# data[].attributes.body
In the daughter's stories, American culture is often depicted and compared to the Chinese culture their mother's experienced. Waverly is a notorious chess player. From a very young age she learned all the rules, tips, and tricks to performing and succeeding at the game. Waverly soon became a well known prodigy and with it became soiled. She was not promoted to do chores like her siblings and became snooty towards other characters. This went on until one day she decided to quit chess to get back at her mother after an argument leading to her mother telling her that she could not start and stop things as she pleased. When she was fourteen she decided to quit officially. Waverly was not used to being disciplined by her mother or told not to be who she wanted to be. Living in America, she was used to making her own chooses. Lindo, growing up in China, was not able to choose who to be at a young age. She was forced to comply to an arranged marriage to an unfavorable boy at age sixteen. The culture that Waverly grew up in is significantly different than Lindo's.

# data[].attributes.body
Rose’s autonomy leads her to fight through her divorce. In Rose’s early years, she was responsible for her younger siblings despite being the middle child. One day, she was tasked with watching her little brothers on the beach. Unfortunately, her youngest brother Bing went missing and her mom makes only her look for her Bing. Rose, recalls it “ -as my punishment: to go out with my mother, back to the beach, to help her find Bing’s body.” Seeing into Rose’s perspective, reveals that she was being blamed because only she had to find the brother because she was put in charge of her brothers. Her parents put her in a situation that made her choose, 2 different outcomes. If she had picked differently, she would have been blamed for her other brother fighting and possibly being hurt. This opens her eyes to how to choose decisions for yourself.  Later, she struggles to stand up for herself through her divorce with Ted. In their relationship, Ted made all the decisions. Then, after getting sued after messing up a medical procedure, he makes Rose decide everything in they’re marriage. The sudden change in responsibility caused the marriage to fail and the divorce was tedious. While confronting Ted, Rose declares, “I say I’m staying, and my lawyer will too, once we serve you the papers.” This depicts her listening to what she wants for herself and not others. Even when she made the decisions, she was doing it because Ted told her to. She didn’t let her ex-husband influence her choices. Her autonomy brings her to fight for herself in the divorce instead of standing idlily.

# data[].attributes.body
Waverly and her mother Lindo develop a tumultuous relationship over time from making ignorant assumptions about the other and not allowing the other to speak for themselves. Waverly is anxious about announcing her engagement to her fiancée Rick to her seemingly unknowing mother. She gets frustrated after being cut off once more and rants, "…how could my mother not notice that we were living together, that this was serious and would not go away even if she didn't talk about it? She had to say something" (Tan 185). Unbeknownst to her, Lindo already knows that they are engaged. Lindo has never outwardly talked about her disapproval of Rick, yet Wavery assumes that Lindo abhors her new partner. The cycle of Waverly second guessing and misinterpreting her mother’s thoughts has led her to severely mistake the intentions of Lindo’s words. When Waverly decides to take Lindo to get a haircut, the hairdresser and Waverly discuss what hairstyle would best suit her. Lindo sits politely and does not speak a word but is simultaneously wondering, "Why does my daughter think she is translating English for me? Before I can even speak, she explains my thoughts…" (Tan 290). Waverly believes she is doing the best for Lindo and is not aware of Lindo’s true feelings. She presumes that she seems to know Lindo’s preferences and what would be best for her. In reality, however, Lindo shows the readers that she feels ashamed that she is not able to say what she truly feels aloud. She does not want to say anything to further upset or embarrass her daughter, so consequently, she says nothing and allows her emotions to build up over time.

# data[].attributes.body
One example of knowing one’s heritage leading to self-acceptance is when Jing-mei reconnects with her sisters and finally comes to terms with her identity. After finally going to China to meet her sisters, Jing-mei realizes who she really is: “And now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood” (Tan 329). Jing-mei never felt like she belonged; she struggled with her heritage and didn’t know how to fit in. Once she finally meets her sisters, she notices that even though they don’t look like their mother, they still look familiar. Jing-mei registers that the place you live or what you look like doesn’t define you; it is your blood that tells who you are. While hugging with her sisters, Jing-mei thinks, “Together we look like our mother” (Tan 329). Jing-mei knows that her and her mother are more alike than she thought, and she has found peace in that realization with her sisters. At this point she comes to terms with who she is as a person and feels like she finally belongs.

