Rose Hsu Jordan Character Analysis

An-Mei Hsu and her daughter Rose Hsu Jordan have different points of view on their situations and reactions to them. Rose Hsu Jordan is quite different from her mother, An-mei Hsu, which definitely has to do with the way each of them grew up, because they were both in such different situations. An-Mei grew up with her grandma after being deserted by her mother, whom would rather be a third concubine than be respected by her family and give up responsibilities such as raise her own children. When An-Mei’s grandma died, her mother showed up and gave respect, returning the hope that her mother had changed from the awful person always described by her family. Although she demonstrated the respect, she planned on leaving right after to be with …show more content…
In vignette number one respect is a big topic amongst the Hsu family, so the main theme for “Scar” would be to always show respect, no matter the age but especially to elders. In their culture they are taught to show the highest respect to anyone that’s not been shamed against, whether alive or passed. Respect and honor both tie together to make huge impacts in their lives, so as soon as something happens otherwise, they’re not accepted anymore unless a very high act of respect is shown once again “This is how a daughter honors her mother. Is is shou so deep it is in your bones.” (Tan 48) When An-Mei’s mother returns, she cuts off her own skin to help her mother, and is appreciated for it. Vignette number two, “Half and Half”, has a very important theme that is brought up and is most definitely valid for anyone’s life. The theme is that there are always tests of faith, and in this vignette it is religiously, but it could be as simple as hoping there’s ice cream waiting in the fridge at home after a long day of school. An-Mei’s faith was tested, and lost, after the death of her youngest son, Bing. An-Mei thought that just because she believed that her son would be returned, it would simply happen, and when the inevitable event of never finding him occurred, she completely gave up. In vignette number three’s story “Without Wood” is that crying and being emotionally hurt is okay and it’s something everyone goes through at one time or another, but eventually everyone will open their eyes and reveal the strength within themselves. Rose’s character was quite weak at the beginning of the story, but her development and growth was shown throughout the story, from a girl unable to decide something as easy as finding what to eat for dinner, to a strong woman standing up to her jerk husband. Being able to mourn for her broken marriage is something that any person in that situations