The Chinese Struggle: Through Amy Tan’s Stories Amy Tan was born in Oakland, California after her parents migrated from China in the 1940’s (Beaty, Jerome, and Paul Hunter 10). Her parents wanted her to have an American lifestyle and a Chinese character. As a child, Amy Tan struggled with accepting her Asian appearance and heritage. She remembers trying to belong and ashamed of being different. After winning an essay contest at the age of 8, she continued to follow her dream of becoming a writer. She wrote her first book as a freelance writer in Oakland, California (Beaty, Jerome, and Paul Hunter 10). In 1987, she visited China for the first time- “As soon as my feet touched China, I became Chinese” (Beaty, Jerome, and Paul Hunter 10). Due
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It is what creates the imaginary world between what the author is betraying and what the reader is portraying. In “A Pair of Tickets”, the setting of Guangzhou, China helps Jing-Mei realize the difference between the place and culture due to her perspective of China being not what she had anticipated. “And then we are caught in a stream of people rushing, and shoving, pushing us along, until we find ourselves in one of a dozen lines waiting to go through customs. I feel as if I were getting on a number 30 Stockton bus in San Francisco” (Tan 13). Early in the story, Jing-Mei had forgotten she was in China and somewhat feels at home, back in San Francisco. “I am in China, I remind myself. And somehow the crowds don’t bother me. It feels right. I start pushing too” (Tan 13). Tan utilizes characterization by integrating Jing-Mei’s thoughts and inner feelings toward her arrival to China. Jing-Mei thought China was a sleazy country. “This is communist China? This must be the wrong hotel” (Tan 17). This is the first clue Amy Tan provides for the reader to know that Jing-Mei was suddenly realizing that being Chinese was not so bad after all and that her preconceived notions toward China were …show more content…
Even though Jing-Mei felt as if she did not know her mother nor her true Chinese culture, she felt the need to live her mother’s “dream”. “My mother is dead and I am on a train, carrying with me her dreams of coming home. I am going to China” (Tan 10). In the beginning of the story, Jing-Mei explains all the actions her mom did to “embarrass her”. “…haggling with store owners, picking her mouth with a toothpick in public…” (Tan10). As the story continues to develop to her arrival to China, Jing-Mei says “… when I step up to the reservation desk, ready to haggle over this booking mistake, it is confirmed” (Tan 17). She claims that she will be living her mother’s dream but, in these scenes we can identify a similar trait Jing-Mei and her mother share. After continuing to listening to the struggles her mother went through to get to America, Jing-Mei begins to gain respect toward her. “But today I realize I’ve never really known what it means to be Chinese” (Tan 10). After all these years, thinking they were interchangeable, she ponders about her role in the Chinese
It is what creates the imaginary world between what the author is betraying and what the reader is portraying. In “A Pair of Tickets”, the setting of Guangzhou, China helps Jing-Mei realize the difference between the place and culture due to her perspective of China being not what she had anticipated. “And then we are caught in a stream of people rushing, and shoving, pushing us along, until we find ourselves in one of a dozen lines waiting to go through customs. I feel as if I were getting on a number 30 Stockton bus in San Francisco” (Tan 13). Early in the story, Jing-Mei had forgotten she was in China and somewhat feels at home, back in San Francisco. “I am in China, I remind myself. And somehow the crowds don’t bother me. It feels right. I start pushing too” (Tan 13). Tan utilizes characterization by integrating Jing-Mei’s thoughts and inner feelings toward her arrival to China. Jing-Mei thought China was a sleazy country. “This is communist China? This must be the wrong hotel” (Tan 17). This is the first clue Amy Tan provides for the reader to know that Jing-Mei was suddenly realizing that being Chinese was not so bad after all and that her preconceived notions toward China were …show more content…
Even though Jing-Mei felt as if she did not know her mother nor her true Chinese culture, she felt the need to live her mother’s “dream”. “My mother is dead and I am on a train, carrying with me her dreams of coming home. I am going to China” (Tan 10). In the beginning of the story, Jing-Mei explains all the actions her mom did to “embarrass her”. “…haggling with store owners, picking her mouth with a toothpick in public…” (Tan10). As the story continues to develop to her arrival to China, Jing-Mei says “… when I step up to the reservation desk, ready to haggle over this booking mistake, it is confirmed” (Tan 17). She claims that she will be living her mother’s dream but, in these scenes we can identify a similar trait Jing-Mei and her mother share. After continuing to listening to the struggles her mother went through to get to America, Jing-Mei begins to gain respect toward her. “But today I realize I’ve never really known what it means to be Chinese” (Tan 10). After all these years, thinking they were interchangeable, she ponders about her role in the Chinese