# data[].attributes.body
Following Bing’s loss, An-Mei continues to exhibit hope despite the rest of the family’s doubts. After Bing’s drowning, An-Mei and Rose go out to the water where Bing drowns, trying to make sense out of the dreadful situation. An-Mei throws an inner tube tied to a pole into the water for Bing, “This will go where Bing is. I will bring him back” (Tan 138). This illustrates An-Mei never wants to give up and her love for her son never fades. The guilt of Rose takes over for losing her brother, but she still needs to go with her mother regardless of her uncertainty. Rose knows the strength of her mothers hope and does not want to ruin it for her. All she can do is watch as her mothers hope gets the best of her. After Bing’s death, An-Mei wrote Bing’s name in her bible that now lays under the table. When Roses marriage is failing, she pulls the bible out and flips, “On the page before the New Testament begins, there is a section called “Deaths,” and that is where she wrote “Bing Hsu” lightly in erasable pencil” (Tan 140). An-Mei writing Bing’s name in erasable pencil shows she still has hope and faith that he could still be alive. Rose realizes how strong her mother’s hope truly is, which then gives her hope for her own marriage.

# data[].attributes.body
Suyuan, fearful for her babies’ lives, “took the babies out of the slings and sat them on the side of the road, then lay down next to them. You babies are so good, she said, so quiet. They smiled back, reaching their chubby hands for her, wanting to be picked up again. And then she knew she could not bear to watch her babies die with her” (Tan, 322). When the Japanese invaded Kweilin, Suyuan was forced to leave her life behind. Barely alive herself, she selflessly bundled her babies up and wrote a note in a hope that they would be found and live a safer and better life. Through Suyuan’s heartbreaking sacrifice, she is the ultimate embodiment of love for her daughters. After leaving her babies tucked away safely, Suyuan “walked down the road stumbling and crying, thinking only of this one last hope, that her daughters would be found by a kindhearted person who would care for them. She would not allow herself to imagine anything else” (Tan, 323). Suyuan’s willingness to put her daughters’ lives before her own is a selfless act of true motherly love. The sacrifice she had to make and the grief she endured was unfathomable, encompassing the true nature of the love a mother has for their daughter.

# data[].attributes.body
An-mei’s mother strengthens An-mei to express her true opinion. An-mei’s mother offers and encourages An-mei’s opportunity to live with her and leave her past behind. Despite the rest of her family’s disapproval, An-mei listens to her gut and travels away with her mother (Tan 245). In the beginning of An-mei’s story, she lives a life without her mother, and once she finally has her mother in her life, she refuses to lose her. When her mother returns, she refuses to listen to what everyone else says; she proves that she must have her mother in her life. She abandons everything she knows and listens to what her heart yearns for, her mother. Later on, An-mei’s mother passes away, which assists An-mei’s realization of how her life should be; she says, “I learned to shout” (Tan 272). She began speaking up for herself in front of people that once scared her, her mother’s husband and his other concubines. Getting over a fear of a bug proves easier than getting over a fear of a live person that one could see every day. An-mei lived with her fears every day in the house of concubines, she felt as if she walked on eggshells. However, she overcame those fears when she loses her mother; her mother’s death builds her belief in the power of her voice.

