adapted to television for PBS.
• Amy Tan has been married to her husband, Lou DeMattei, for over twenty years. They live
in San Francisco and New York.
 Vocabulary:
courtesan – a prostitute with wealthy/upper
class clients
self esteem – reflects an individual’s overall
subjective emotional evaluation of their own
worth
amputated – cut off by surgical operation
animosity – strong hostility
revulsions – a sense of disgust and loathing
 The Valley of amazement
Summary
In the excerpt of the novel “The Valley of Amazement,” author Amy
Tan presents a character who, at the age of eight, was determined
to be true to herself. Lulu Minturn was born with an extra finger in
each of her hands. Mr. Maubert, her father’s friend and her piano
teacher, was a former concert pianist, who has lost his right arm
during the Prussians’ siege of Paris. Influenced by him, the parents
of Lulu decided to let Lulu undergo the operation to completely
remove her extra fingers so as to help her in her musical training.
Lulu felt the shock and the fear at the same time because parts of
her had to be completely removed and changed even without her
permission. This made her think and decide the attributes that she
had to protect–everything about her pure self-being.
GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1.)
What was Lulu’s reaction when
she found out about the
operation? Do you think her
reaction is normal? Why or why
not?
When Lulu found out about the operation, she
was shocked. At the same time, she felt the
fear that people would change parts of her
without even asking permission from her.
Normally, a child in her situation could feel the
same way because parents usually make
sudden decisions for their children that
sometimes children would have no choice but
to just follow.
2.) Do you think the parents
made a mistake in
operating on Lulu’s
fingers? Why or why not?
The parents did not really make a
mistake in operating on Lulu’s fingers
because they were just thinking of
their child’s own good. They just
wanted their child to live normally
like any other children.
3.) What is the narrator’s
fear?
The narrator’s fear is that the
people could change parts of
her, without her knowledge
and permission.
4.) Why did the narrator
dislike the way her
mother described
reproduction?
According to her, it was as if she had been just a
mindless blob and that upon entry into the
world she took on a personality shaped
through the guidance of her parents. It sounds
like she is no different from a thing that
people can easily change whenever they want
to, but she cannot do anything, and that her
existence is merely just a fruit of reproduction.
5.) What do you think is
its effect on the
narrator?
It hurts in the part of the narrator how
her mother described reproduction
because just like any other children,
she expected that her mother would
consider her as more than just a
being fruit of reproduction.
6.) What does it mean, that
the narrator wanted to be
true to herself?
Wanting to be true to herself means the
narrator accepted her true self. She was born
with an extra finger in each hand, and had
undergone operation to remove the surplus. It
made her realize that she had to protect
everything that was part of her pure self-being
and that she wanted to protect her attributes
because everything about herself shaped her
self-being.
7.) Have you ever felt the
same way? Why or why
not?
Yes, I have felt the same way. For instance, the
people around me would want me to change
or improve myself, not just in the physical
aspect, but also in some others aspects that
make up my self-being. However, I would
always want to be true to myself that is why it
hurts in my part how they react to the way
God created me.
8.) Do you think the
narrator is selfish? Why
or why not?
It’s not that the narrator felt that way that she is
selfish. It’s just that she didn’t want to change
herself—her true self-being. She just wanted
others to accept her imperfection and
difference from others as she herself accepted
and embraced everything that shaped her
true self-being.
9.) Is the narrator
expressing an inherently
Asian or American value?
American value is inherently expressed
in the story. Americans value
perfection. For instance, in the case
of Lulu, her parents wanted her extra
fingers to be removed in order for
her to live normally and comfortably
like any other people.
10.) Do childhood
revelations have lasting
impact on one’s life?
Childhood revelations have
lasting impact on one’s life.
Childhood memories are very
powerful that they go along
with the person as he grows
older.
INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION
God created each of us in His own image and likeness. Our uniqueness and
differences from one another make us special in the eyes of God. Thus, we
have to fully accept how God created us, including how perfectly imperfect
we are.

Lulu Minturn was born with an extra finger in each of her hands. However,
instead of embracing it, the people around her, particularly her mother and
her piano teacher, decided to amputate the extra fingers for her to live
normally like any other people. This made her feel upset that they
considered her undesirable for being born that way.

If I were in Lulu’s shoes, I would have felt the same way. For me, everything
has its own purpose. Being created differently is God’s gift. Perhaps having
an extra finger in each of her hands would allow her to do the things that
no one has ever done yet. It would probably make others realize that it’s
not about being different from others, but it’s about making a difference in
this world.

– Dominique Lariego
I am happy for Lulu that she decided to look for her
real self. She never hesitated to continue living
without keeping the secrets buried. She was willing
to accept the real her rather than living without
knowing who she really was. I was inspired by Lulu
because there were times that I wanted to know my
real identity. I sometimes wanted to dig deeper
about who I am, and I wanted to discover new or
something I don’t know about myself. I also
appreciate what her parents did because her
parents did what they have to in order for their child
to live a normal life. The only thing that the parents
wanted the most is for their children to be normal.
– Junaly Pondar