The Joy Luck Club Group

Question:

brush05
brush05
Student
High School - 9th Grade

From Jing Mei Woo's "The Joy Luck Club", identify 3 Chinese beliefs or customs.

Rate question:

Posted by brush05 on Saturday October 31, 2009 at 7:52 PM and tagged with chinese beliefs, customes, reference.

Answers:


  1. kimfuji Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    One Chinese belief in the  book is that the physical positioning of a house, or even the furniture in the house, will determine the fate of the people who reside in it. For example, she says, "This house was built too steep, and a bad wind from the top blows all your strength back down the hill. So you can never get ahead. You are always rolling backward." Chapter 6, pg. 109

    Another belief that Chinese have is that your fate is determined mostly by forces outside of yourself, not your own action. You can do things to encourage good luck to come your way but you cannot intervene and make your own future. Notice this quote in chapter 7, "I discovered that maybe it was fate all along, that faith was just an illusion that somehow you're in control." pg. 121

    A common Chinese belief that is highlighted in this book is Yin and Yang the two opposing forces that represent the feminine and the masculine energy forces. She says in chapter 4, "For woman is yin, the darkness within, where untempered passions lie. And man is yang, bright truth lighting our minds." pg. 81

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/joy-luck-club

    Rate answer:

    Posted by kimfuji on Sunday November 1, 2009 at 1:29 AM