Literature Analysis: The Joy Luck Club

Although much of the plot of each story revolves around men, The Joy Luck Club as a whole centers on the relationships between mothers and daughters. How would the book differ if Chinese characters were fathers and sons instead? What do the characters find particularly female about their life experiences and points of view?

The Joy Luck Club has lots of mother and daughter relationship problems. Many of these problems were because of the difference between their cultures, the mother being Chinese and the daughter being American. I believe the book would completely change if the characters were based on men. Men are more calm, less influential, and less emotional than women are. 

If the characters in the story were men, it would definitely change because men are more calm and more drama free than women are. In the chapter called "The Rule of the Game", Waverly gets overwhelmed with her mother's constant pressure for the game of chess. Waverly breaks down one day asking why her mother always tries to take credit for her success. This creates conflict between these characters because at the end of the day, Waverly lost interest in something she once had passion for and all because of her mother being selfish.

The book would change if it involved men instead of women because men are a lot less influential than women are. After Suyan passed away, it was June's call to take over her mother's legacy and fulfill her wish. June was influenced by her mother and her legacy to fly to China and find her long lost sisters and give them Suyan's message. Men don't usually influence other's or have a sense of control over someone, which is why I think this would be different if it was a book based on men.

The last reason why the book would change is because men are less emotional than women. They never really express what they are feeling like women do. The chapter called "The Voice" from the wall portrays how Lena is confused from her mother's actions and state of mind. Ying-ying, Lena's mom, suffered from a loss of her baby. She would always cry and never say much and claim to see the future. This affected Lena's life because she never really got to interact with her mother throughout her childhood. By this, a wall was created upon them causing diversity between them.

In conclusion, that is why I think this book would be different if it was focused on Chinese men. In my opinion, the book was very inspiring in the sense of how we should always be grateful of what and who we are with our loved ones and if there are misunderstandings we should always try to fix them. 

LM Questions 9-15

9. Why is Tom Leppard called "Leopard  Man"? 

-Tom Leppard is tattooed from head to toe with leopard spots, therefore, is called the "Leopard Man". 

10. What does the author think about the people with tattoos and piercings? Why does he have these opinions? 

-The author finds himself unimpressed with individuals that have tattoos and piercings because he thinks they are basically attention seekers.

11. How is Leopard Man different from other tattooed and pierced people?

-Leopard Man is different because he does not live for people's reactions, he lives in solitude, according to the author.

12. Where does Leopard Man live?

-He lives in a small cabin in the Scottish wilderness.

13. According to Feys, what kind of people does society fear? Why?

-Society fears loners, those mysterious creatures who pursue their own values without seeking others' permission or permitting others to hamper them. They fear them because they aren't like them.

14. What is the "world's most common but dangerous psychological disorder?" Explain Feys argument in this paragraph.

-Conformity is the world's most prevalent and most pernicious psychological disorder. Feys argument in this paragraph is that being human is to be an individual and people shouldn't live by what society thinks or feels about what you do. He states that "Living in society, we are under constant pressure to surrender our individuality to the will of the majority, the school, the workplace, the family, etc." 

15. Why is Leopard Man so happy?

-Leopard Man is happy because he is free and he simply doesn't find any value in society and is away from it.

Diction

1. Low or Informal Diction:
"... I only climbed on the spare spar and leaned over the rail as far as I could, to bring my eyes nearer to that mystery floating along side."

2. Elevated language or informal diction:
Opaque: not able to be seen through
Elongated: usually long in relation to its width
Phosphorescent: something glows with light without becoming hot to the touch
Elusive: difficult to find, catch, or achieve
Cadaverous: resembling a corpse in being very pale, thin, or bony
Ghastly: causing great horror or fear
Immersed: dip or submerge in a liquid

Paraphrase: The side of the ship made a hazy belt of shadow on the darkling glassy shimmer of the sea. I saw at once something extended and pale floating very close to the ladder. Before I could form a guess a faint flash of shimmering light, which seemed to issue suddenly from the naked body of a man, flickered in the sleeping water with the intangible, silent play of summer lighting in a night sky. With a gasp I saw revealed to my stare a pair of feet. like a resting swimmer, the sea lighting played about his limbs at every stir, and he appeared in it terrible, silvery, fishlike.

3. The elevated language contributes to the tone to make it sound more formal and more mysterious. Paraphrasing the passage affects the tone in a casual way. It sounds less formal and when reading the passage, it's not as intriguing as reading elevated words since it makes it sound better.

4. Abstract and Concrete Diction:
Opaque belt of shadow, Phosphorescent light, A headless corpse, and A board livid back immersed right up to the neck in a greenish cadaverous glow.

5.The author chose to leave the captain, the ship, and the crew nameless in the story because he wanted the readers to keep thinking and be clueless as to who was being described. The elevated words are the ones which unveil what the objects are and how they look.

6. Denotation and Connotation
The denotative meaning of the title "The Secret Sharer" is of the person who talks about their side that other people don't see, which is dark.