Waverly Jong Character Analysis

Waverly Jong is a very talented girl that started playing competitive chess at a very young age. She expanded her knowledge of the game and played in many tough tournaments against opponents that were twice her age and size. As time progressed, Waverly became extremely proficient at chess- so much that “By my ninth birthday I was a national chess champion”(Tan 99). Although she was a very good chess player she struggled developing a loving bond with her mother. Waverly says “in her hands I always become the pawn” (Tan 199). Waverly compares her position as a daughter to a pawn: she is trying to say that when it comes to her mom she is very low in power. After many years of fighting, Waverly decided to run away. Her mother was very upset because …show more content…
At a young age, Waverly fell in love with a man named Marvin. She loved Marvin and they eventually got married. They were happy, but Waverly’s mother Lindo Jong was not. Lindo did not accept Marvin and never ceased to point out his insecurities. Soon after, doubts arose in Waverly and she divorced Marvin. After months of recovery from the divorce, Waverly decides to try to find the right person again. This time she meets a man named Rich. She becomes engaged to him and takes him over to her mom’s place for approval. During dinner Lindo reached the conclusion that Rich was not a good man. She denied Rich because of his attitude during dinner. Lindo becomes furious because Rich criticized her cooking ability. Although she told Waverly not to marry him, Waverly refused to be moved. After many arguments about Rich, Waverly’s mom changed her mind. She finally gave Waverly her blessings and allows Waverly to marry Rich. With her mother’s approval Waverly became the happiest woman on the planet and she starts preparing for the wedding ceremonies. Through Waverly’s point of view regarding the love life, we can see how she truly regards her mother. She always believed that her mother was trying to poison her with negative information about those she cared for. Although Waverly is angry at her mom, she still respects Lindos decision and her Lindos opinion affects her judgment as well. Waverly really loved Rich and …show more content…
She was raised in small a Chinese community located in San Francisco. Since Waverly was born in 1951, her Chinese zodiac would be a rabbit. Ironically Rabbits and Waverly don’t share any common traits. Waverly states “I’m a rabbit, born in 1951, supposedly sensitive, with tendencies toward being thin skinned and skitter at the first sign of criticism” (Golding 183). Rabbits are described as sensitive, shy animals. In this quote we realize Waverley is surprised to find out that she’s classified as a rabbit despite not bearing any of those traits. In my opinion, Waverly could best be described as an ox. A characteristic of an ox is that they will listen to others opinion with an open mind. In the novel, Waverly always valued her mother’s opinions and took it to heart. If her mom said no to something, she was automatically impacted to change her thought of mind. If you break down the ox zodiac into specific time eras, you will see that Waverly is described as a metal ox. Metal oxen are described as extremely hard working animals that will do anything to achieve their goals. In Joy Luck Club Waverly stayed strong and determined to make Lindo accept her new fiancé