Plot Questions
Why did June travel to China?
To meet her half-sisters.
“But listening to Auntie Lin tonight reminds me once again: my mother and I never really understood each other” (Tan 37). What does this explain about their relationship?
They didn't really get along
This game is a traditional game played in China. Suyann continued to play this game with the Joy Luck Club she created in America.
What is Mahjong?
June’s mother wanted her to be a _____. This means that she wanted her to succeed in a specific category
What is a Prodigy?
The parable "American Translation", the mirror the mother gives her daughter is similar this symbolic object Suyann gives June meant to remind June of her worth and heritage.
What is the jade pendent?
Why is June asked to join the mahjong table?
Suyann has died and June is supposed to replace her.
The jade pendant June's mom gives her is referred to as her ______________, by her mother.
What is life's importance?
Suyann gives June a jade pendant representing ________.
What is good fortune and worth?
On page 132, it states, “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America.” This is an example of the _____ that many immigrants, including Suyuan, had as they came to America.
What is hope?
There is a parable about a mother carrying a swan feather across the ocean. This symbolizes______ Suyuan Woo has for June.
What are hopes and dreams?
Why was June specifically asked to go to China and the aunties didn’t go for her?
Because she knows her mother better than anyone else.
“I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach” (Tan 133). What does June want from her Mother?
June wants them to love and be proud of her
“I used to dismiss her criticisms as just more of her Chinese superstitions, beliefs that conveniently fit her circumstances…” (Tan 31). This quote is just one example of June __________ on her mother’s Chinese culture/beliefs.
What is misunderstanding?
Throughout the book, there are many mentions of connections to a person’s lineage. In the final chapter, June talks about how she can feel herself becoming Chinese. In other words, June can feel herself connecting to her _____.
What is Heritage, Ancestors, and/or Family?
The parable of "Queen Mother of the Western Skies" is about a grandmother sharing her regrets of teaching her daughter to be weary with her daughter. The parable connects to June’s realization in "A Pair of Tickets" that this(?) emotion is central to understanding her mother’s past.
What is forgivness?
How did Jing-mei learn about her sisters in China?
Through a letter her aunties gave her
“And although we don't speak, I know we all see it: together we look like our mother” (Tan 288). How is this important to June's relationship to her mother?
It shows how shes fulfilling what her mother wanted: her daughters to be together.
“I didn't have to do what my mother said anymore. I wasn’t her slave. This wasn’t China” (Pg. 141) How does this relate to Chinese culture?
Respecting family is a big part of Chinese Culture
When June thinks about the idea of becoming a prodigy, she says, “In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach” (Tan 133). This kind of thought process often comes up, where June wants to fit a certain mold in the eyes of her family. This situation could be an example of ______.
What is Familial pressure, trying to fit in, fulfill expectations, etc?
The parable of the "Twenty-Six Malignant Gates" is about a mother warning her daughter to listen for her own good, but the daughter doesn't understand why. The parable reflects the same idea with Suyuan (who tells June to do something) and June (who doesn't understand why). Both mothers want their daughters to achieve this dream.
What is the mother’s hope for her daughter’s success and happiness?
What is the first thing Jing-mei notices about her half-sisters?
They look just like her mother.
At one point in the book, June says, "'I'm not going to play [piano] anymore. [...] Why should I? I'm not a genius'" (Tan 141). Knowing this, what is the significance of June then playing again after her mother's death?
She's reminiscing on what her mother did for her, and how she misses her. It also acts as a sign of forgiveness between the pair.
“I saw myself transforming like a werewolf, a mutant tag of DNA suddenly triggered…a cluster of telltale Chinese behaviors” (Tan 267). What does this indicate about June's relationship with Chinese culture?
June feels that she is not familier enough with Chinese culture while at the same time she feels too Chinese for america.
There are many times in the book where June and Waverly are put in conflict with each other. One example of this is how June’s mother wanted her to be a prodigy even though she never showed any natural talent. On the other hand, Waverly had a natural talent at chess. This type of character relationship is called a ______.
What is a FOIL?
The parable of "Queen Mother of the Western Skies" connects to June’s ultimate realization in "A Pair of Tickets" about this unbreakable bond.
What is the never ending bond between a mother and her daughter(s)?