Drum Roll Please...

A little poignant at times but nonetheless it was enjoyable. I just can’t help the fact that Amy Tan throws so much information at the reader. It annoys me somewhat because I can never remember if I’m reading about the mother or daughter. I think it might have better if she divided the sections by mother and daughter, thus creating four sections, which would have let my brain rest for a while.

The Joy Luck Club, as a whole is very enticing. In the last book that we read, Things Fall Apart, we focused on father/son relationships. Now it’s the mother/daughter relationships to come to the forefront. Funny at times (I like the quote from pg. 142 “…‘Ni kan,” [You watch]…as Shirley’s eyes flooded with tears. ‘You already know how. Don’t need talent for crying!’”) but at other times it can be a heart wrenching novel with a very simple subject- The focus of relationships between Chinese women and their American born daughters. Not only Chinese women, but all mothers and daughters at some point in their lives- where a mother’s goal is nothing but a fruitless dream that was simply a fool’s errand in the eyes of a daughter. I must admit that I jumped for joy when I read about Jing-Mei meeting her half-sisters. *Wipes a tear* Very, very heartfelt moment.

Amy Tan has gotten 5 stars on her characterization in the book. As for the actual story, I suppose a 4.5 would do. I mean, think about it- Don’t you kind of feel like each story was the same as the next? I don't know how many ancient Chinese secrets could actually be revealed in the latter half of the book, or perhaps even how many more proverbs about looking into rice bowls to predict husbands could possibly be analyzed that hadn't already been covered in the first half of the book. Adding on to that fact, I cannot call this book "great literature" as I have with The Odyssey or Julius Caesar, because it simply isn't. Don't interpret my feelings as "Great literature" being stories I like because that would be a lie- I did not like Julius Caesar but I still considered it great literature. Nevertheless, Amy Tan’s realism has far passed by expectation and the dialogue has been written with vigor, never stopping to sensationalize a part at all but giving you a dose what it means to be part of The Joy Luck Club.

Admiration With A Pinch of Pity

I've read a good deal of the book (I’m almost to the end!) and I've decided who I like and who (inevitably) I don't. It may occur to you as being callous but I truly have deep feelings toward some characters, whether it be hatred and contempt or affection and respect.

To start with, I look at Waverly with the utmost admiration but at the same time, I pity her. Is that possible? I’ll let you be the judge of that. Right off the bat, you can see Waverly is a very ambitious and intelligent girl, no one can deny that. I saw that as soon as I read about her in the beginning- a child prodigy at age 9. She’s one of those remarkable people that were somehow blessed into being a natural genius without really trying. I think, for the most part, that Waverly is the most rebellious daughter in the book. I can’t help but think back to Amy Tan’s biography that Ms. Faughey read, and feel like Waverly mirrors Amy.

The rebelliousness, I assume, is simply a way to find their true meaning-of themselves at least. Waverly wears fashionable clothes and even in the first chapter in her viewpoint, she is clearly embarrassed to even be seen with her mother. Also, she doesn’t seem to be too happy about her Chinese identity. When she goes to the hairdresser, she’s appalled by the fact that Rory (the hairstylist) insists that she looks like her mother. Now I can’t back up on this conclusion, but I do think that the two have much in common- that being that their personality is quite similar. On page 53, Lindo, Waverly’s mother, says:

“I asked myself, What is true about a person? Would I change in the same way the river changes color but still be the same person?... I realized it was the first time I could see the power… I looked into the mirror… what I saw was even more valuable. I was strong. I was pure. I had genuine thoughts inside that no one could see, that no one could ever take away from me… And then I draped the… scarf over my face and covered these thoughts up. But underneath the scarf I still knew who I was. I made a promise to myself: I would always remember my parents’ wishes, but I would never forget myself.”

It is the last sentence that truly sums up Lindo’s bravery and her independence. She found peace with the realization that others could say or do what they sought to, but only she was able to know the real her- her true identity. I believe this is what made her come to terms with her doomed marriage and I can also see where Waverly’s attitude comes from. It’s almost a carefree attitude, like Waverly doesn’t have a care in the world what people think of her. Yes, she may be brash but I believe that is her nature. She looks down on those beneath her (check her out when she made fun of Jing-Mei) and I believe that is where my pity comes in.

Waverly is always struggling and never quite finding her identity as her mother quite did. She puts people down (a lot!) and you know how people say that when you make fun of someone else, it’s because of your own insecurities. She makes fun of Jing-Mei and I think she should feel a little bit jealous. Jing-Mei, although pushed by her mother to be something she was not, did not endure it like Waverly. All the spitefulness that Waverly has made toward her mother has changed her. Throughout most of the novel, as I’ve read so far, Miss Waverly must be the character that is most controversial and I must give Amy Tan props for the best characterization on Waverly’s part that I’ve ever read.

Just American

The stories in this book have pushed me, in one way or another, to look up on the Japanese invasion in China. And believe me- there's so many words you can think of to describe it, yet when you see a mere picture, a thousand words seems much, much to short.

Check out the picture at the left. It's hard to imagine having any hope of joy during a time like this, especially knowing that one day, they might come. China's history is so rich- filled with turmoil, sadness, silk (of course) but yet they still stand today, not as a country that has no future but rather one that's trying to create one. On multicultural day, I got to see how Chinese dresses looked like and they truly are exquisite. They are, for the most part, tight fitting, showing off the figure of a woman yet leaving the body underneath up to the imagination.

