The Character Of Waverly In Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club

In the novel, The Joy Luck Club, the author, Amy Tan, employs various rhetorical devices at numerous points in the story to achieve a specific purpose, whether the aim is to expand a character’s development, to further the evolution of the plot, or to suggest a certain theme to the reader. In particular, one of the most common rhetorical devices exploited by Tan throughout the story is perhaps the anecdote, which forces the reader to analyze the hidden significance of it as its contents are much longer and more elaborate than other rhetorical devices which typically consist of a mere sentence or two. Each anecdote in the book carries substantial importance and yet, it seems that the fact that there are so many of them in the novel does not undermine each one’s individual magnificence. The most poignant anecdote in the book may in fact be the story of An-Mei’s mother of how she lost herself and became a concubine-against her will-to a notorious mogul named Wu Tsing. An-Mei’s mother ultimately chooses to commit suicide in hopes that it will save her two children from the neglect and wrath of her husband, who initially cares very little about An-Mei and her family but is convinced by Chinese myth to improve their standards of living, “Seeing her this last time, I threw myself on her body. And she opened her eyes slowly… I shut her eyes with my fingers and told her with my heart: I can see the truth too… Because we both knew this: that on the third day after someone dies, the soul comes back to settle scores… He (Wu Tsing) promised her visiting ghost that he would raise

In Amy Tan’s story “The Joy Luck Club,” Jing-mei recalls the struggles she is burdened by in not understanding the extensive sacrifices her mother made and the guilt she carries of never living to be her mother’s swan.

The Joy Luck Club is the first novel by Amy Tan, published in 1989. The Joy Luck Club is about a group of Chinese women that share family stories while they play Mahjong. When the founder of the club, Suyuan Woo, died, her daughter June replaced her place in the meetings. In her first meeting, she finds out that her lost twin sisters were alive in China. Before the death of Suyuan, the other members of the club located the address of June’s half-sisters. After that, they send June to tell her half-sisters about her mother’s life. In our lives there are events, and situations that mark our existence and somehow determine our life. In this novel, it shows how four mothers and their daughters were impacted by their tradition and beliefs. In the traditional Asian family, parents define the law and the children are expected to follow their requests and demands; respect for one’s parents and elders is critically important. Traditions are very important because they allow us to remember the beliefs that marked a whole culture.

Clair is a classic example of “like mother like daughter.” After a tragic past in China, Ying-ying becomes a passive wife. She goes through the motions, not really letting anyone know what she truly feels. When she has a daughter, Lena, she turns out just like her mother. In her marriage to Harold, Lena rarely speaks her mind and instead allows Harold to do whatever he pleases. All her life, Ying-ying has had the ability to foresee things that will happen; this trait is passed on to Lena. Despite having a knowledge of things to come, Ying-ying never tries to prevent them. When Lena’s marriage is failing, Ying-ying tries to get her daughter to act. Readers are left not knowing whether or not Lena will act to save her marriage. When the wobbly table falls and breaks the vase on top of it, Lena responds saying, “‘I knew it would happen’” (Tan 165). Her mother responds with “‘Then why you don’t stop it?’” (165). This question is not focused on the vase, but rather on Lena’s failing marriage. She can act and prevent it from failing, or she can allow the marriage to fall

In the novel The Joy Luck Club written by Amy Tan, there are several stories that intertwine into one novel. Each of the stories takes place China where the roles and the actions of woman are vastly different compared to American tradition. In the different stories, they all are about different mothers and daughters. Throughout the book, the reader can see the development in each relationship between mother and daughter with their conflicting backgrounds from China to America.

“Four Directions” is the story of Waverly Jong, the young prodigy chess player who lashes out at her mother because of her constant showing off of Waverly. After returning to chess, Waverly realizes that her skill and determination is gone, along with the support and love from her mother. She beings to understand that her winning was solely dependant on her mother’s boastful remarks about her daughter, the love the Lindo was so openly expressing.

Women have been mentally abused throughout time creating a distraught conscience, which compels them to create a safer lifestyle. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is a novel about eight women, four wives and four daughters, who moved from China to America. These four women meet in America and decide to meet once every week. The four mothers, Suyuan Woo, An-mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, and Ying-ying St. Clair, decide to have their daughters, Jing-mei Woo, Rose Hsu Jordan, Waverly Jong, and Lena St. Clair, join them. These women dealt with oppression caused by their gender and finding a new style of living just they could be reassured of their safety. Tan argues that the societal-driven mistreatment towards women has a damaging psychological impact and forces

