Shanghai Girls was written by Lisa See in 2009. In the beginning of the novel, the setting of the story is Shanghai and as the story goes on it moves to the United States. When the story shifts Shanghai to America it also impacts the character’s life and culture. Each culture has its own beliefs, clothing style, food and may more. Chines culture is different from other cultures, their clothing style, female beauty standards, and Chines zodiac. Chines zodiac is another name for a horoscope. One character is Pearl, she is the protagonist, another character is May is also the protagonist of the story. Lisa See starts this novel by showing the strong bond between two sister Pearl and May. Although, the goal of this novel was to explore the Chines …show more content…
Chines zodiac is a twelve-year cycle, each year in that cycle related to an animal sign. These signs are the rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, ox, rat, rooster, dog, tiger, and pig. It is determined by the lunar year in which you were born. “The Chinese believe the animal ruling one’s birth years has a profound influence on personality, and destiny” (Chines zodiac). In this novel mother believes in astrology and sometimes she blames their daughter because they were born in zodiac cycle. For example, “She believes in astrology, blaming or praising May and me for one thing or another because we were born in the year of the sheep and the year of the dragon, respectively” (5). One of the sisters Pearl was born in the year of the sheep, which mean she is tender, polite, filial, clever and kind- hearted and …show more content…
This novel takes place in two different countries when the novel starts it take place in Asia Shanghai, but as the story goes on it take place in America. When the story shifts Shanghai to America it also impacts the character’s life and culture. Different culture has their own beliefs. Chines culture is unique from other cultures, by their clothing style, beliefs and religious. Chines culture also has Chines zodiac, which is another name for a horoscope. In western astrology is predicting destiny, while Chinese astrology is chines zodiac it also deals with earth, fire, water, metal, and wood. Lisa See starts this novel by showing the strong bond between two sister Pearl and May. Although, the goal of this novel was to explore the Chines culture and how Chinese tradition value change to western in Zodiac, female beauty stander, and
As June progresses through the journey into finding herself, she came to know that her mother wish was to reunite her sister with her family because after all Suyuan meant long-cherished wish. Suyuan was the person who gave her daughter the pendant that helped her overcome the obstacles and was the factor that furthermore boosted June’s confidence in recovering her mother’s wish. According to June, she was nothing like her mother but she has forgotten the bond that only blood related relatives share. There is only one fact that June could not change which helped her find her twins sisters and that was the unmistakable facial features that the daughters had in common with their mother. June says, “The gray-green surface changes...open in surprise to see, at last, her long-cherished wish”(332). When June met her sisters, it was not just because she wanted to fulfill her mother’s wishes but strengthen the bond because of the one thing they have in common which was they were all part of their mother, Suyuan. After all, her name Jing Mei meant the pure essence and little sister, which means that she was made up of the essence of her sisters. This was the reward that her mother had given Jing Mei, two sisters and all the love that Suyuan gave June which she had not realized before.
In the beginning of the story, the author describes the Chin Yuen's as American in appearance yet Chinese in customs. Throughout the story she continues to describe the deterioration of the Chinese customs by American ideal. This is pinpointed when Mr. Chin Yuen decides to let his daughter marry the boy that she loves. The conversation that Mr. Spring Fragrance has with Young Carman explains that only in American culture is it customary to find love before marriage; in the Chinese tradition, all marriages are arranged. This clearly exemplifies the manner in which the Chinese characters are more and more disregarding their Chinese culture and taking on this new American standard of living. Ironically, Sui Sin Far conveys the notion that the American tradition is not necessarily better than the Chinese tradition. More so she demonstrates the struggle of identity between two worlds that both make sense. Though Laura and Kai Tzu have found their happiness in the American tradition of marriage, the reader discovers that Mr. and Mrs. Spring Fragrance are equally as happy even through the Chinese tradition of marriage.