# data[].attributes.body
In the start of the novel, the reader is made aware in order to escape death, Suyuan is forced to leave behind her daughters in the hope that they would not have to suffer through the journey she must make. After explaining the story of her loss, Suyuan relates to June “Your father is not my first husband. You are not those babies” (Tan 14). This quote defines the moment the reader realizes that Suyuan had truly lost everything from her life in Kweilin. The author emphasizes just how much Suyuan had to sacrifice in the face of death and is demonstrated in the novel how much losing her daughters had broken Suyuan, yet she pushes through her emotions and guilt to forge a new life in hopes of one day reuniting with her twins. When this is revealed to her third daughter, June struggles to understand how one could abandon their own flesh and blood to which her father explains that her mother “knew she could not bear to watch her babies die with her” (Tan 322). Suyuan wanted her children to have the best chance they could; however, she knew her journey would be life-threatening, so she leaves behind her babies on the road to give them a better fate. Although crushed with the loss of her children, Suyuan begins to build a new life for herself in America, finds love, and has another daughter. Suyuan’s story demonstrates to the reader how sacrifices must be made in life and once she achieves a stable and peaceful life, she begins to search for her long-lost twins but devastatingly passes away before her dream of being reunited with them could come to fruition.

# data[].attributes.body
An-Mei’s mother’s choice to sacrifice her life allows An-Mei to live free of shame and inequality. After An-Mei and her mother experience years of neglect and emotional abuse at the hands of Wu Tsing and his concubines, An-Mei’s mother purposefully ingests large amounts of opium to kill herself. An-Mei reflects upon the distressing moment, recalling that “when the poison broke into her body, she whispered to me that she would rather kill her own weak spirit so she could give me a stronger one” (Tan 271). When An-Mei’s mother sacrifices her life, she creates a rebellious nature within her daughter, encouraging An-Mei to speak up for herself and never let anyone take advantage of her feelings. An-Mei experiences the pain of losing her mother but begins to understand the mistreatment she was placed under. Because An-Mei’s mother acts so boldly, she provides An-Mei with a form of escape, giving her a future.  According to Chinese tradition, the souls of the dead return three days later for revenge on those they left behind (Tan 271). Wu Tsing grows wary of An-Mei’s mother’s ghost, afraid of the disaster that may occur if he fails to make peace with her spirit. According to An-Mei, “He promised her visiting ghost that he would raise Syaudi and me as his honored children. He promised to revere her as if she had been First Wife, his only wife” (Tan 272).  Because of the timing of An-Mei’s mother’s suicide, Wu Tsing becomes fearful of the consequences of his neglect and abuse towards An-Mei. An-Mei receives a better quality of life when Wu Tsing terminates the injustice between her and her brother to appease An-Mei’s mother. Through An-Mei’s mother’s brave sacrifice, An-Mei experiences freedom from ill-treatment and is granted a future, proving that taking control of one’s destiny alters fate.

# data[].attributes.body
Lindo has pride for Waverly due to her being very proud of her for being a chess prodigy. Whenever Waverly practices her chess skills, Lindo proudly stands over and watches. Waverly ponders, “But I found it difficult to concentrate at home. My mother had a habit of standing over me while I plotted out games. I think she thought of herself as my protective alley” (Tan 100). Waverly shows annoyance towards Lindo because Lindo takes excessive pride for Waverly. Waverly does not want her mom to keep watching her while she practices her chess games. After Waverly’s successful chess games, Lindo proudly tells everyone about Waverly’s achievements. When Waverly and Lindo walks through the street, Waverly thinks, “My mother would proudly walk with me, visiting many shops, buying very little. ‘This my daughter Waver-ly Jong,’ she said to whoever looked in her way. One day, after we left a shop, I said under my breath, ‘I wish you wouldn’t do that, telling everybody I’m your daughter’” (Tan 101). As Lindo and Waverly walks through the streets, Waverly tells Lindo she does not appreciate her mom always bragging about her. Waverly finds embarrassment as Lindo keeps telling everyone about her daughter’s achievements. This moment shows the proudness Lindo shows for her daughter.

