My book of choice, The Joy Luck Club is about four Chinese mothers and their daughters. The mothers grew up in China and the daughters in San Francisco, so there is clashes between them. This book has chapters for each mother and each daughter. I have not finished the book just yet, but for this analysis I will focus on the literary device of characterization, specifically for Waverly Jong, who is one of the daughters.
As I peered into the sack, I quickly fingered the remaining presents, testing their weight, imagining what they contained. I chose a heavy, compact one that was wrapped in shiny silver foil and a red satin ribbon (Tan, 92). This is when Waverly was a young child. You can tell her that she chooses wisely. She takes her time and calculates in her head and does not rush to make a decision. The author portrays Waverly as a smart girl.
A small weekend crowd of Chinese people and tourists would gather as I played and defeated my opponents one by one (Tan, 96). This is another way the author portrays Waverly as being smart. She is winning in the game of chess.
I no longer played in the alley of Waverly Place. I never visited the playground where the pigeons and old men gathered. I went to school, then directly home to learn new chess secrets, cleverly concealed advantages, more escape routes (Tan, 98). Here the author shows that Waverly is diligent. She is a little girl here and already serious about her duties to get where she wants to be as a chess player.
"'Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why don't you learn to play chess.'" My mother's eye turned into dangerous black slits. She had no words for me, just sharp silence (Tan, 99). This interaction that Waverly had with her mother, shows that Waverly was tough and not scared to stand up for herself. She had a mind of her own. You can tell that Waverly's mom did not like this one bit and took it as disrespect and I think her feelings where hurt.
I really enjoyed reading about Waverly. She was the character who stood out to me the most.
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin Books, 2014, pp. 17-288.
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteYou gave an excellent peak into the character of Waverly Jong. You chose great quotes from the text to share which characteristics stood out most to you. I can also tell that the author was very descriptive and eloquent in her writing.
Thank you for sharing!
Amanda
Hello Laura, you picked out some great quotes to analysis and you did a great job doing so. Finding quotes that connected to the character Waverly and why she was an important character was done very well.
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