Different Kinds of Love in The Jade Peony

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There are many kinds of love, relationships and companionship in the world. However, during some sensitive periods of time, some love is marked as forbidden love or guilty love. Some people had to give up their love, some people had to decide to hide their love forever, some people had to get rid of the result of the love to protect themselves under that background. Wayson Choy, the author of The Jade Peony, tries to use the conflicts in the novel to tell people what real love is. Therefore, in the novel, the three relationships are three kinds which are not easily accepted by people at that time. Love has nothing to do with nationality, love has nothing to do with age, love has nothing to do with gender.
The Chinese hatred of the Japanese is so deep that they compel themselves to marginalize Japanese in many unacceptable ways. All Japanese are considered as bad guys no matter whether they have done any bad things to Chinese or not. The author tries to intensify the conflict between Chinese and Japanese. The relationship between Meiying and Kazuo is too hard to be maintained against that background. “Kiam and Father agreed with the series of editorials in the Sun: the Japanese along with the coast were potential spiesq and traitors” (Choy 196). Kiam, a boy around 16 years old, believes that the Japanese are potential enemies. It is easy to find that thought of “bad Japanese” takes roots in all Chinese people’s minds. Under those conditions, it is very difficult for a boy and a girl who come from different nations to become a couple, especially if one is Chinese and the other is Japanese. Meiying and Kazuo, is such a tragic couple in that background. The love between a Chinese and a Japanese will never be tolerated by both sides...

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...um feels when he is hesitating about coming out, especially at that time Jung Sum may bear much more guilt than anyone can imagine. He uses the gay love to show that every kind of love is equal. Although the reality of genders in homosexuality and heterosexuality are different, the actual love between two people is the same. The power of love can break down the wall of gender.
The Author of The Jade Peony uses several conflicts to display different kinds of relationships and friendships in the world. Looking back to that time, the political issue was the main reason which caused so much tragedy to happen. People have their own right to find love; the real meaning of love is making life better. This is the message that Wayson Choy wants to tell readers through the novel.

Works Cited

Choy, Wayson. The Jade Peony. Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre, 1995. Print.

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