# data[].attributes.headline
Sofia Hodgson (ik I need the rest of the quotes)

# data[].attributes.subject
Sofia Hodgson (ik I need the rest of the quotes)

# data[].attributes.body
Throughout her childhood, Ying-Ying endures her mother constantly teaching her to control herself as a proper young lady. As a sophisticated Chinese woman, Ying-Ying must possess extreme self-control. Ying-Ying realizes that compared to the standards for women, young boys belong on a much lower bar as stated by her mother “A boy can run…” (Tan 70). This shows the cultural difference between the sexes. Men do as they please and are automatically respected but women must earn that respect through control and appropriate behavior. Women who do not meet the criteria only bring disappointment to their families and community. Ying-Ying recalls “my mother said I would bring shame…” (Tan 276). Without proper control and discipline, Ying-Ying amounts to nothing more than a burden for all in her life. She must sacrifice her simple pleasures and maintain a composed, staid image.

# data[].attributes.body
Firstly, Lena’s story demonstrates how an insecure adulthood can be caused by childhood trauma through her powerlessness during her mother’s depression and her uncertainty in her marriage. Reminiscing the dark thoughts that plagued her mother, Lena laments, “I watched, over the years, as they devoured her, piece by piece, until she disappeared and became a ghost” (Tan 105). Her mother’s depression plays a key role in Lena’s childhood. She is forced to watch her mother struggle, unable to do anything to help. Her mother’s absence and her feeling of powerlessness traumatize Lena throughout her childhood. While contemplating her relationship with Harold, Lena reflects, “So I think I deserve someone like Harold, and I mean in the good sense and not like bad karma. We’re equals” (Tan 170). Lena constantly scrutinizes her marriage, which reveals she doubts her relationship with Harold. She has to reassure herself that she and Harold are equals, when in reality they are not. Lena’s blindness in her marriage points towards insecurities in her adult life. Lena’s powerlessness during her mother’s depression and her uncertainty in her marriage exemplifies how childhood trauma leads to an insecure adulthood.

# data[].attributes.body
Waverly Jong’s inner strength reveals itself when she speaks with her mother and unintentionally begins a new chapter of mother-daughter bonding between them. When she confronts her mother about her critical view of Rich, Waverly stammers, “I wanted to tell you… Rich and I are getting married” (Tan 201). Waverly’s admission in her conversation with Lindo demonstrates her inner strength. Although she knew her confession might be met with criticism, Waverly was able to come clean to her mother in order to start a new life with the man she loves. Waverly’s brave revelation begins a more open relationship with her mother. Her changed opinion of her mother displays itself when Waverly considers Lindo’s suggestion of joining Rich and her for their honeymoon (Tan 204). Waverly’s strength when opening a channel of communication between her and her mother allows them to grow closer. While before Waverly never would have considered such a suggestion, their blooming relationship changes her priorities. The mother-daughter relationship proves that inner strength can lead to new beginnings.

# data[].attributes.body
Harold's ignorance mixed with Lena's strong emotional reactions creates a toxic atmosphere that could be lessened with the couple talking about how they feel on aspects in their marriage. As Lena is pondering the dynamic of her and Harold’s relationship, she comes to realize, “Harold has never noticed that I don't eat any of the ice cream he brings home every Friday evening" (Tan 176). This seemingly mundane act of unawareness on Harold’s part may seem simple, but Lena not eating ice cream is deeply connected to a darker part of her childhood. The fact that Harold does not know about Lena’s strong dislike toward the sugary treat illustrates how little either of them have connected on a personal level. Although Harold would be an easy target to blame for their lack of connection, Lena also plays a part in the emotional gap they share. Harold expresses his feelings to her saying, “’Well, I know our marriage is based on a lot more than a balance sheet. A lot more’” (Tan 180). Harold’s comment after Lena’s outburst offers a glance into his perspective on what he believes to be happening. Neither character seems to fully grasp the complexity of the others’ emotions, dancing around the idea of talking to one another about how they feel. Harold appears aloof, he seems to not pick up on some of the problems that Lena sees undermining the relationship. Lena on the other hand, bottles what she thinks and feels about Harold until they explode in a way that ruins the possibility of them discussing the problem. Their refusal to know one another could easily be resolved with a conversation allowing both parties the chance to explain how the other is hurting them. If they decided to communicate in a healthy manner their relationship could change from defensiveness and disconnection to a style of communication that initiates openness and growth.

