In opposition to Waverly, the character Jing-Mei has experienced repeated rejection and failure in her attempt to become a prodigy and finally comes to the decision that“I could only be me,” and any attempt at developing new skills or talents was futile (Tan, 24). So, it is because of her past experiences of continuous defeat that she bases her perception of her self worth and capabilities. While in some cases, one may respond in the complete opposition of Jing-Mei, continuing to persevere in spite of their failures, they still draw on the previous experiences they’ve had, utilizing them as an inspiration or a learning
Through the game, Jing-Mei realizes the importance of communication and understanding between two individuals, despite their cultural differences. Jing-Mei's mother reveals to her that she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Jing-Mei realizes that she never truly understood her mother until that moment. Jing-Mei says, "And now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family.
Jing-Mei mother as an immigrant believed her daughter can have a bright future. Jing-mei felt pressure at time to make her proud of her, but it never really worked. “After seeing, once again my mother disappointed face, something deep inside me began urge.” Jing Mei would always listen to her mom of what she wanted for her “you could be this, you could be that.” At time Jing-Mei took her nonsense and talk about HER future.
“Her actions remind me that, even under unbearable circumstances, one can still believe in justice,” in David Henry Hwang’s foreword, in Ji-Li Jiang’s memoir Red Scarf Girl, commemorated even during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution anyone can overcome adversity (9). Ji-Li Jiang was a young teenager at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, and living through a very political time in China’s history made Ji-Li into the person she is today. Ji-Li’s intelligence, her choices, and family devotion made her into the headstrong and successful person she is today. Even when Ji-li thought she was unintelligent, others saw she was wise. There were many moments when Ji-Li was reminded she was very smart.
Every night Jing-mei would be given random tests and quizzes on various subjects and topics for her prodigy. This would lead to her first shift. In the novel it states,“ The test got harder… One night I had to look at a page from the bible for three minutes and then report everything I could remember. ‘Now jehoshaphat has richness and honor in abundance and… that's all I remember Ma’” (paragraph 13 Tan).
but she is unable to find the answer since her mother has died. Jing-mei thinks about when her “mother gave [her, her] “life’s importance”, a jade pendant on a gold chain... But these days, [she] think about [her] life’s importance. [She] wonder[s] what it means, because [her] mother died three months ago, six days before [her] thirty-sixth birthday. And she’s the only person [she] could have asked, to tell [her] about my life’s importance, to help [her] understand [her] grief.”(197).
"It's in your blood, waiting to be let go” (Tan190). June May learned much more than what it means to be Chinese and after leaving China June learned what it meant to be her mother’s
(Tan 190). Later, she adds, “I lay awake thinking about my mother’s story, realizing how much I have never known about her, grieving that my sisters and I both lost her…How can I describe in broken Chinese about our mother’s life? Where should I begin?” (Tan 194-5). Jing-mei’s desire to connect with her family, especially her sisters, in their language is evidence that she has altered her attitude, a crucial step in her character
The first story told is about Jing-Mei Woo and her memories of her departed mother, Suyuan. In them, Jing-Mei (often referred to as June) talks about the issues she faced with her mother, saying “I can never remember things I didn’t understand in the first place.” (Tan 19) The most common problem addressed was her perception of her mother’s persistence on her success in a field, which to her seemed very pushy. She did not realize what Suyuan
“America was where all my mother’s hopes lay” (Tan 308). This indicates that her mother has ambition about living a better life in America. However, she decides to live her young life vicariously. She pressures her daughter into attempting to find a talent so that she can become the next prodigy in America. These activities consist of having Jing-Mei becoming a “Chinese Shirley Temple” by attending beauty training school, she tests anything that Jing-Mei should know, and she forces Jing-Mei into playing the piano.
The reason for this is on the one hand because her broken English stops her from passing on her wisdom and life experience to her daughter. On the other hand, it is her way of keeping and preserving her Chinese identity and heritage. But to Jing-mei, the different languages they use on a daily basis only create problems. She thinks that Suyuan “always [said] things that didn’t make any sense, that sounded both good and bad at the same time”(208). The language barrier makes Suyuan’s messages confusing, and therefore, Jing-mei is unable to tell her mother’s intention.
Suyuan mainly expressed her doubts, seemingly never being proud. Surprisingly to June, a friend of Suyuan tells her, “‘She loved you very much, more than her own life'’”(Tan 29). June’s mother showed disappointment, regret, and frustration– but still she holds so much love for her daughter. This is a complex thing to understand from an outside perspective, but most mothers and daughters have experienced this. Suyuan loves Jing-Mei dearly, but she still wants her to work
But as the years went by, my parents, especially my mother, wanted me to do better and get all A’s on my report card in elementary school. Near the last few weeks of grade 7, I got my final report card and I was very disappointed in myself for not getting all A’s. Comparing Jing-mei’s life and mine, the report cards that my parents receive from me are like the tests that Jing-mei receives everyday from her mother. Furthermore, the disappointment that I felt for not meeting my parents expectations is probably how Jing-mei felt when she “began to die” with the thoughts of “raised
Jing Mei, while portrayed as an obedient child, is only willing to listen to her mother to a certain extent. Throughout the story, it is consistently hinted that Jing Mei would eventually explode against her mother as an attempt to free herself from her mother’s chains. In addition, after the fiasco at the piano recital, she eventually derives further from her mother’s wishes as she “didn 't get straight A...didn 't become class president...didn 't get into Stanford...dropped out of college.” (54). On the flip side, Jing Mei’s mother is a stereotypical Chinese parent who is fully determined to ensure her daughter’s success in a new environment.
This peculiarly specific list showed that as a first-generation American, she was constantly scrutinizing the small actions that her mother demonstrated, and she was embarrassed, although it is not likely anyone else ever noticed. However, as she got older, Jing-Mei realized the fact that she was “becoming Chinese.” She still did not truly understand her mother or the beauty of Chinese culture, but her acceptance was the first step of the long excursion of
