Why is Jing-Mei Woo the Protagonist of the Joy Luck Club - Book Report/Review Example

The character of Jing-mei can also be perceived as a bridge between China and America. This can be estimated from the immense arousal of emotions in her on her way back to China. She repents having ignored her mother whom, she feels so related to while traveling to China. It is nobody else but Jing-mei who makes her half-sisters aware of what happened to Suyuan which is a very important incident of the whole story. This not only unites the three sisters, but also provides Jing-mei with a solid understanding of her mother’s character.

Jing Mei is the protagonist of the story. As a child, Jing-mei maintains an inflexible attitude regarding expectations her mother associates with her. She feels that it is her fundamental right to be just the way she felt like being. Jing-mei confesses that she is fully capable of becoming a wonderful pianist, though she chose not to be one, and accordingly is not one. Of all the daughters, it is nobody else but Jing-mei who develops personality to the least level. . hinking that they have committed a big mistake by providing their daughters with opportunities in America that have broken their daughters’ ties with their indigenous Chinese culture.

Jing-mei does not have an all-time-pleasant sort of relationship with her mother. Suyuan to Jing-mei is an extremely demanding and hard-to-satisfy Chinese mom who maintains an uncompromising attitude about the future of her daughter. Her mother and she are on the opposite extremes with respect to personality. Her mother is prudent and criticizing while Jing-mei wants freedom. The clash of their personalities in fact symbolizes the clash of the Chinese and the American culture. Jing-mei is of the view that her mother’s uninterrupted criticism signifies her lack of love, whereas in reality, the high expectations her mother associates with her and her mother’s severity are the symbols of her immense love, care and consideration towards Jing-mei.

Jing-mei is particularly made to think negatively about her mother because of certain incidents. On the New Year’s dinner, Jing-mei picks up a bad crab and gets disparaged by Waverly. In the whole episode, Tan gives the audience the impression that Jing-mei can not tell good quality crabs from the bad ones. The hidden message that requires attention actually is the fact that Jing-mei does not know what the best quality is. That is why she does not identify any qualities in her personality and underestimates herself as compared to Waverly.

Suyuan gives a green jade pendant to her daughter and refers to that as Jing-mei’s life importance. At the time that she gives Jing-mei the pendant, its quality is compromising, though it improves with the passage of time. Tan introduces the pendant as a reflection of Jing-mei who becomes mature as she