Amy Tan 's novel, The Joy Luck Club, explores the relationships and experiences of four Chinese mothers with that of their four Chinese-American daughters. The differences in the upbringing of those women born around the 1920’s in China, and their daughters born in California in the 80’s, is undeniable. The relationships between the two are difficult due to lack of understanding and the considerable amount of barriers that exist between them.
This is evident in the persistence of elderly characters, such as Grandmother Poh-Poh, who instigate the old Chinese culture to avoid the younger children from following different traditions. As well, the Chinese Canadians look to the Vancouver heritage community known as Chinatown to maintain their identity using on their historical past, beliefs, and traditions. The novel uniquely “encodes stories about their origins, its inhabitants, and the broader society in which they are set,” (S. Source 1) to teach for future generations. In conclusion, this influential novel discusses the ability for many characters to sustain one sole
In the beginning paragraphs of Mrs. Spring Fragrance, Sui Sin Far introduces readers to the Chin Yeuns and their beautiful 18-year-old daughter, Mai Fwi Fan, who goes by her American name, Laura. Sui Sin Far describes the Chin Yeuns as living “in a house furnished in American style, and wore American clothes, yet they religiously observed many Chinese customs, and their ideals of life were the ideals of their Chinese forefathers” (865). Abiding by Chinese tradition, Laura’s parents have “betrothed their daughter” (865) to the son of the Chinese Government school-teacher. Laura confesses to Mrs. Spring Fragrance that she is actually in love with Kai Tzu. Mrs. Spring Fragrance is the only person who knows about the relationship between Laura and Kai Tzu. Unfortunately, for Laura, her betrothal is quickly approaching. Mrs. Spring Fragrance, trying to cheer up her young friend, quotes the famous l...
Shanghai Girls is a fictional novel by Lisa Lee is a recounting of the journey two Chinese sisters-Pearl and May- takes after unfortunate circumstances force them to immigrate to the United States in 1937. The story starts with Pearl and May living in Shanghai, a modern glamorous city in China, and the girls are living the upper class life thanks to their father’s successful Rickshaw business. However their father’s gambling causes them to lose their fortune and both Pearl and May are sold to Chinese men in the United States for an arranged marriage. Both girls initially refuse to go, and decide to stay in China, causing them to get caught in the 2nd Sino-Japanese war and are forced to immigrate to the United States to avoid the warfare. Immigrating into the United States was no easy task thanks to the effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act enacted in 1882 and Angel Island’s grueling interrogation. Finally Getting into the U.S was not ...
Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets," especially, explores the relationship of setting to place, heritage, and ethnic identity. Jing-Mei Woo, the main character, has trouble accepting that she is Chinese, despite her heritage. Jing-Mei Woo believed, at fifteen, that she had no Chinese whatsoever below her skin. If anything, she perceives herself as Caucasian; even her Caucasian friends agreed that she "was as Chinese as they were." Her mother, however, told her differently, "It's in your blood, waiting to be let go." This terrified Jing-Mei, making her believe that it would cause her to suddenly change, "I saw myself transforming like a werewolf." Jing-Mei Woo finally realizes that she has never really known what it means to be Chinese because she was born and has lived in America all her life. After her mother's death, Jing-Mei discovers that she has two twin sisters living in China who have been searching for their mother and that s...
In the story "A Pair of Tickets," by Amy Tan, a woman by the name of Jing-mei struggles with her identity as a Chinese female. Throughout her childhood, she "vigorously denied" (857) that she had any Chinese under her skin. Then her mother dies when Jing-Mei is in her 30's, and only three months after her father receives a letter from her twin daughters, Jing-Mei's half sisters. It is when Jing-mei hears her sisters are alive, that she and her dad take a trip overseas to meet her relatives and finally unites with her sisters. This story focuses on a woman's philosophical struggle to accept her true identity.