Waverly knew her mom “would not let me play among strangers”. She used reverse psychology to control her mother, by speaking in a small quiet voice, saying she did not want to go. Mrs. Jong then told Waverly she must play. Waverly got what she wanted without her mother realizing she had been manipulated by her daughter. The theme of the struggle of control became much more evident as Waverly realized how to trick her mother to regain power over Mrs. Jong and to do as she pleased. Another example demonstrating this theme, was Mrs. Jong’s inability to allow her daughter to use the techniques Waverly chose in playing chess. After a chess tournament won by Waverly, Mrs. Jong gave no sign of approval and said, “…Next time win more and lose less” regarding the chess pieces Waverly took from her opponent. Waverly did try to explain to her mother that part of the game was “losing pieces to get ahead”; her mother, although, did not accept that. Mrs. Jong hardly comprehended the rules of chess, but she nevertheless wanted to prove to her daughter that she was still fully in control and had all the power to tell Waverly how she should play the game. Regardless of all the games her daughter had won, Mrs. Jong tried to maintain control over the simplest aspects of the chess game to exert her authority

Abraham Lincoln once stated, “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe it to my mother.” Mother and child relationships vary greatly. Some mothers can have a very tight bond with their child, while others tend to be rather distant. The mother is responsible for caring for their child and helping the children grow. They should be able to guide their child down a good path, and not force them down a life that they do not want to do. This can be caused by many different reasons. In the book Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Waverly has a distant relationship with her mother. The relationship between me and my mother is a complex bond that can not compare to any other mother and child relationship. My bond with my mother contrasts to other relationships

History, Culture and Identity of Mothers and Daughters in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club

In the book The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan June and Waverly go through very similar experiences. June had no desire to be good at playing the piano because she was not very good at it. Waverly was actually very good at playing chess and liked doing it. They are very different in this aspect because one of them is good at what they do while the other is not. Both girls were pushed very hard to be successful by their moms,but for different reasons. June was pushed hard by her mom because her mom wanted her to have a good life and be a prodigy. Waverly's mom pushed her hard because she wanted to show off Waverly to everyone. Both girls eventually grew tired of their moms always being on them and snapped. After doing poorly at a concert Junes mom

“My mother would proudly walk with me, visiting many shops, buying very little. “ This my daughter Waverly Jong,” she said to whoever looked her way. One day after we left a shop I said under my breath, “ I wish you wouldn’t do that , telling everybody I’m your daughter.” My mother stopped walking..... “Aiii-ya. So shame be with mother?” She grasped my hand even tighter as she glared at me. I looked down. “It’s not that, just so obvious. It’s so embarrassing.”... If you want to show off, then why don’t you learn to play chess?” (Tan 41).

In The Joy Luck Club, Waverly Jong faces a controlling and strict mother. Dr. Laura Markham says, “The strict parent deprives children of the opportunity to learn self- discipline, because all control and decisions come from the parent.” From a young age, Waverly is pushed toward being a child prodigy by her mother. Throwing herself into her studies to please her mother, she quickly loses interest in her mother’s dream for her. However, her mother persists and pushes Waverly to play the piano. Through this process, Lindo never once asks for Waverly’s opinion. She arranges a strict schedule dominating all of Waverly’s free time. Amy Tan shows that Waverly hates her mother’s decisions. The piano lessons make her feel like she “was being sent to hell” (Tan 147). With this demeanor, she practices and takes lessons without enthusiasm or spirit. This clearly represents a child resisting parental control. Through her mother’s choices, Waverly never gets the chance to discover her true passion. Although parental guidance is necessary for young adults to learn and grow, pushing kids too much will restrict them from discovering who they are,

Many times plot development is thought of as a key detail in keeping a story organized, while others would say that plot structure tends to add too much order to a piece of work and hinder the reader from exploring true creativity. A great example of these two contrasting ideas is illustrated in Amy Tan’s well-known novel “The Joy Luck Club”. Although some could argue that there is no definite plot structure portrayed at all within the book, this is not true. A slight plot lies within each individual short story. While there might not be an overall rising and falling action connected throughout the novel, an exposition, climax, and resolution are clearly illustrated in each story.

In the first few chapters of the novel The Joy Luck Club, the main characters June Woo, An-Mei, and Lindo all share the same internal conflict of trying to connect to their mothers. June Woo, also known as Jing-mei Woo, narrates the first chapter which mostly consists of stories of and from her mother. June misunderstands the stories from her mother Suyuan because she often changes the ending, making them darker and more vivid each time. When Suyuan passes away, June takes her place at the Joy Luck Club mahjong table to understand her mother more. June’s aunties think that even though her mother is “in [her] bones,” June is ignorant for not knowing much about her “own mother” (40).