Mike+A

Mike Arduino Mrs. Felder, Pd 2 English 10, 5.0 17 March 2008 Lindo and Waverly’s Bond In the __Joy Luck Club__ by Amy Tan four mother and daughters have their differences, but eventually bond together. Lindo’s own mother’s involvement in her childhood impacted her future relationship with her daughter Waverly in ways that made Waverly understand the Chinese culture and bond with her mother. Waverly’s marriage alone shows the importance of Lindo’s involvement and brings them together. __Waverly Jong’s connection with her mother Lindo, is affected by her little knowledge of Chinese culture, her misunderstanding of her mother’s teachings, and Waverly’s own problems__ that __brang them together.__ When Lindo is only two years old, the village matchmaker came to her family. The matchmaker arrived with Haung Taitai, the mother of the boy Lindo would be forced to marry. His name was Tyan-yu. With his grandmother in fear of spirits taking her grandchild he became very spoiled. Since Lindo was now promised to the Haung’s son for marriage, her own family treated her as if she belonged to someone else. Lindo’s mother refers to Lindo as “Haung Taitai’s daughter” (Tan51) in order to detach herself from the daughter she’s giving up. Though her mother did not treat Lindo this way because she didn’t love her, she would say that biting back her tongue, so she wouldn’t wish for something that was no longer hers. Years later, when Lindo was twelve a horrible rain came and destroyed all her family’s plants forcing them to leave and Lindo to go with the Huangs. After several years of a bad marriage, Lindo convinces the family the matchmaker was wrong and is released from her situation. In the short twelve years Lindo knew her mother she learned a lot of things. Lindo had much respect for her mother because of the way she was raised. Lindo’s mothers orders to “ obey (her) family” and “do not disgrace ( her parents)” (Tan54) impact the way Lindo raises Waverly years later. She remembers that and thinks about how she was raised before she has Waverly raises her alike. In the chapter //Rules of the Game// Waverly’s story she says “I was six when my mother taught me the art of invisible strength. It was a strategy for winning arguments, and respect from others” (Tan89). Knowing Lindo’s own mother taught Lindo these things it shows how much she was involved even though she never saw Waverly. When Waverly was young her family attended the annual Christmas party. All the kids got gifts. When it was Waverlys turn she received a twelve pack of life savers. Although her brother Vincent got a chess set, Waverly did not know she would be a prodigy. At first Lindo wanted to throw it away saying it cost too much. Vincent taught Waverly the basics of the game. As Lindo reads the rule book she says “This American rules” and “every time people come out of a foreign country, you must know rules from” (Tan94) referring to her teachings she has told Waverly and Chinese culture. Soon Waverly became a pro at chess and starting playing tournaments. When Lindo realizes Waverly can play chess she becomes obsessed with her daughter’s ability to play. After Waverly wins her first trophy Lindo is proud but says “next time win more, lose less” (Tan97) wanting her daughter to become better and succeed as her own mother tried to do. Soon Waverly became annoyed by her mother not knowing she wants her to do better and criticizing the way she plays will make her better. Lindo had a habit of standing over Waverly as she plotted out Waverly’s games. Almost as if she was standing over her life making Waverly’s decisions for her like her mother did with having her arranged marriage. After Waverly became an adult Lindo continued to treat her the same way by criticizing her but Waverly ignores it. Lindo criticized everything on Waverly, her hair her clothes, and her apartment saying “You want to live like a mess” (Tan168). As Waverly grew up she knows “you can’t ever tell a Chinese mother to shut up” (Tan173) clearly stating she now understands Chinese culture. Lindo responds when she sees her daughter struggling through a divorce and helps Waverly and her husband Rich get back together. After that Lindo became friendlier to Rich she suggests they go to China for their honeymoon in October, “I am thinking about going back then too” (Tan184) Lindo says jokingly. Though Waverly knows Lindo would like to go to China with them and Waverly would hate it. Yet Waverly started to think about it “the whole idea makes perfect sense. The three of us, leaving our differences behind, stepping on the plane together, sitting side by side, lifting off, moving West to reach the East” (Tan184) know wanting her mother to come to settle their differences. Eventually Lindo and Waverly put their differences behind and find their common bond. “With her “double vision”, Lindo is not threatened by her daughter’s attempted erasure of her; in fact, she is moved by her daughter’s resemblance to her, even as she registered Waverly’s response (Shear3).” As Lindo realized how alike she was with her own mother she knows how much Waverly is like her. When Lindo and Waverly both find their inner strength it shows that they are alike in many ways. Waverly comes to find out her and her mother have more in common then what she ever thought including how similar their stories were relating to the mother’s reaction. The most important thing Lindo showed her daughter is that “like her, Waverly is the product of two cultures” (Haung6). She means Waverly’s culture is Chinese but on the inside she is American too. __ The Joy Luck Club __ analyzes four different mother/daughter relationships including Lindo and Waverly. It shows how mother and daughter’s relationship become so strong. From how they communicate to how they think about each other that makes them the same. Though Waverly might not know she has learned from her mother then anyone. With Waverly’s whole life in front of her she will one day have the feeling her mother had raising her and have a good relationship with her daughter.