Every mother should want to make life easier for their child. This is shown in Amy Tans novel, The Joy Luck Club. It consists of stories about the lives and relationships between the mothers and daughters of the Joy Luck Club. An-Mei Hsu is always trying to help her daughter, Rose Hsu Jordan, through the difficulties of life. Roses biggest difficulty in life is her failed marriage with her husband Ted.
An-Meis dedication to making life easier for her daughter is portrayed whenever she gives wisdom that explains the way to live life, shares knowledge that gives a better understanding of ifes circumstances, and supports or advises in situations of need. An-Mei has learned the way to live life through her experiences. She gives Rose this wisdom as they apply to her circumstances. An-Mei tells Rose, A girl is like a young tree, you must stand tall and listen to your mother standing next to you.
That is the only way to grow strong and straight… f you bend to listen to other people, you will grow crooked and weak (213). As this was her answer to why Rose was always so confused, she shows that she does not want her daughter to be confused in situations that life gives. An-Mei wants Rose to grow strong and straight so that she has a clear and confident mind. As a result of Roses constant confusion, she does not know how to make her own decisions. To solve this, An-Mei tells her, You must think for yourself… if someone tells you, then you are not trying (140). She is teaching her daughter to make her own decisions.
She does not want Rose to sit back and have other people tell her what to do all the time, or she will never learn to stand up for herself. Though it takes time for Rose o understand, the wisdom she has received helps her in the future. An-Mei knows many things that are true for her daughter. She shares these facts to her so that Rose can be aware of her lifes circumstances, and what needs to be changed. An-Mei explains that, (Ted) is doing monkey business with someone else (209) to answer the question of Roses failed marriage. An-Mei wanted Rose to know the problem in her marriage because it would answer some of her questions.
She did not want anything like that to hold her back in life. Another one of Roses questions is, why he had lately been confused and in a dark fog. An-Mei explains, A (psychiatrist) will only make you (confused), make you see (dark fog) (210). She wants Rose to know why she is feeling this, and how to stop it. She does not want it to affect her life. When Rose receives this knowledge, she begins to realize many of her problems. Rose seems to be discouraged easily, and will never step up to a problem. An-Mei sees this and encourages her with support and advice.
She asks Rose, Why you do not speak up for yourself ? (216). An-Mei is pushing Rose to face her problems. She wants her daughter to do something about what her problem is. An-Mei not only encourages Rose through words, but through her thoughts as well. In her thoughts, she advises Rose, You do not need a psychiatrist to (wake up and try to understand what has already happened) (272). An-Mei wants Rose to know that she does not need a psychiatrist to figure out her problem. She needs to understand the problem and solve it. Rose accepts this advice, and it helps her to step up to her problems.
An-Meis desire to make life easier for Rose is proved through the giving of isdom that explains the way to live life, knowledge that is shared that gives better understanding of lifes circumstances, and the constant support and advice in situations of need. The biggest difficulty in life for Rose was getting a divorce. She uses the wisdom to find out what the problem is, she uses the knowledge to understand how to solve the problem, and she uses the support and advice to finally step up to her problem. In conclusion, An-Mei was successful in her mission to make life easier for her child.
