04/11/13
ENG101B
Ms. Bynum
Waverly Jong
Waverly Jong, in The Joy Luck Club, has always been fearful of her mother. She is always afraid of what her mother has to say about the decisions that she makes in her life. One of the things that she has always been scared of is what her mother has to say regarding her future husband Rich. She began to develop a fear inside of her that “mother knows how to hit a nerve. And the pain I feel is worse than any kind of misery” (2411). This fear makes a huge impact on her every decision because she will always question her actions. She will think twice, once from her point of view, then from her mother’s point of view. This makes it very hard for her to make decisions in her everyday life. Waverly automatically makes these assumptions of what her mother will say regarding her future husband Rich. Another reference in regard to Rich, one night Waverly was on the phone with Marlene, a friend of hers. Marlene was advising Waverly that she should speak with her mother about Rich because after all, Marlene says, “It’s not as if Rich is the scum of the earth. He’s a tax attorney like you, for Chrissake. How can she criticize that?” (2364). In return Waverly tried to explain to Marlene how complicating is for her mother to understand her at times,” you don’t know my mother”, she says. “She never thinks anybody is good enough for anything.” (2364). It reflects how her mother can be such a big impact on her. Waverly does not want to let her mother down by making the wrong choice. Therefore, her mother’s opinion makes a tremendous impact on her