Alison Stefansic

Mrs. Tatum

H Adv Comp/4th period

October 28, 2018

Motif: Identity

1. Rose begins to rely on her husband, Ted,

“I was victim to his hero. I was always in
danger and he was always rescuing me”
(Tan 118-119).
2.
“I preferred to ignore the world around me,
obsessing only over what was in front of
me” (Tan 119).
3.
“You can’t have it both ways, none of the
responsibility, none of the blame”
(Tan 120).
4.
“We were all blind to the newness of this
experience: a Chinese family trying to act
like a typical American family at the beach
(Tan 121).
who has always fixed her problems for her.
She describes her love for him as her
dependence on him which foreshadows their
divorce. It relates to the other instances of
Identity because she looks at herself as
someone who is with Ted and not someone
as an independent person.
Rose describes her absence of decision-
making in her life. She tells of inability to
plan ahead and how she can only focus on
simple tasks she is performing at the
moment. Her identity is unclear and
confused as she struggles to incorporate
everyone’s ideas. It relates to other instances
as she is repeatedly told by her mother and
husband to decide no matter how trivial the
question is.
Ted describes his anger with Rose. This
quote is the beginning of the end of their
marriage which later clarifies his reasons to
divorce and move on in his life. This
significance reflects on another quote by her
mother, An-mei, who says she is “without
wood” which leads her to listen to too many
people and their opinions.
The Hsu family’s trip to the beach relates to
their migration from China. They feel
strange as they are introduced to a new
environment as they don’t know how to
react. Their identity is skewed as they
attempt to act like they are familiar with the
beach. This expands on the challenges they
 face through daily life in America. This also
compares to the other stories the parents tell
of their first days in America.

5. For the first time in her life, Rose speaks up

“And for the answer, the one that was
important above everything else, ran
through my body and fell from my lips: You
can’t just pull me out of your life and throw
me away” (Tan 196).
to Ted after showing him the overgrown
garden. She is empowered to stay at the
house because of her love for it. Her identity
is finally shown as she clarifies her thoughts
despite her troubled past. This instance is
the first of where she finally makes
decisions as she realizes her true voice.

Theme Statement/Significance:
Throughout the chapters in The Joy Luck Club, Rose struggles to understand her confusion with
commitment to decisions and voice. She forms a relationship which is bound upon her husband’s
decisions with very few of her own. After an epiphany when she receives the divorce papers,
Rose speaks up to tell Ted her true thoughts. This leads the audience to the importance of
independence among individuals. Rose’s dependence on Ted caused her unhappiness with her
mother and husband, when she realizes this she becomes independent and is not afraid of what
others think. The independence she feels leads to her other positive emotions. With no fear and
an urge of meaning in her life, Rose discovers her voice along with her family.

Motif: Plants, Elements, Nature

1.
“…that lifetime warranties meant our lucky
streak would never break, that all elements
were in balance, the right amount of wind
and water” (Tan 122).
2.
“…in a moment of balance, before he
splashes into the sea and disappears without
leaving so much as a ripple in the water”
(Tan 125).
Balance and elements are related in the
Chinese culture. The Hsu family’s belief
that if you set your mind to something you
can achieve it gave them the confidence to
believe they would always have good luck.
This is told before the trip to the beach
where the accident occurs. Their balance
and offering to the gods make them pleased
with them yet fate still takes Bing. This
shapes their beliefs as they please their
ancestors and believe no evil will occur.
Rose turns to watch Bing after she breaks up
her sibling’s fight and watches his last
moments. Her description of gracefulness
and balance leave her in disbelief as her
brother disappears. She doesn’t make sense
of it as she recalls the balance of elements
due to her family’s actions and offerings to
 the gods. Water represents stillness, low
point, and dying stage in Chinese culture.
This signifies the reference to Chinese
beliefs and clarifies the description of
Bing’s death.
3. To please the god’s An-mei tries to take
“She would use a water treatment to soothe back Bing from the ocean. Fire represents
the wrath of Chu Jing, the three eyed god of prosperity and she tried to soothe the water
fire” (Tan 128). element and to balance out nature. An-mei’s
last resort to use her faith to retrieve her son
lets the audience expand on her grief.
4. Wind is compared to illness and disharmony
“You will fall to the ground with the first in traditional Chinese traditions. This quote
strong wind” (Tan 191). by An-mei describes Rose’s indecision.

