''Halfway'' Post

THE JOY LUCK CLUB HALFWAY POST

Describe a problem faced by the main character. Explain how the main character deals with the problem.  Make a personal connection to this (either your own experience or that of someone you know).

Jing-Mei is the main character who always shows no interest and easily gives up on anything that causes her to feel unconfident, and “I won’t be what I’m not.”(73, Amy Tan) . Jing-Me mother who always try hard and “She never looked back with regret. There were so many ways for things to get better.” (72, Amy Tan) She believes in hard work will pay off someday. However, the pressure from Su Yuan makes her have self-doubt and creates a distance with her mother. She thinks her mom is ashamed of her because she can’t be a piano prodigy and finish college. However, Su Yuan is never disappointed in her. Instead, she is proud of her daughter and she believes her daughter simply hasn't discovered the good qualities in herself yet. At last, Jing-Mei understands her mom’s love and the meaning of the pendant. I have been through the same experiences as Jing-Mei when I felt ready to give up on my level 8 violin test but my mom encouraged me to continue and give me support during my practice lessons. There isn’t parent in the world who feels shame and disgrace of their children’s failure. Rather, they feel distressed for not being able to share their difficulties.

     

Choose a character who is starting to change and explain how the change is being made and what purpose it serves. Are the changes the character is making, plausible or realistic (could/would actually happen in real life)? Why/Why not?

An-Mei’s daughter, Rose goes through a divorce with her husband, but she can't decide whether or not to sign the divorce paper. Due to her childhood dilemma, her brother Bing died. Since then she experienced difficulties in making decisions. When she gets a divorce, she does not know what to do, what should belong to her. Her mom tells her, “You must think for yourself, what you must do. If someone tells you, then you are not trying.” (70, Amy Tan) Her husband has cheated on her, but she does not believe it, and she did nothing about it. She is suffering without taking action to improve her marriage. After finding out the truth and listening to An-Mei’s mother’s story, who had no choice but to commit suicide to stand for herself and family. She realizes if “she doesn’t try, she can lose her chance forever.”(121,Amy Tan). Then,  she signs the divorce paper and goes to court to get her house back. Her character change was only made possible because of An-Mei’s mother’s story. It is unusual for a person to change drastically over a short period of time. She starts from being passively to an independent woman who fight for her own goods.