![]() And she sees the same lack of determination in the trajectory of her daughter’s college career Jing-mei can’t pick a major and then ends up not finishing college at all. Suyuan is disappointed almost to the point of desperation: she sees this as a major weakness. That's right: she's not satisfied with the idea of her daughter becoming a proficient or even mildly talented pianist: Jing-mei has to become the best of the best.Īnd, partially because of a lack of natural talent and partially as a result of some serious stubbornness, Jing-mei doesn't become a prodigy. ![]() A perfect example of this dynamic is when Suyuan attempts to get Jing-mei to become a piano prodigy. In Suyuan’s mind, Jing-mei doesn’t try hard enough-she's too soft, and too coddled. You could buy a house with almost no moneyĭown. You could work for the governmentĪnd get good retirement. My mother believed you could be anything you wanted inĪmerica. ![]() Suyuan has high standards and believes that a person can be anything in America so long as they try- after all, that’s part of why she came to America in the first place: She criticizes other women’s cooking, weaknesses in her friends’ characters, and most of all, her daughter. She's extremely good at finding faults in others, maybe because she's such a go-getter herself. Her notion of America is in line with her own values – Suyuan believes in actively reaching for her own happiness.īut Suyuan isn't a saint-she also has some pretty negative qualities. Suyuan strongly believes in the American Dream: that a person can come to American and become rich or famous or whatever they want to be, so long as they try. She remarries, learns English well enough, raises a daughter, and even ends up owning her own apartment complex. There were so many ways for things to get better. She had come here in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls. ![]() But again, her strength and determination triumphs Suyuan is able to build a new life in America:Īmerica was where all my mother’s hopes lay. Despite her life of luxury, when she hears that the Japanese are invading and will likely kill her and her daughters, Suyuan takes her children and possessions in a wheelbarrow and leaves town on foot.Īfter the wheelbarrow breaks, her strength is gone, and she’s sure she’ll die, she provides for her daughters as best she can, placing them on the side of the road with money, valuables, and family information so they can be saved.Ĭlearly, Suyuan doesn't die in China like she expects, but she loses her entire family. In China, she's born to wealthy family, marries an officer in the army, and gives birth to twin girls. In both lives she flexes her strength of will and determination. Neither war nor culture shock is going to get in the way of her joy.or her luck.Īnd not only did Suyuan start two Joy Luck Clubs, but she started two lives: one in China and one in America. Through founding of the Joy Luck Club, Suyuan shows that she isn’t the kind of person to sit back and let life happen to her she’s a go-getter who’s active in seeking out her own happiness and is determined to live life to the fullest no matter what circumstances surround her. In China, the suffering is the Sino-Japanese War in America the challenge is a new culture, a new language, and economic struggle. In both China and America, Suyuan starts the club in order to bring together a community of women to celebrate their happiness and luck in life despite the suffering and obstacles they're facing. One of our first introductions to Suyuan is as the founder of the Joy Luck Club-or rather, two Joy Luck Clubs.
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