The Joy Luck Club Waverly Character Analysis

Waverly and Lindo Jong In the novel The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Waverly and Lindo Jong experience conflict because of their cultural upbringing. Lindo experienced a wealthy Chinese childhood while Waverly experienced a Chinese-Western childhood. These cultural differences causes conflict between Waverly and Lindo. Waverly finds Lindo’s Chinese ways outdated. One point of a healthy Chinese parent and child relationship includes the parent showing high levels of concern. Waverly does not like this because she feels like she is being disturbed while practicing her chess strategies. “But I found it difficult to concentrate at home. My mother had a habit of standing over me while I plotted out my game”(100). When Lindo tells Waverly old sayings such as finish your coffee or else you are throwing your blessings away, Waverly blows them over. “‘Don’t be so old-fashioned Ma,’she told me finishing her coffee
While Waverly does not ask for Lindo’s advice or opinions she still wants her approval, especially in romantic relationships. Waverly wants Lindo’s approval on Rich so she shows her mother the mink coat Rich got her as a gift. Waverly thought her mother would be positive be instead she insults the gift and gets Waverly thinking. “And looking at the coat in the mirror, I couldn’t fend off the strength of her will anymore, her ability to make me see black where there was once white, white where there was once black. The coat looked shabby, an imitation of romance”(186). Waverly even uses her mother’s criticism as a scapegoat for her own fears including the possible fear of marrying Rich. “And even if I recognized her strategy, her sneak attack, I was afraid that some unseen speck of truth would fly into my eye, blur what I was seeing and transform him from the divine man I thought he was into someone quite mundane, mortally wounded with tiresome habits and irritating