Student Question
Why does Suyuan in "The Joy Luck Club" say, "Your father is not my first husband, and you are not those babies"?
Quick answer:
Suyuan's statement reveals to her daughter that she had an entire life before, including a previous marriage and children, which the daughter was unaware of. This revelation is shocking, as it discloses a hidden past and the existence of twin sisters. It marks a pivotal moment in the story, prompting the daughter to embark on a journey to uncover her mother's history and the fate of her sisters.
This is a critical moment in the book. The daughter, with this one sentence, begins to understand that her mother had an entire life before she was ever born.
This first husband was completely unknown to the daughter, which came as a complete surprise, as it would to anyone to discover that your mother was married in a different time and place to a different man!
And the fact that she has sisters...twins! out there in the world somewhere is a shock as well. At this point she is unsure whether they are alive or dead, but this plants the seed for her journey later on in the story.
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