The swan feather in the beginning was a symbol of all the hopes and dreams that the mother wanted to give to her daughter. This woman crossing a vast ocean, with only the company of a swan, yet she is not scared.

Another symbol in the Joy Luck Club happens between Ying- Ying and Lena. It starts out by telling the story of Ying- Ying's past in China and how she recognizes the indirect way that her mother instilled in her a fear of unforeseen and disastrous consequences of her actions. The balance sheet on the refrigerator is the sign that makes it possible for Ying-Ying to redeem herself to her daughter. To show her daughter what a marriage is suppose to be made out of. The economic metaphor illustrates how poor her marriage is in the balance that really matters. Like the table that Harold built, the marriage is showy without being functional. Ying-Ying demonstrates to her daughter that surface balance is useless and that Lena's conception of herself and Harold being equal is flawed. When the table falls it illustrates the breaking of the marriage, and the freeing of the spirit of the mother. This spirit gives Lena the strength to decide what she wants out of the marriage. You find out in the movie that she had left Harold and is going out with a young Chinese man that respects and loves Lena and her mother Ying-Ying.

I am a Chinese-American 2nd generation. Meaning my mom and dad are Chinese but they grew up in America. I look at my family and culture and it seems like the American way has somehow covered the Chinese way. I look at the way that my grandma is and compare it with the way my mom is and see some resemblance in it. But then there are so many ways that it is different. For example when my grandmother comes over it seems like we can't ever throw away anything she finds some kind of use for it. But on the other hand my mom throws everything away, she always says that we can buy a new one if it breaks. This difference shows me that the economic way that my mom grew up in is different than the way that my grandmother grew up in. My mom always told me that she doesn't want me to go without something that I want. I know this cause when I was little I use to watch the toy commercials on T.V and every time I saw something that I wanted, I would tell her, and she would buy it for me, like nothing. I think that she wants more for me than what she could have had when she was little. My mom use to tell me the stories of her growing up and only eating a little so that her brother could have more than her, and grow up to be strong. My mom grew up thinking that she was less than what her brother was, since she was born a girl. For me I am the middle child, and I have a younger brother, but my mom treats us the same. My mom married my dad and of course my grandmother likes it cause my dad is Chinese. But I see my grandmother act differently towards my aunt and her husband who is Spanish. I don't see much character difference in my dad and my uncle they both respect my grandmother, but the only difference is their race. I see my grandmother look at my uncle dumbly, but when she looks at my dad she looks at him just like she looks at my mother. I see my mom and dad's as equals in their marriage. They both work and make the decisions together. They always talk about things and it seems to me that they never argue. They both share the house hold duties, sometimes my mom cooks and does the dishes, but sometimes my dad does the same. I don't see one doing more than the other. I think that this is a good way to keep a marriage together. My grandmother on the other hand was raised in China and came over here being the wife of my Grandpa. My grandmother did all the cooking and cleaning and raising the kids. I just remember my Grandpa smoking and hanging out with his friends. I know that my grandparents loved each other, but it was different than the way my parents love each other. My grandmother grew up respecting her husband's decisions and not having a say so in any decision.

Sex and Marriage is also apparent in the story of Ying- Ying. In China Ying- Ying was married to a bad man who was what she dream

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2776
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)