# data[].attributes.body
Ying-Ying who was born with a free spirit and adventurous soul loses herself when she marries her first husband. Readers see how she slowly changes herself in order to please her husband, but years later when she realizes the wickedness in her husband, she begins to gain herself again. As Ying-Ying reminiscence about the past, she recounts, “I became a stranger to myself. I was pretty for him. If I put slippers on my feet, it was to choose a pair that I knew would please him” (Tan 280). Once Ying-Ying enters her marriage she purposely gives up her own happiness and identity in order to curry favor with her husband. After many years enduring and containing her spirit behind the mask of a perfect wife she realizes the way her husband treats her and leaves him for her own good. She heals and learns about herself as she lives in the countryside and later moves into the city where she learns more about her cunning and calculated personality. She finally embraces herself and depicts the Tiger spirit within her, which hides itself but comes out when she most needs it. As she lives in the city she confidently declares, “After ten years, I was ready. I was no longer a girl but a strange woman…I went to the city with both eyes open” (Tan 283). After experiencing the loss of her husband, whom she previously depicts as her one true love, she was able to gain the confidence within to become herself again. She learns to love herself and to never change for others. Showing readers how through the pain of losing something, they can grow and learn more about themselves.

# data[].attributes.body
First, Bing’s death affected An-mei’s hopeful nature and faith in God. When An-mei’s son, Bing, goes missing on the beach, she never losses her determination to find him. An-mei’s hopeful mindset drives her to eventually hallucinate Bing’s presence and go to extreme lengths to bring her son back (Tan 137-138). An-mei’s continuous search for Bing shows how much she deeply desires for his return. Her optimistic attitude motivates her to complete preposterous tasks such as swimming to find Bing when she never learned to swim and throwing an inner tube to a hallucination of Bing and hoping for him to come back on it. Bing’s death not only effected An-mei’s hopeful essence but her faith in God as well. Rose describes An-mei’s unforgettable face as “one of complete despair and horror, for losing Bing, for being so foolish as to think she could use faith to change fate” (Tan 139). Throughout the numerous hours of searching for Bing, An-mei utilizes her religious belief through her prays to God and putting her faith in him. Her dependency on God to return Bing leads to her frustration and agony over never finding her son. An-mei’s loss of her hope and belief expose how severe the effects of losing Bing was to her life.

# data[].attributes.body
Firstly, Waverly and Lindo show how a difference in culture affects their relationship with each other. After regretting her arranged marriage Lindo states, “I started to think about how I would escape this marriage without breaking my promise to my family,” (Tan 59). Lindo expresses how dreadful her marriage is by wanting to escape. She knows that her mother will be deeply affected if she broke her promise, this creates a tension between Lindo and her mother. Lindo knew that she had no choice in the actions her family made for her, she states, “But even if I had not known I was getting such a bad husband, I had no choice, now or later,” (Tan 44). To fulfill her promise to her family, Lindo accepts that she has no choice in who she marries. Lindo does not wish to follow through with the traditional Chinese marriage but does it to keep her family’s honor.

# data[].attributes.body
Accepting her miserable marriage, Lindo sacrifices by honoring her family by keeping her marriage promise to Tyan-yu. She ponders to herself, “I wondered why my destiny had been decided, why I should have an unhappy life so someone else could have a happy one” (Tan 52). Lindo accepts an unpleasant life of a loveless marriage to a spoiled, immature Tyan-yu in order to preserve her family’s honor and keep her promise to marry him. This action is so valuable because her sacrifice shows how she is willing to surrender her freedom and life to someone she does not truly love. Lindo’s sacrifice even changes her mindset of timidness and strength. Lindo reflects, “That was the day I was a young girl with my face under a red marriage scarf. I promised not to forget myself” (Tan 63). Lindo promising to herself that she will never forget who she is no matter what anyone makes her out to be displays how sacrifice can lead people to find their strength. Her giving up her life to him causes her to develop everlasting strength in herself for life. Lindo’s life shattering away from her is what ultimately leads to her finding her strength and her true self.

