In her struggle with her mother, she is struggling with her own identity. The "pleading child" cannot be "perfectly contented" because she cannot resolve her difficulties with her mother - and herself. The mothers and daughters in this book are separated by many factors - age, experience, ambition, and culture. This realization brings together the theme of the tension between mothers and daughters. The song on the left-hand side of the page is called "Pleading Child" the one on the right, "Perfectly Contented." Suddenly, Jing-mei realizes that the two titles are two halves of the same song.
She looks back over the music that she formerly shunned and discovers something that she hadn't noticed before. It is only after her mother's death that Jing-mei begins to realize what her mother had wanted for her.
Determined to thwart her mother's ambitions, Jing-mei neglects practicing the piano. I had listened to her before and look what happened. "I didn't have to do what my mother said anymore. On the contrary, she fights her every step of the way. In addition, Jing-mei has no desire to cooperate with her mother. Furthermore, Waverly receives only a few chess pointers from an old man in the park before she begins winning tournaments in contrast, Jing-mei is given extensive (if inept (personal tutoring, yet she still plays badly in the talent contest. Woo's reasoning, all we have to do is contrast Waverly's instant fascination with chess to Jing-mei's refusal to practice the piano. Prodigies, however, are born with an innate talent that manifests itself under the proper guidance, as has Waverly Jong's chess genius. With her mother's guidance, Jing-mei can be a prodigy, towering above ordinary children. It is not enough that Jing-mei be merely successful, however. Jing-mei will not have to undergo any of her mother's hardships - the terror and privations of war, the tragedy of losing children, and the difficulties of settling in a new culture. Woo believes in America's promise: With hard work and a little luck, Jing-mei can be anything that she chooses to be. The story focuses on two themes: the American Dream and the tension between mothers and daughters. As she is packing her mother's things, she sits down to play the piano for the first time in many years. Only after her mother's death can Jing-mei accept the piano. As a result, Jing-mei is shocked when her mother offers her the piano as a thirtieth birthday present. Woo suddenly retreats and never mentions the piano again. During the ensuing quarrel, Jing-mei shouts the most hateful thing she can summon: "I wish I'd never been born! I wish I were dead! Like them!" At the mention of the twin daughters in China that she was forced to abandon years ago, Mrs. The weak applause and her parents' disappointed looks reveal the unmistakable truth: Jing-mei is not a musical prodigy.Īs a result, Jing-mei is shocked when her mother expects her to continue practicing. Halfway through the song, though, she begins to realize how badly she is playing. Although she has not practiced and does not know the music, Jing-mei has come to believe that she is indeed a prodigy. All the couples from the Joy Luck Club come to her piano debut. A few weeks later, Jing-mei participates in a talent show in a church hall. Woo scrapes together enough money to buy a secondhand piano. Not to be outdone, Jing-mei's mother brags about her daughter's "natural pride," and the young girl immediately becomes even more determined than ever to thwart her mother's ambitions.Ĭontinuing to clean houses, Mrs. Jong brags about Waverly's success as a chess prodigy. One day, the Woos meet Lindo Jong and her daughter Waverly. Chong's efforts are so sincere that Jing-mei picks up the basics, but she is so determined not to cooperate that she plays very badly. Chong, an elderly piano teacher, who is deaf and whose eyes are too weak to tell when Jing-mei is playing the wrong notes. Woo trades housecleaning services for Jing-mei's piano lessons from Mr.
Woo hits upon the answer: Jing-mei will be a piano virtuoso. Jing-mei doesn't show promise in this area, either. Then she tries intellectual tests clipped from popular magazines. Woo tries to mold her daughter into a child actress, but that doesn't work. She's not precisely sure where her daughter's talents lie, but she is sure that her daughter possesses great ability - it is simply a matter of finding the right avenue for Jing-mei's talents. She has high hopes that her daughter will be a great success as a prodigy. To Jing-mei's mother, America is the Land of Opportunity.
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