“Factory Girls” by Leslie T. Chang provides an inside look on migration in the inner cities of China. The book follows the lives of women who have left their home villages to work in factories. Primarily, Chang focuses on the lives of two women, Min and Chunming. Min left her village at the age of sixteen with her older sister to chuqu, or to go out, and see the world. She often changed jobs while in Dongguan because she is never satisfied with her position. Chang met Chunming at a dating agency where men and women could mingle with one another. Chunming began her career at a toy factory. In her diary, she often wrote out the goals she wanted to accomplish and how to accomplish them. She was very determined to become successful. Her persistence
The complexitities of any mother-daughter relationship go much deeper then just their physical features that resemble one another. In Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club, the stories of eight Chinese women are told. Together this group of women forms four sets of mother and daughter pairs. The trials and triumphs, similarities and differences, of each relationship with their daughter are described, exposing the inner makings of four perfectly matched pairs. Three generations of the Hsu family illustrate how both characteristics and values get passed on through generations, even with the obstacles of different cultures and language.
A Pair of Tickets”, by Amy Tan, is a brief narrative about the conscience and reminiscence of a young Chinese American woman, Jing-Mei, who is on a trip to China to meet her two half-sisters for the first time in her life. Amy Tan is an author who uses the theme of Chinese-American life, converging primarily on mother-daughter relationships, where the mother is an emigrant from China and the daughter is fully Americanized --yellow on the surface and white underneath. In this story, the mother tries to communicate rich Chinese history and legacy to her daughter, but she is completely ignorant of their heritage. At the opening of the story "A Pair of Tickets" Jandale Woo and her father are on a train, the are destined for China. Their first stop will be Guangzhou, China where father will reunite with his long lost aunt. After visiting with her for a day they plan to take a plane to Shanghai, China where Jandale meets her two half-sisters for the first time. It is both a joyful time and yet a time of contrition, Jandale has come to China to find her Chinese roots that her mother told ...
Factory Girls by Leslie Chang is a book that looks into the lives of two migrant workers in China, and the author carefully scrutinizes their journey in search of a better life. Having a sense of self-fulfillment, both of these characters desire success, and they will go above and beyond anything to reach their purpose in life---which is, transitioning into a higher class. With their independent-driven mind set, both are able to reflect upon themselves the necessity and extravagance appropriate to their knowledge. Both show different flaws in how they handle economic exigencies, however they are able to face those with simplicity just by recognizing their dreams and ambitions. Nonetheless, both characters show different innovation and imagination, and thus having those characteristics creates a sense of agency which symbolizes as a “whole” to all Chinese migrant workers.
When she arrives, she feels somehow proud to be Chinese. But her main reason why she went back home is to reflect her mother past life on her present life. Through the setting and her relatives, Jing Mei learns the nature of Chinese American culture. The main setting takes place in China, effects of the main character’s point of view through changing her sense of culture and identity. The time period plays a large role on the story, there is disconnect between the mother and daughter who came from different culture. In “A Pair of Tickets”, we learn it’s a first person narrator, we also learn detail of what the narrator is thinking about, detail of her past and how life compared to China and the US are very different. The theme is associated with the motherland and also has to deal with her mother’s death and half sisters. Her imagination of her sister transforming into adult, she also expected them to dresses and talk different. She also saw herself transforming, the DNA of Chinese running through her blood. In her own mind, from a distance she thinks Shanghai, the city of China looks like a major American city. Amy Tan used positive imagery of consumerism to drive home her themes of culture and identity, discovering her ancestral
Have you ever been to a Chinese restaurant that handed you a paper with a bunch of random animals and years on it? Most people will just throw it away and not pay that much attention to it. That little piece of paper contains a basic information about the Chinese Zodiac just enough to get you hooked. There are many people all over the world that very much believe in the ancient Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese Zodiac can be helpful for finding the current Chinese year, what animal people are, and can help make decisions.
The Chinese people experienced rapid changes, in government and their own culture in the 20th century. In the book, Wild Swans, by Jung Chang, she depicts the experiences of not only oppression and suffering, but the development of the communist revolution, under Mao. Also, to show how the Chinese people, women in particular, fought against impossible odds by interweaving historical and personal stories from the twentieth century China.