5. Rose’s lack of decision is due to her trying

“Born without wood so that I listen to too
many people. She knew this, because once
she had almost become this way” (Tan 191).
to listen to everyone’s imput. Wood in the
Chinese culture is known for growth and
growing up. An-mei says she needs to grow
up because when she was a child she was
also “born without wood” (Tan 191). This
significance forms a better relationship
between An-mei and Rose and their
connection. They both had struggled in their
youth with this. This expands on their
connection and their difficulties in life.

Theme Statement/Significance:
Plants, Elements, and Nature all are very symbolic in the Chinese traditions. The five elements in
daily life of the universe and natural phenomena. The plants are known to help individuals
understand a hidden message. These Chinese teachings guide the characters in their lives. Rose’s
garden helped her move past her sorrow and look forward to the future. She said she liked the
weeds more than the flowers. An-mei’s references to the elements show how strong or weak her
connection with god is. Through these Chinese culture references, the audience better
understands the character’s faith and lifestyle as they connect daily activities to deeper meanings.
 Motif: Fate versus Faith
1. With Ted making decisions for Rose in her
“and the answer, the one that was important life, Rose clearly expresses her feelings
above everything else, ran through my body toward him. She puts all differences aside and
and fell from my lips: You can’t just pull me makes an effort to explain her point. This is
out of your life and throw me away” (Tan the moment where she determines her fate for
196). the future. This shapes herself as she builds a
future without doubt. Her faith is strong, yet
she discovers fate where she stands up for
herself for the first time in her life.
2. An-mei’s grieving for her son’s death causes
“and later, I discovered that maybe it was Rose to doubt herself too. She begins to doubt
fate. All along, that faith was just an illusion all she has ever known with god just because
that somehow your in control” (Tan 121). one thing went wrong in her life. Fate’s
negative portrayal leads her family to believe
they can’t prevent anything which causes
their faith to deteriorate. This expands on how
quickly faith can be lost despite how religious
someone is.
3. Unlike the other instance, fate is shown
“With imagined tragedy hovering over us. We positively in this quote. Rose and Ted’s
became inseparable. Two half creating the inseparable love is almost destiny. With both
whole: yin and yang” (Tan 118). of their families unaccepting of their
relationship, they rely on fate as they make a
future for themselves. This shapes their
beginning relationship which is built upon
their strong relationship of becoming one
whole.
4. Rose’s description of her mother’s
“She said it was faith that kept all these good relationship with god before Bing’s death was
things coming our way. Only I thought she related to a faucet you couldn’t turn off. An-
said “fate. Because she couldn’t pronounce mei believed faith was the answer to
the “th” sound in faith” (Tan 121). everything yet refused to accept fate may
overrule faith sometimes. This clarifies how
strong and dependent An-mei was on god.
This instance relates to when Rose stood up to
Ted. They both utilize faith despite the
negatives which can result from fate.
5. Chinese culture’s beliefs heavily speak of
“My mother had a superstition that children fate. The calendar tells of positives and
were predisposed to certain dangers on certain negatives of individuals depending on their
days, all depending on their Chinese birthday” birthday. Fate is shown as positive and
(Tan 125). negative, however, An-mei’s superstition led
her to believe more in fate and less in faith.
This expansion of fate as a negative is related
to Rose’s feelings after Bing’s death.
Theme Statement/Significance:
In Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, An-mei and her daughter, Rose often reference faith
and fate. They compare and contrast them throughout the novel often portraying them as positive
or negative. Faith had always been a focal point in An-mei’s life but when her son died she lost
her belief in god which was also apart of herself. Fate had always been apart of Rose’s life as she
let others such as her husband make decisions for her which skewed her fate because of the
influence of others. While both characters struggle in understanding god and the future, they
realize they can’t prevent all tragedies and they must move on. Rose moves on past grieving for
herself due to her divorce, while An-mei rekindles her belief in god. The audience understands
this because Rose describes the clean, leatherette bible which is still in her house. This
importance reminds the audience to not lose hope no matter what situation they are in and to
remain strong no matter what. The future will have rough patches but those who adapt with hope
and confidence will be successful.