Prompt 1 (Auntie Lisa's Beloveds Wiki)

Task: Read the following prompt and answer to the best of your ability! Choose a symbol used in a novel or play of your choice and discuss its function in the world of the work. Be sure to give the title of the work and its author in the Introduction paragraph. You should strive for 4 - 5 paragraphs. Good Luck! After posting, read and comment on 4 other postings. Your comments should be helpful to the writer and may be things you noticed, something for them to think about, and some words of encouragement. You must complete your essay and your comments by Tuesday, January 12th!

Even the smallest object that seems insignificant to the average reader can be the most important symbol in the world of a novel.  A symbol isn't always the most noticeable thing of a novel; it would take away from its meaning.  The real symbols that have a high level of significance in a novel are the ones that don't immediately catch your eye.  This is the case in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.  Although this novel is one that has multiple narrators with different story lines, there are key symbols that reveal the importance of each main character.


Jing-Mei's character in the novel finds life's importance reflected in the form of her mother's pendant.  Suyuan (Jing-Mei's mother) gave the pendant to her before she knew that she would die.  Throughout the course of the novel, this symbol went through many different changes, all having some sort of meaning to Jing-Mei, whether it was positive or negative.  It started off being an object that was not stylish to her.  It also went deeper with Jing-Mei seeing it as the cultural differences between herself and her mother.  Jing-Mei never thought of herself as being more American than Chinese, and that her mother was fighting a lost cause.  She knew that she wouldn't be able to embrace her Chinese heritage, but Suyuan kept trying.


When Suyuan died, the pendant became an entirely new symbol completely.  Her "life's importance" became a symbol of her mother's love and concern for her.  Unfortunately, Jing-Mei only realized the significance of her mother's teachings after it was too late to learn everything from her, which seems to be the case in a lot of situations.  Her pendant also became an additional symbol in a larger scale.  It became a symbol of the human power to give new meaning to what is happening around them.  The fact that Jing-Mei was able to change the meaning of the pendant showed her ability to change the meaning of other objects as well.  In the end, this would a good thing to have because she could change the meaning of her mother dying to something that will empower her.


Any tangible object or abstract thought can serve as a symbol in the novel world.  Suyuan's pendant showed that a small object can become the embodiment of an important worldly theme.  Tan shows  her symbols in a subtle way that can lead to various interpretations, allowing her readers to have a stronger understanding of her work as a whole.