The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan: Chapter 2

Literary Term: In this particular part of the chapter there is an anecdote. "I could see my mother's face across the table. Between us stood the soup pot on its heavy chimney-pot stand--rocking slowly, back and forth. And then with one shout this dark boiling soup spilled forward and fell all over my neck (46)." Amy Tan uses an anecdote to let the reader in on an event, and I believe this is very effective.

Quote from novel: "Even though I was young, I could see the pain of the flesh and the worth of the pain (48)."

In chapter 2, An-mei experiences this strange woman, her mother, cut a piece of skin from her arm, and put it in her dying mother's soup. She does this purely out of love and strong attempts to cure her mother. It didn't matter to An-mei's mother that it made her cry and bleed all over. The fact that she loved her mother so much, made the sacrifice bearable and worthy. When I read this passage, I was reminded of Jesus' sacrifice to all of mankind: himself. Jesus knew dying on the cross was going to be agonizing pain, as the soldiers drove nails through his flesh. He also knew that the worth of the pain: salvation for all of mankind, was worth the physical pain he endured. Just like most people are reminded of Jesus' pain and it's worth, An-mei was reminded of her mother's pain and worth too. An-mei thinks back, "Even though I was young, I could see the pain of the flesh and the worth of the pain."