I thought that the section about torture was a little bit creepy, but I guess that it is really just being proud of Chinese culture. I can definitely tell that the family is an immigrant family. I think that the mother came to America and then had the daughter. It is obvious that the daughter understands much more English and American culture than her mother. Her mother seems to be very judgmental and slightly cynical, but once again it must be the culture. The Chinese seem to be very proud and discipline oriented. Since the daughter is Chinese American she is not as disciplined as her mother would want her to be.
What is "lavender toilet water"? When I read this, I got very confused. Is it just fragrant water? I thought that maybe it was seen by the Chinese as frivilous and that is why they referred to it as such.
The Chinese seem to also be very confident and proud. They do not want to show weakness. This is why the mother did not want her daughter to play chess. I think that this could have to wrong effect on the daughter. She may think that her mother has no faith is her and that her mother thinks that she cannot win. I guess that the daughter would probably understand because she knows about the culture, but I think it could be very damaging.
The mother just does not understand American life. If my mother were bragging about me, I would feel very embarrassed. The daughter did not choose to play because she wanted to become famous or win. She wanted to play because she loves the game, which is the perfect reason why. The mother is so proud that she is blind to this.
I thought that it was wrong that the mother no longer makes the daughter do dishes. I do not think that she should get special treatment. I know that she is very good, but it is just not right. How would that make her other children feel? I am actually surprised that her mother did give the daughter special treatment. It just does not sound like something the mother would do.
I like the way the story ended. It kept the reader guessing, and those are the kind of endings that I like. After thinking about the ending, I do not know where I would want to see this story end. I would want the daughter to win to prove something, but in the winning it would prove nothing at all. I don't want the mother to win because I think that she is wrong. Maybe just a good game with mother daughter bonding, and the win in favor of the daughter.
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6 comments:
I agree that the mother was wrong to give her daughter special treatment just for being really good at a game. But even though the mother was odd in a cultural sense, some of her wisdom was very wise. And I'm pretty sure the lavender water or whatever is just perfume.
The ending did keep me guessing, but it still felt complete. Much better than the really weird ending of the first story.
Waverly definately understands more about American culture than her mother. I believe that is the situation of all the stories in The Joy Luck Club (Sorry Mrs. Fox, I can't find how to italicize on this thing). But anyway, I like how it portrays Chinese culture and how the immigrants try to fit in to American culture. I think "lavender toliet water" is some kind of perfume or something that you're supposed to put on right after bathing or something. I think that when Mrs. Jung started giving Waverly special treatment, Waverly took full advantage of it and just started complaining for the fun of watching them try to satisfy their demands. I think that this special treatment is one reason Mrs. Jung felt she could show Waverly off; since she was making all those sacrifices for her, she wanted to take pride in showing people how wonderful her daughter was. I know I would feel very uncomfortable if my parents did that to me, but I think in Mrs. Jung's mind, she was trying to bring honor to her family. Still don't think she was right, but I think that's why she acted the way she did.
I think that Chinese culture is weird also. So many of the customs are just so strange to me, but I guess so would America's customs to the Chinese. I agree that the daughter wanted to play chess simply for her love of the game, but I think the mother did not want her to because the mother was scared she would lose and shame the family. From what I know about Chinese culture, shaming the family name is a bid deal.
I think that the mother had no right to treat the daughter differently after the young girl started winning. At that young of an age, children learn work ethics. What kind of lesson is she learning now? Her mother is sending her the message that a person can get out of work if she can win at something else. That might be true sometimes, but no child should learn that at a young age. I lost respect for the mother when she started to live through her daughter. I think that is wrong. The daughter was not playing to become famous, and the mother should not be using her daughter to feel important either. I understand why the young girl ran away from her, and I do not think the mother has any right to punish her.
I agree that the Chinese did seem proud in this story. They didn't want to look bad in front of people so they kind of put on a front to look better. I also agree that the mother did the wrong thing by not making Waverley do the dishes any more. That did make it seem like she was favoring her over her other children. I think that her mother was bragging because she was proud of her daughter. Waverley had accompished a lot and she was just proud that her daughter had made a name for herself.
The whole torture thing caught be off guard too. I don't really see what it had to do with the story? In the beginning of the story Waverly's mom didn't want her to play chess, I don't know why. I thought that was kind of rude. It is just a game, and she is just a kid, so let her play. Then Waverly's mom starts to go a completly different direction. As soon as she learns Waverly has become a natural at chess she wants to show her off. I thought that was wrong of her to do. She is the mother and she should be more understanding than that. I feel bad for Waverly at this point, because she just wants to play what she loves, and she can't do that anymore because her mother is forcing her to practice and practice. I am glad Waverly stuck up for herself at the end of the story. Her mother needed a lesson.
Wow, very detailed Lisa. As for the "lavender toilet water," I can't remember off the top of my head what it is, but at the bottom of the page there was a definition. I agree with you on several different aspects. One is that the Meimei should've still had to do the dishes. Although she is good at chess, she still needs to understand her place. It seems a bit hypocritical that Meimei would get mad at her mother for bragging, yet still enjoy the fact that she didn't have to do the dishes. However, I don't think the mother was right in bragging. I would be embarassed as well. I didn't like the ending. Endings that leave you hanging really don't impress me, but that is just my opinion.
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