I just finished watching a movie (I'm not sure the name) and there's this oriental woman talking to this guy that she rescued. He's from Hong Kong but he's white and he's making an "authentic" dish from China. The woman smiles and tells the man that she's not too into what he's cooking. The man looks at her with an amused face exclaiming "But you're Chinese!" She lets out a short laugh and says "Oh no I'm not. I'm American. Born right here in California." This one line made me think about the daughters in this book- it's as they don't consider themselves Asian. Just American.

Too Meek and Not Enough Courage

Lena and Rose both have compelling stories to tell. Lena is a meek character, quiet and never actually voicing her opinions but allowing those around her to make decisions for her. Her husband *sighs*. I don't really understand the half-half thing and I'm on the side of her mother, looking at Lena with scrutiny and sympathy at the same time. I think Lena needs some of Waverly's attitude.

Rose and Lena both have something in common: The lack to speak, especially where their husband comes in. The two have these husbands that when you just read about them, the only word you can get out is "What?" What I'm trying to say is that these husbands take advantage of their wives. Rose gets the axe (divorce paper) and begins blubbering and sobbing. She's not strong. Meek and humble. I'm pretty sure by the end of the book, they'll break. Or perhaps they have already broken. It's like when a baby chick hatches- you see a little crack in the egg but until much later does the actual chick emerge. I believe that is how Rose and Lena will rise. Slowly but with much confidence.

Realism

I've just finished reading the first section and the first word that popped into my head was realistic. I'm not Asian (at least not oriental Asian) but when various characters in the book -most notably June's mother- cry out "Aii-ya!", I can't help but think of my mom's Asian co-workers that come to my house during the summer to exchange cultural food, and somehow everyone happens to leave the house saying "Aii-ya" at least one- including my mother. It's an annual meeting-something almost related to the Joy Luck Club.

Moreover, the grammer (or lack thereof) from June's elders from China also add to the realism that Amy Tan depicts. Page 31 "Your mother is in your bones!" That quote isn't really a lack of grammer but it seemed awkward- I think she meant "blood" but who am I to say?

I skimmed through the book when I first got it and it looks like it's told from various view points. Most likely all those who talk through first person are related to each other in some way. Perhaps they are the sisters that June's (Jing-Mei) mother wanted to her find in China. Or they could be the mothers of the daughters in this book. I must admit that the author throws a lot of information at you and I sometimes forget what I just read but I don't really mind. Regardless, the first part of the book and I am compelled to read the others. On to The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates..

Realization Has Dawned

“And then it occurs to me. They are frightened. 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 . . . They see that joy and luck do not mean the same to their daughters...[that] "joy luck" is not a word...They see daughters who will bear grandchildren born without any connecting hope passed from generation to generation."

That excerpt was taken from pg. 31 on Jing-Mei. That paragraph really got to me somehow. It's almost like it hit something deep down in me that had not been awaken for years. June is obviously of the lesser generation, representing the child born in America amongst others that were born in China. She seems to realize that she is no longer close to her Chinese identity, that her mother, who has died, had been there all along yet she had paid little attention to her. Realization has dawned upon June.

You can tell she’s feeling sympathy toward her aunts- understanding that their fear of their daughters was evident in June’s lack of information on her mom (her stories, proverbs, etc.) June gives the impression that she comprehends that these older and wiser women had dreams and hopes of coming into America but that their daughters have little respect toward them. These hopes and dreams of her elders surrounding her mean nothing in modern time America.

But what I can’t understand is why June says “What will I say…I don’t know anything.” (p. 31) when she tells the stories that her mother told her at the beginning of the chapter. It’s almost as if you’re looking into June’s fears as well- that she’s been sitting and listening but with little or no comprehension at all.

What would June know about the war? Their [her mother and others] little streak of hope and joy during those times that seemed virtuously impossible? The babies? She doesn’t. And that’s what she has come to realize. And as they say, you don’t know what you have, until you lose it.

But I’ll tell you something- She feels guilty. And that’s not an assumption. It’s a fact.

P.S. Good book so far...wonder what's in store for me in the future chapters....

The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger

I happened to be at my cousin's house reading Things Fall Apart. Again. I don't know why. Not the entire book mind you, just the part where the tribal men brings the white man to the already dead Okonkwo. For some reason, that has such a HUGE impact on me that I'm left speechless. And the ironic part of this entire scene is that the Commissioner is walking away from the scene and is thinking about how this story is going to be part of his book. He even has the nerve to name the title: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.

I don't know about you but when I read this sentence, I actually had the urge to smack the Commissioner (even though he's in the book). Just the name makes me think of the Discovery channel. It's like he's observing uncouth animals in the wild. It seems that he has no respect for the Ibo people and you might very well think that he's making a documentary on the wilderness. He forgets that these tribal men are humans as is he. Although I knew what the word primitive meant, I decided to look it up. According to Webster, two synonyms that I found were: CRUDE, RUDIMENTARY. Those two words sums up what the Commissioner thought about Okonkwo and his kin.

It's sad really what people must put up with. A great man committing suicide because of these invaders- these white missionaries who believe that all land and power belong to them and them alone. They are the same men who came to the Americas and washed nearly 3/4 of the Native Indian population. They are the same men who captured innocent beings from Africa and forced them into slave labor. (Note: Please do not misinterpret my feelings- I do not think that Caucasians are all bad)

I cannot even tell you how much this book has impacted me and though I felt some parts were irrelevant to the story, Things Fall Apart is a compelling story of a strong man and that even the powerful cannot control the drama and turmoil that will inevitably plague someone's life.