How the main stream and minor culture influence the whole family?.
In the novel the Jade Peony, the author illustrated a Chinese immigrant family vividly through three young children narration. The conflict between main stream and minor culture is easily been felt after reading the novel. By telling the attitudes from three different generations, the point will been clearly shown. The old people: Poh-Poh and Wong-Suk resisted a lost of Chinese culture and identity, the adults such as Father and stepmother were trying to fit into the new society and the young generation were willing to become real Canadians. .
Poh-Poh and Wong-Suk are the old generation of the novel. Especially Poh-Poh always has her unique old Chinese fashion to teach the young generations. "Jook-liang, if you want a place in this world, do not born a girl-child."(31) Even though Poh-Poh lived in a Canadian society, she still used the old way of thinking. " Feet so stinky. Not pretty girl feet. Cow feet."(32) It might difficult for Poh-Poh to change the Chinese traditional way of judging girl's feet for their prettiness. "Bone must come to rest where they most belong." Old people believe that their bone should send back to China since they are Chinese and they don't belong to Western. It shows that they reject to accept the main stream culture of the society.
Father and Stepmother were easily became a "prisoner" who was trapped between two cultures. "Suling once won a prize for her English. If only Suling were here." (136) Stepmother was proud of Suling's fluent English and she accepted of knowing two languages. "Sek-Lung, tell the White Demon to give me the box."said Stepmother, I could see she wished Suling were here with her perfect English. "We are also Canadians." Said father. Adults were willing to fit into the new society and were ready to give up their Chinese ways. .
Jook-Liang, Jung-Sum and Sek-Lung are the three children of the family.
ISU Analysis - The Jade Peony One of the themes of the Jade Peony was the difficulty that the early Chinese immigrants had to face when they came to Canada in the late 1800s. Wong Suk is one of the early immigrants, believing there is a "gold mountain" that could make them rich. "There had also b...
Both novels, The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy and Disappearing Moon Café by Sky Lee, explore the Chinese immigrant experience in Canada and its effect on individual identity throughout each generation. Taking a nostalgic look back at Vancouver during the early 1940's, life of a Chinese immigrant was characterized by many social, economic and personal hardships, which can be seen in the novel, The Jade Peony. ... In The Jade Peony, the ideology of assimilating was the primary cause for the struggle for identity among the characters. ... In The Jade Peony, "Old Golden Mountain-(Choy...
Therefore, in order to examine the heroines in The Edible Woman and The Jade Peony we need to know what heroine-like qualities to look for. ... The role of the "passive female" is one played by Marian, from Atwood's The Edible Woman, and by Lily, from Choy's The Jade Peony. ... The elderly, Chinese grandmother, Poh-Poh, from Choy's The Jade Peony fits this role. ... Meiying, from Choy's The Jade Peony takes on this role of the new woman. ... Meiying fulfills the role of the "new woman" in The Jade Peony and she also fulfills the role of the heroine. ...
