Paper-of-Many-Parts: The Joy Luck Club
Summary Paragraph
Four women (forming the Joy Luck Club) who immigrated to America from China
in hope of a better life, remember and reiterate their stories of growing up
abroad, and the sacrifices, losses, and determination it took. The need to share
these stories is made stronger when June Woo takes her mother’s place at the Joy
Luck Club following her death, where she is given a task that will test her
understanding of her mother, and moreover, her character. The remaining three
daughters face challenges in their own lives, including marriage, divorce, and
career choices, and fear what their mothers might say, as flashbacks from their
childhood show a history of conflict and disappointment. These flashbacks and
conversations with their mothers ultimately help them understand the complexity
of their relationships, their mothers’ unwavering belief in them, and the
intense love they both feel for one another. There are several messages/ themes
in this book that make themselves clear such as: knowing what is inside oneself,
realizing one’s own strength as well where she came from, and embracing that
unique heritage in order to share it with future generations
Character Descriptions
Jing-mei "June" Woo: apologetic, insecure, worrisome, easily-defeated
Suyuan Woo: determined, inspiring, hopeful, devoted, kind
Waverly Jong: sophisticated, successful, competitive, defensive
Lindo Jong: boastful, intense, shrewd, convincing, straight forward
Essay Questions
Explain the discrepancy regarding Waverly’s personality. How does June perceive her vs. how she sees herself?
When June takes her mother’s place at the mah jong table she sits at the East corner of the table and makes the statement, "The East is where things begin." Explain this statement in reference to the book and life in general.
Suyuan Woo describes her friends using the five elements. She explains who has too much "wood, water, and fire." The other two elements she does not mention. Describe yourself in terms of these three elements, or two more of your choosing.
Key Passage: page 286 (prose from June Woo’s story)
And now at the airport, after shaking hands with everybody, waving
good-bye, I think about all the different ways we leave people in this world.
Cheerily waving good-bye to some at airports, knowing we’ll never see each
other again. Leaving others on the side of the road, hoping that we will.
Finding my mother in my father’s story and saying good-bye before I have a
chance to know her better.
Key Passage Explanation
At this point in the story, June is preparing to see her twin sisters,
whom her mother abandoned before her birth, but never forgot about. The death
of June’s mother is very important, as it initiates the other women to tell
their stories to their daughters before it is too late. A race for time begins
as they attempt to teach their daughters about themselves before they "leave
people in this world," or die. They don’t want to take a "chance" and risk any
opening for their daughter to have known them any "better." When June uses the
expression "finding my mother in my father’s stories" she has done what all of
the mother’s, want their daughters to do; she learned her mother’s story and
in the process discovered herself. "Waving good-bye" symbolizes June’s ability
to let go of her mother, and the satisfaction and pride gained from
understanding her story. The title suggests another theme that was brought
forth by Suyuan: hope and determination, both apparent in the statement
"hoping that we will." Hope was something she never ceased to abandon, and her
persistence to find her daughters shows how much she loved them, something all
of the mothers have for their daughters. Although mentioned at the end, this
quote began the book, and set into motion the need for the mothers to share
their stories with their daughters, so they find can each other and
themselves.
Recommendation
I have a hard time recommending The Joy Luck Club. In my opinion
June’s story was the only story that completely resolved itself; the rest
remained unfinished. Simply by reducing the number of characters by one
mother/daughter pair would have lessened the confusion. I found the stories of
the mothers’ hardships in China both gruesome and depressing, and in some
instances the Chinese ideas through me for a loop. Also, I disliked how often
the daughters would flashback to their childhood, only to re-summarize the
incident later on. At the time that I read this book I could not appreciate it.
Maybe if I read this the story once I had children of my own, I would find it
more enjoyable.