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Literary Analysis “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Literary Analysis: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
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Literary Analysis: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Summary
The poem “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare is his 18th sonnet and is considered the most famous of all Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. Its 18th sonnet’s prominence is attributed to its opening line, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” which has been heartily mastered by every true romantic (Shakespeare & Wallis, 1975). Therefore, sonnet 18 is basically a love poem even though its object of affection is not apparent as it may appear. Shakespeare opens his poem with a prompt addressed to the much-loved: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” The ensuing eleven lines are dedicated to such a comparison. For instance, in line two, the poet lays down what primarily differentiates the young man from the day of summer, which is evident from his assertion …” more lovely and more temperate.” Furthermore, the poet claims that the days of the summer approaches the extreme which is apparent from his claim that the “rough winds” shakes the summer’s days, and in them, the sun which is over and over again referred to as “the eye of heaven” illuminates too dim or too hot (Ruslida et al., 2019). The notion that summer is fleeting is attributed to the fact that its date is quite short, resulting in the withering of autumn, evident from the poem’s line “every fair from fair sometime declines.” Towards the final line of the poem, the poet attempts to demonstrate the variation between the beloved and the summer which is associated with everlasting beauty, that is, “Thy eternal summer shall not fade…” that shall remain alive eternally. In the line, the poet strives to elucidate the manner in which the beloved’s beauty will attain this achievement rather than perish since it is preserved by the poet, lasting forever (Shakespeare, 2016). Specifically, the poem’s line“…as long as men can breathe or eyes can see” shows that the beloved beauty will live, defying even death.
Analysis
William Shakespeare first published his sonnets in 1609, which is seven years prior to the death of Bard, and the sonnet’s extraordinary quality has kept it famous ever since (Shakespeare, 2016). The depth and domain of Shakespeare’s sonnets have created a wide gap between him and other sonneteers. Specifically, Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 provides more emphasis on the loveliness of a lover or friend, which he starts with a rhetorical query regarding comparing their subject to the day of summer. Therefore, from the different lines of sonnet 18, it is clear that Shakespeare was dedicated to praising a friend or lover, traditionally regarded as the “fair youth” (Ruslida et al., 2019). From the sonnet, there is the assurance that the beauty of this individual will be sustained. The fact that the poem’s lines will be read by future generations, even in the absence of the poet and lover portrays the silencing of death. This implies that the fair image of the poet/speaker and lover is kept alive via the power of verse (Shakespeare, 2016). This is better understood by analyzing Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 line by line. Therefore, this paper provides an in-depth literary analysis of Shakespeare’s sonnet 18, focusing on individual lines and the poetic devices that include the use of form, imagery, and figurative language employed in the poem to ensure the poem’s permanence (Shakespeare & Wallis, 1975).
Line 1
This line serves as the poem’s opening line which appears as a tease that reflects on the uncertainty of the poet as he tries to establish a comparison between his lover and a summer’s day. The first line of the poem poses a rhetorical question for both the audience and the speaker, and even the musical stance of the first line is exposed to more speculations (Shakespeare, 2016). For instance, the inherent comparison is clearly not a forthright one as there is the question of whether it is a complete iambic pentameter.
Line 2
The second line then surpasses the image portrayed in line one which represents the perfect English summer’s day, revealing that the poem’s lover/subject is lovelier and more self-restrained (Shakespeare, 2016). Lovely is frequently utilized in England with a similar meaning currently at is did when the poet wrote the poem which includes beautiful, lovely, nice, etc. On the other hand, temperate also known as self-restrained implied restrained, composed, gentle-natured, and moderate in Shakespeare’s time (Ruslida et al., 2019). Furthermore, line two uses the second-person pronoun to directly refer to the lover, that is, Thou, which is currently archaic.
Line 3-8
The advancement of the sonnet through to line eight demonstrates an emphasis on the distanced ups and downs of the weather, presented in a steady iambic rhythm (with an exception of line five) (Ruslida et al., 2019). It is, therefore, evident that England’s summertime in the context of weather is a hit-and-miss affair. Specifically, there is evidence of winds blowing, gathering of rainclouds, and without realizing, summer has come and gone in a week. Clearly, there are quite short seasons in Shakespeare’s time, similarly to the contemporary times where people lament extreme hot weather and complaint when it’s overcast (Ruslida et al., 2019). The significance of this is that summer will pass quite fast for some people, and naturally, they will grow old and their beauty will gradually fade with the season’s passing.
Lines 9-12
Throughout these lines of the poem, Shakespeare turns the argument the other way of aging. For instance, in line 9 where the poet states that “but thy eternal summer shall not fade,” providing assurance that his lover shall maintain fairness and to a great extent cheat death and gradually become immortal (Shakespeare & Wallis, 1975).
Lines 13 and 14
These two last lines bolster the poet’s notion that the poem will assure the subject/lover that they will remain young, and as such, the written word serves as the breath and essential energy that are necessary to ensure their lives continue.
