She also thinks back to her job and decides, “I was very good at what I did, succeeding at something small like that. After her mothers death, June begins wearing this necklace every day. She wanted June to know that her life had value and that she just needed to develop and use her talents in order to discover this. After Waverly humiliated June at the dinner table by stating that the work she had done for her firm was not good enough, Suyuan attempted to display her pride in June by giving her the jade pendent she always wore, which symbolized her lifes importance. She realizes that her mother was proud of her even though she was not a great genius at anything. After Suyuans death, and after June learns more of the details about her mothers past, Junes eyes open to the good intentions her mother always had for her in all of the ways that she acted. It is not until much later in her life, after Suyuans death that June realizes just how much her mother loved her and how proud she was of her. This is in strong opposition to Suyuans high hopes that originate from the strong love she has for her daughter. She failed because she did not try and she did not care. She did not have high hopes or a passion to be successful at anything. She was unhappy because June did not care about having the best for herself. 143) What June did not realize, was that the real reason why her mother was upset was not because she had not lived up to her expectations. She thought to herself, “… my mothers expression was what devastated me: a quiet, blank look that said she had lost everything. June looked through the crowd to her mothers face. The final conflict comes when June performs a piano piece filled with mistakes at a talent show, which makes June believe that her mother is completely ashamed and disappointed with her. She sees all the hopes her mother has for June as expectations. After failing to excel at any of the areas presented to her, she feels like a failure. ” Her mother pushes June into many areas- academics, dance, and the piano. I would never feel the need to sulk for anything (p. “In all my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. In the beginning, June is excited and dreams of what she will become. Her mother’s name, Suyuan, meaning, “long cherished wish” speaks of this hope for Jing-Mei, whose name means “the pure younger sister (p322-3)”. Jing-Mei Woo, who is called June in America, represents her mother’s hopes and dreams. This gap between each mother and daughter is described in later chapters. (p31)” In these quotes, Jing-Mei perceives the gap that occurs between the mothers and daughters. Then it occurs to Jing-Mei that “they are frightened” because in her they see “their own daughters, just as ignorant, just as unmindful of all the truths and hopes they have brought to America.

Jing-Mei replies, “What will I say? What can I tell them about my mother? I don’t know anything. In the beginning of the story, the mothers who play Mahjong tell Jing-Mei to see her long lost sisters and tell them of their mother.

Suyuan and Jing-Mei Woo are mother and daughter, respectively, who are characters that illustrate the conflict between the two cultures. Throughout the book, the conflict between the mothers, their Chinese tradition, and language and the daughters, their American tradition, and language are evident.

Jing mei woo character traits