Reading Notes B, Week 12, The Joy Luck Club

An-Mei Hsu - Was from China, as a young girl, she lived with her little brother, grandmother, Popo, aunt and uncle, in their home in Ningpo. Her father had passed away and was told that her mother was a ghost, it did not mean that her mother was dead. Her mother had left An-Mei and her brother after their father, her husband died. When An-Mei was 9 years old, in 1923, her grandmother became very sick. Popo would call An-Mei into her room and tell her stories that she did not understand. An-Mei was told never to speak her mothers name and if she did, it was like spitting on her fathers grave. The feeling of her home was unhappy, cold hallways and tall stairs. An-Mei's mother returned to help take care of Popo, An-Mei's aunt was upset and tried to get her to leave, but she stayed and took care of her mother Popo. Popo was very ill and did not realize it was An-Mei's mother caring for her or else she would have been upset. An-Mei, mother rubbed her fingers under her chin, where she had a scare. An-Mei had a memory of when she was 4 years old at the dinner table, An-Mei's mother came back for her and begged her to come to her but during the commotion of the uncle, aunt, and Popo arguing An-Mei was burned under her chin with soup. Ani-Mei learned to love her mother because of the way she took care of Popo, she even cut some of her flesh to mix in a soup to try to save her but Popo passed that night.

Lindo Jong sacrifieced her life to keep her parents promise. She was promised to a boy at the age of 2 by the village matchmaker. She continued to live with her parents until there was a heavy storm that flooded their home and her family was forced to move, but she had to stay and go to live with the family she was promised to at the age of 12. When her mother left she was told, "Obey your family. Do not disgrace us." (54) Lindo was treated like a servant in the home, she had to live on the same floor of the home with them and was taught daily how to care for her soon to be husband, Tyan-yu. When Lindo was 16 she was told that Tyan-yu's mother, Huang Taitai, she wanted a grandson. The couple was married soon after but on their wedding night, Tyan-yu made her sleep on the couch next to the bed and there she slept for a long time, until one night she was forced to sleep next to him, but Tyan-yu did not want to touch her, she realized that he was still a young child and was scared. She had to think of a way to make the family release her of her commitment with out disgracing her family. She found a way and was released and was free from the promise her family made so many years before and she did it without disgracing her family.

Ying-Ying St. Clair was not always a quite woman but became that way after the night of telling the Moon Lady her secret wish.