Characters & Relationships
This character struggles with her mother's expectations while trying to carve out her own identity as a chess prodigy.
Who is Waverly Jong?
This young boy drowns during a family outing, and his death deeply affects his sister, who struggles with guilt and questions what she believes.
Who is Bing Hsu?
In "Rules of the Game," Waverly receives this item, which becomes an instrument through which she proves herself to her mother and ultimately causes tension between them.
What is a chess set?
Suyuan compares June to Shirley Temple, watching reruns of her movies to model the "right" kind of prodigy. This reference to this well-known child star is an example of this.
What is an allusion?
This is the founder of The Joy Luck Club.
Who is Suyuan Woo?
This daughter, struggling with her marriage, begins to see her own strength when she stops relying on outside help and starts trusting her own instincts.
Who is Rose Hsu Jordan?
This minor character’s refusal to treat his wife, Lena, as an equal pushes her to question the imbalance in their marriage.
Who is Harold?
Suyuan Woo gives this meaningful piece of jewelry to June, telling her it is her “life’s importance.”
What is a jade pendant (on a gold chain)?
"I was the chess master, and my mother was the opponent." In "Rules of the Game", Waverly uses this literary device when she compares her relationship with her mother to a game of chess, symbolizing their ongoing struggle for power and control.
What is a metaphor?
This daughter finally understands her mother's sacrifices and dreams for her after traveling to China to meet her half-sisters.
Who is Jing Mei "June" Woo?
This character, whose mother is disowned by her own mother for remarriage, learns about deception and strength through her mother's action.
Who is An-Mei Hsu?
This character’s clumsy behavior at a family dinner forces Waverly to confront how deeply her mother’s criticism still affects her adult relationships.
Who is Rich?
In "Rules of the Game" this item is given to Waverly by Lindo before her first chess tournament (this once belonged to Lindo’s own mother).
What is a jade pendant?
In "Moon Lady", Ying-Ying describes her adventure wit her shadow: "On the dock, with the bright moon behind me, I once again saw my shadow. It was shorter this time, shrunken and wild-looking. We ran together over to some bushes along a walkway and hid". This quote is an example of what device?
This mother’s complicated relationship with her daughter is deeply shaped by the expectations of Chinese tradition and the desire for the “perfect” child.
Who is Suyuan Woo?
I would also take Lindo Jong as an answer...
This character allows her American husband to misunderstand her because of language and cultural barriers, reflecting the silence and passivity that also affect her daughter’s marriage.
Who is Ying-Ying St. Clair?
This Italian neighbor often argues with her mother through the wall, and her loud conversations make Lena think about how she communicates with her own family.
Who is Teresa?
In "Magpies" An-mei’s mother gives An-mei this item after Second Wife offers her fake pearls.
What is a sapphire ring?
Rose, who spends her life avoiding making decisions to prevent bad outcomes, finds herself in a situation where her lack of action leads to an undesirable result. What literary device is illustrated through this?
What is situational irony?
This daughter struggles with asserting herself in her marriage and realizes, like her table, will only get worse if she doesn't do something.
Who is Lena St. Clair?
This character escapes an arranged marriage in China by using her intelligence and cunning, later building a new life in America.
Who is Lindo Jong?
This spoiled young husband refuses to touch his arranged bride, eventually giving her the motivation to outsmart her in-laws and reclaim her life.
Who is Tyan Yu?
This symbolic gift, brought from China in one of the novel's parables, represents a mother’s unspoken hopes and dreams for her daughter’s future.
What is a single swan feather?
In “Rules of the Game” Waverly's repeated reference to her quiet endurance and inner resolve as a symbol of her invisible strength is an example of this device.
What is a motif?
Would also accept: metaphor, symbol, repetition, or foreshadowing (but looking for motif)
This character first realized she could predict the future at her aunt’s wedding, leading her to marry a man who later left her.
Who is Ying-Ying St. Clair?