# data[].attributes.body
Lindo takes control of her fate when she blows out the candle on her wedding night and she convinces the family to let her leave. On their wedding night, Lindo stresses over the thought of staying married to Tyan-Yu. She escapes the house and her “throat filled with so much air that it finally burst and blew out [his] end of the candle” (Tan 56). In Chinese culture, a candle is lit on the night of a wedding to determine the success of the marriage. If the candle stays lit, they will have a happy marriage, but if not, they will end up unhappy. Lindo blowing out her own candle exemplifies her bravery to take matters into her own hands. Lindo is very unhappy with Tyan-Yu, so she comes up with a plan to escape their marriage by saying that the ancestors thought their marriage was doomed and said the servant girl was pregnant with his child. Huang Taitai grew very nervous and allowed Lindo to leave (Tan 60). This is another example of Lindo’s cleverness by taking control of a sticky situation. Through her bravery and cleverness, she was able to live a better and happier life instead of being unhappy with Tyan-Yu.

# data[].attributes.body
One instance of mothers going to great lengths for their children occurs when Suyuan is forced to leave her twin daughters in China to give them the opportunity of a better life than she can provide for them. Suyuan is willing to go to extreme lengths and sacrifice anything for the safety of her family. As soon as Suyuan hears that the Japanese might invade Kweilin, where she lives with her daughters, “she gathered a few possessions and, in the middle of the night, she picked up her daughters and fled on foot” (Tan 319).  At the first whisper of danger, Suyuan is willing to pick up her life and move to a new country to keep her family out of harm’s way. Her willingness to uproot her life for her children’s security illustrates the magnitude of her love for her daughters and the extent of what she is willing to go through to keep them safe. While it is extremely taxing leaving her daughters in China, as her strength is waning and conditions are worsening, she perseveres “thinking only of one last hope, that her daughters would be found by a kindhearted person who would care for them” (Tan 322). Suyuan cares for her daughters, Chwun Yu and Chwun Hwa, so much to the point that she is willing to put aside her own feelings in order to keep them alive. She recognizes that she is unfit to properly care for them and defies her own motherly instinct to keep them close, so she can keep them safe. Her last wish as she leaves her daughters is that they will be found by a benevolent person to raise the girls as their own and provide them with a fruitful life full of love and affection.

# data[].attributes.body
Suyuan expresses invisible strength when she leaves her babies behind to give them a better chance at life. She trudges on the path to her new home “singing songs to her little girls, until she was delirious with pain and fear” (Tan 322). Suyuan’s instinct was to care for her daughters’ needs first and her own second, regardless of her fears. Despite the long, treacherous path to her destination she kept holding on to her babies, singing them songs to keep them comfortable. While the fear set in that she would never make it to a safe place, she formulated a plan for her daughters’ safety. Suyuan put her plan into action “thinking only of this one last hope, that her daughters would be found by a kind-hearted person who would care for them” (Tan 323). Even though she had fallen ill on the journey, Suyuan found the strength and courage to care for her daughters. The last thing on her mind was getting medical attention for herself or leaving the babies so she could get herself to safety faster. The sacrifice she made proves that with invisible strength, fears can be overcome.

# data[].attributes.body
After Suyuan dies, Jing-mei loses the meaning of the jade necklace her mother gave her because she never bothered to ask. June “stuffed the necklace in my lacquer box and forgot about it.” (Tan 203) right after receiving the gift. Her immediately hiding the necklace from herself rather than asking it’s meaning cuts off any chance of learning the meaning from her mother. It is only when her mother dies that she is reminded of the pendant and begins to wonder what it signifies. June also meets others in similar situations who also don’t know what their pendant means. She thinks, “And I knew by the wonder in his voice that he had no idea what the pendant really meant.” (Tan 221). June is not the only example of losing heritage. The other person proves that lack of communicating between parents to their children ends with missing history and meaning about their culture.