Summary:
Examines The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Picture Bride by Yoshiko Uchida, and When the Rainbow Goddess Wept by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. Compares the types of adversity faced by the main characters in each of the three books and discusses how each character faced their challenges.
Life always tries to throw adversity at us which we must overcome. Everyone experiences these hardships: young to old, poor to rich, famous to forgotten. Three distinct women come to mind when the topic of personal challenges comes up. They are Hana, the main character, of the novel Picture Bride by Yoshiko Uchida; Nida, of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's When the Rainbow Goddess Wept; and An-Mei of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. These three women face many hardships in their lives, but are able to conquer the adversity that attempts to defeat them.
Hana's life is full of adversity that she learns to surmount in different ways. When Hana arrives in America, she finds something she did not expect: a husband she did not love. Taro looks very different and much older than in his middle school picture. She is disappointed, but already starts to see the good in him, ."..his eyes were kind." Hana imagines Taro's shop as a very prosperous and well-known store. When she arrives to see it, she is disgusted. Not only is it dirty and pungent, but it is in an impecunious area of Oakland. Hana slowly begins to realize that life in America may not be as ideal as her life in Japan. With the help of Kiku, she learns to adapt to the American clothing and way of life, while still keeping her Japanese traditions alive. Hana goes to work for a white woman named Mrs. Davis who, according to Kiku, is very benevolent and welcoming. ."..you couldn't find a nicer person." At first, Hana is against working for a white person, but soon learns that not only is Mrs. Davis an employer, but a faithful friend as well. "Hana liked Ellen Davis from the moment she met her." Mrs. Davis stays faithful to Hana, even during the period of hate and discrimination against the 'Japs'. Another obstacle in Hana's life that is difficult to face is her affair with Yamaka. Hana betrays Taro and becomes too friendly with his friend Yamaka. Taro begins to not trust her as much, but stays strong and strives to strengthen his relationship with his wife. Hana loves Yamaka until the day he dies, but when her baby dies, Hana gives up the idea of Yamaka. The death of her son causes Hana to become faithful to Taro. Taro feels that Hana has won back his trust. They have a daughter, whom they name Mary. Mary and Hana have a hard time communicating because Mary speaks more English than Japanese, and Hana doesn't understand English that well. Mary runs away one year before finishing college, her parents' goal for her, to elope with an Italian man named Joe. She leaves a note in her bedroom and leaves behind all memoirs from her childhood. Taro immediately forgives Mary, knowing that forgiveness can always heal. Hana listens to Taro and eventually forgives Mary. When she sees her daughter at the train station on the way to Topaz, Hana knows that she will love her daughter no matter what she has done or what she will do. Another obstacle Hana bravely rises above is Japanese discrimination. Hana and Taro are sent to the Tanforan internment camp. They try to make the best of it and avoid the cynical view of things. When they are moved to Topaz, both Hana and Taro are not excited, but still try to make the best out of the worse. After Taro's death, Kiku arrives and Hana starts to see the brighter side of things. She is more optimistic and knows that it is a turning point in her life at Topaz. Hana's spirit and her indomitable strength allow her to conquer the impediments that attempt to stop her from moving on.
Like Hana, Nida also lives a hard life and without her strong spirit, personality, and esteem, she would have given up too easily. Nida is called many bad names by Doc Meñez when he is delirious, and she also has a bad reputation. "Max, you second-rate-mother-fucking-boxer, I'm talking to you. Where'd you find Nida? Her titties are up to there..." Doc tries to embarrass Max and irritate Nida. He continues with, "She's a whore, Max, a mistress of what was his name again? Kong King King, or was it King Kong King"" Nida sees nothing of Doc's attempts to hurt her. She brushes his insults off saying, "I'm not proud of what I did, nor am I ashamed." Nida shows that she is strong this way. She disregards her bad reputation and shows her strengths instead. Another obstacle Nida faces is when she gives into the Japanese soldier in order to protect her friends. She does not want to get in trouble with the soldier; hence she does what she feels needs to be done. During her night with the Japanese man, she stays strong as she endures something only some woman would do. When Nida finds out that she is pregnant with the soldier's baby, she knows she must tell Max. Nida pulls together the courage to tell him. She stays calm during this hard moment for Max. She helps him look for the good in this child, and together they find tranquility in the new baby coming into their lives. Nida is able to pull through many obstacles in her life and is optimistic the entire time.
Like Hana and Nida, An- Mei faces many problems in life. An-Mei's childhood and her relationship with her daughter, Rose, are two linking challenges that she learns to face and surmount. An-Mei starts her childhood without her mother, Taitai. She is taught that her mother is a terrible person who should not be spoken about. The first time An-Mei meets her mother, Popo exclaims loudly, "Who is this ghost? Not an honored widow. Just a number-three concubine. If you take your daughter, she will become like you. No face. Never able to lift up her head." Even though Popo tells Taitai not to take An-Mei, she still calls for her to come. An-Mei is not allowed to go, and Taitai leaves. Later in her life, when An-Mei is nine years old, Taitai comes to her brother's house. An-Mei's aunt warns her not to look at Taitai. When Taitai is going back to Tientsin, she invites An-Mei to follow her. An-Mei's aunt and uncle try to persuade her not to follow her mother, but An-Mei leaves anyway. These events in An-Mei's life are hard on her. She does not know who to believe, or what to think. An-Mei makes the decision that changes her life. It is an obstacle that has an enormous impact on her. An-Mei moves to Tientsin where she eventually gets used to the very different lifestyle and accepts the fact that her mother is a number-three concubine. An-Mei's relationship with Rose is also something that she is able to heal over time. She takes the effort to raise her with a Chinese background, but still "American." An-Mei always wants Rose to speak with her instead of with her psychiatrist. She tries to strengthen their mother-daughter bond and somewhat succeeds. An-Mei's life is full of challenges that she defeats.
There are many obstacles that Hana, Nida, and An-Mei are able to defeat in their lives. All three women show their strong and dominating sides while conquering the adversity in their lives. They ameliorate their hardships by being buoyant and diligent towards their goals. These three determined women are not the only people who face hardships in life. Adversity comes to everyone, but only some are able to surpass it.
This is the complete article, containing 1,264 words
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page).
