Name______Period______

The Joy Luck Club Study Guide

The Mothers:The Daughters:

Suyuan Woo (deceased)Jing-mei “June” Woo

An-mei HsuRose Hsu Jordan

Lindo JongWaverly Jong

Ying-ying St. ClairLena St. Clair

Part One: Feathers from a Thousand Li Away

Vocabulary:

immigrationcerebralmah jongprolong

porridgegruelsulkcompress

unanimouschenillebanquetsmudge

concubinepeerbetrothembroidery

lunardoomrestlessscorpion

presumptuouspavilionsquawapparition

consent

Prologue:

  1. Describe the dreams of the mother
  1. Describe the reality of the mother’s experience
  1. What does the feather symbolize?

The Joy Luck Club:Jing-mei Woo (daughter)

  1. Describe how the Joy Luck Club was formed (in San Francisco).
  2. Why was Suyuan Woo in Kwelin?
  3. What happened at each meetings of the J.L.C.?
  4. What was the “completely different ending” to Suyuan’s story?
  5. Describe Jing-mei’s relationship with her mother.
  6. What message do the aunties have for Jing-mei?
  7. What are the mothers frightened about?

Scar: An-mei Hsu (mother)

  1. Paraphrase what An-mei knows about her mother.
  2. How did An-mei get the scar on her neck?
  3. Describe the mother-daughter relationship between Popo and her daughter.
  4. What does this say about love? Respect?

The Red Candle: Lindo Jong (mother)

  1. Describe the arranging of Lindo’s marriage.
  2. How did Lindo’s life change when she was 12?
  3. What household duties did Lindo learn?
  4. Discuss the symbolism of the wind.
  5. What is the importance of the marriage candle?
  6. How does Lindo change her fate?
  7. Why is Lindo unable to become pregnant?
  8. How does Lindo dissolve the marriage contract?
  9. What “three signs” did the ancestor’s ghost have?

The Moon Lady: Ying-ying St. Clair (mother)

  1. What are the Five Evils?
  2. What does Ying-ying discover this morning?
  3. How is Ying-ying saved from drowning?
  4. Paraphrase the story of the Moon Lady.
  5. What did Ying-ying discover about the Moon Lady?
  6. What did Ying-ying wish for?

Part Two: The Twenty-six Malignant Gates

Vocabulary:

invisibleailingreplicadiminish

etiquetteconcessionscurryimmediacy

jauntyrufflecelestialcascade

arpeggiopetticoatquivergawker

fiascoAlakazam

Prologue

1.What information is contained in the book The Twenty-six Malignant Gates?

2.What happened to the little girl when she left the house?

Rule of the Game: Waverly Jong

3.What is the “art of invisible strength”?

4.How did Waverly get her name?

5.In what way is Waverly “wicked” when she asks her mother about Chinese torture?

6.How did chess enter Waverly’s life?

7.What had happened by Waverly’s 9th birthday?

8.Why did Waverly run away?

The Voice from the Wall: Lena St. Clair

9.Why is it important for Lena to know the worst that can happen to you?

10.How does Ying-ying convince Lena not to go to the basement?

11.What changes were made to Ying-ying when she through immigration?

12.What does Ying-ying do when “things are not balanced”?

13.What does Lena hear through the wall?

14.Why is Ying-ying in the hospital?

15.How does Teresa return home?

16.At the beginning of this story, Lena’s grandfather is “pulled through the wall” and dies. Explain how this is different from the last scene of this story.

Half and Half: Rose Hsu Jordan

17.Where is the bible kept in the Hsu household?

18.How did Ted and Rose meet?

19.How does Mrs. Jordan react to her son dating Rose?

20.Describe the marriage of Rose and Ted.

21.Describe the tragedy that occurs at the beach.

22.What does An-mei do when she returns to the beach?

23.What does Bing Hsu’s name being written in pencil tell you about An-mei? About hope? How does it relate to Rose’s acceptance of her “impending” divorce?

Two Kinds: Jing-mei Woo

24.What is a prodigy?

25.What different areas does Suyuan test Jing-mei in?

26.Describe Mr. Chong.

27.How does Jing-mei get away with her mistakes?

28.What happened at the recital?

29.What does Jing-mei realize about the two songs “Pleading Child” and “Perfectly Contented”?

Part Three: American Translation

Vocabulary:

leprosyswooncontaminatemanipulative

benevolentshudderdoilydimension

despicableironicsophisticated

Prologue

  1. What is wrong with placing mirrors at the foot of the bed?

Rice Husband: Lena St. Clair

  1. What ability does Lena’s mother have?
  2. Describe Arnold.
  3. Why does Lena stop eating food?
  4. What sparks Lena’s ice cream incident?
  5. Describe how Harold and Lena met.
  6. Describe how Howard and Lena share money.
  7. How is the end table symbolic of Lena’s marriage?
  8. Why doesn’t Lena stop her marriage from falling?

Four Directions: Waverly Jong

  1. What news does Waverly have for her mother?
  2. When did Waverly stop playing chess?
  3. How does Waverly trick her mom into giving her a dinner invitation?
  4. What “rules” of eating does Rich break?
  5. What does Waverly learn about her mother?

Without Wood: Rose Hsu Jordan

  1. Who is Old Mr. Chou?
  2. What does it mean to be without wood?
  3. How is the garden symbolic of their marriage?
  4. What does Rose decide to do with Ted?

Best Quality: Jing-mei Woo

  1. Why did Suyuan only count ten guests?
  2. Why did Suyuan not eat the eleventh crab?
  3. Why does Waverly fear haircuts from David?
  4. What do Waverly and Jing-mei fight about?

Part Four: Queen Mother of the Western Skies

Vocabulary:

impertinentmansionteakrickshaw

kowtowshunravelwonderment

loathdespairrecklesslongevity

theologyinsidioussyndrometrinket

reverentiallyjutorgyessence

pious

Prologue

  1. How is the baby different from the grandmother?
  1. What does the baby teach the grandmother?

Magpies: An-Mei Hsu

  1. How did An-mei’s mother dishonor herself?
  2. Describe each of the other wives.
  3. What does An-mei learn about Second Wife and the pearl necklace?
  4. What does An-mei’s mother forced to marry Wu Tsing?
  5. What did An-mei learn about Syaudi?
  6. Why did An-mei’s mother commit suicide when she did?

Waiting Between the Trees: Ying-ying St. Clair

  1. Describe the household Ying-ying is from.
  2. Where did Ying-ying’s husband go off to? Who was he spending time with?
  3. Where did Ying-ying retreat to after the death of her son?
  4. How did she meet Clifford St. Clair?
  5. How does Ying-ying plan to help Lena?

Double Face: Lindo Jong

  1. How does Lindo have two faces?
  2. What job does Lindo find?
  3. Who does Lindo meet in the factory?
  4. How do Tin and Lindo decide to marry?

A Pair of Tickets: Jing-mei Woo

  1. Why was Suyuan forced to leave her children?
  2. What happened to the babies?
  3. How did they find Suyuan?