Poetic Devices
Shakespeare praises his lover without flashiness and gradually builds the lover’s image into that of a perfect being. For instance, the poet strives to compare his lover to summer as evident in the first 8 lines of t the stanza, evident in the assertion that “… thou art more lovely and more temperate.” He attempts to portray his beloved to posse lovelier and self-restrained attributes unlike summer’s day (Ruslida et al., 2019). However, there is an apparent turn of facts at the start of the 9th line where the poet turns his beloved to summer, “but thy eternal summer shall not fade.” At this point, the poet’s lover is considered a metric that allows the judgment of true beauty. Proceeding to other lines in the stanza, the poet provides a comprehensive tone that explores in-depth feelings. As such, Shakespeare reacts to such beauty and joy by making sure that his lover will last forever, that’s is, evading the oblivion that follows death (Shakespeare, 2016). The simplicity of the poem’s music also serves to demonstrate the inherent subservience of summer, unlike the poet’s lover.
Shakespeare mainly employs the imagery of nature within the poem to assert his feelings about his beloved beauty. Specifically, the poet provides a description of summer that is different from the usual summer season. As seen in line 3 “…Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,” the poet attempts to portray his perception of summer climate as a blow of the spring flowers (Shakespeare, 2016). He tries to emphasize the superiority of his beloved beauty of summer, and as such, Shakespeare attempts to downgrade the positive notions of summer to ascertain how highly he regards the image of his lover. Furthermore, the use of the words “gold complexion dimmed” are utilized to describe the sun. In this case, the poet diminishes the comfort of the sun’s warmth by referring to the sun’s rays as dimmed. Consequently, Shakespeare’s description of the climate strives to influence the readers to perceive his lover to posse never-changing looks and that summer pales profoundly compared to his lover (Ruslida et al., 2019).
Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 also encompasses classic sonnet elements. Specifically, the rhyme scheme ababcdcdefefgg is evident in the stanza where it is written in 14 lines. There is a distinct rhyme between lines within the poem which is apparent in lines 1 and 3, lines 2 and 4, and the pattern goes on to the last two rhyming lines (Harrison & Burt, 2020). Additionally, the stanza is written in iambic pentameter where every line contains ten syllables, the first line being unaccented and the second line accented. Sonnet 18 further exploits the balance that exists between asymmetrical and symmetrical melody and form to establish an organic beauty. Furthermore, the fact that sonnets have been historically associated with robust themes of love, the poet also utilizes the sonnet form to emphasize his perception of his lover and their outstanding appearance (Harrison & Burt, 2020).
The poem is tied up neatly and perfectly to facilitate easy reading and understanding. The lines of the stanza are written with flawless iambic pentameter and without enjambment (Harrison & Burt, 2020). The use of jargon is limited to a level where the audience of diverse calibers can easily read and understand regardless of the use of exceptional elegance and elevated language in the poem. Furthermore, the compliance with the classical forms of sonnet portrays the poem’s dedication to creating and establishing the feeling of perfection of the poet’s beloved. This, therefore, is more compatible with the poem’s domain theme.
The use of figurative language is also evident in Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 which aids in conveying the intended message. The personification of the sun by Shakespeare referring to it as “the eye of heaven” and “his gold complexion dimmed” demonstrates the comparison of the dimmed sun’s complexion to his beloved. Therefore, assigning the sun identity of human quality is similar to degrading the commonly perceived powerful and untouchable nature of the sun (Ruslida et al., 2019). This serves as an introduction to the theme of the lasting beauty of the poet’s beloved. Another notable personification is in line 11 where Shakespeare states “Nor shall Death brag thou wander’s in his shade.” In this context, death is portrayed as a meandering figure around the poet’s ‘shade.’ Therefore, the poet’s move to compare human beings to death demonstrates that his lover surpasses the entire living creatures as well as acts of nature (Shakespeare, 2016). The poet creates a situation where he perceives his beloved as the ideal figure where other readers will also see the beloved as an ideal figure. As such, the use of figurative language in sonnet 18 renders the poet’s lover a superior being with a beauty that shines eternally and with the power to overcome death.
Finally, the poet in his sonnet 18 clearly portrays his poetic ability in eternalizing words. Evident from the line “…so long as men can breathe, or eyes can see / so long lives this, and this gives life to thee,” the poet also portrays the eternity of his poetry which is dependent on the continued existence of his poem. Besides, the poet claims that the beauty of their beloved will last for the time his poem exists (Harrison & Burt, 2020). This, therefore, shows that Shakespeare takes pride in the fact that his sonnets will be read from generation to generation. From the entire stanza until line 13 demonstrates the poet’s boundless sentiments regarding his lover, but the last two lines alter the poet’s message. For instance, the last two lines portray the fact that the poet is well informed about his poetry skills.
In conclusion, the sonnet “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare which is also referred to as sonnet 18 is the popular and well-loved sonnet of all Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. It is evident that the poet attempts to portray the specific themes of stability of love and associated power that immortalize the subject of the verse of the poet. Therefore, the use of form, imagery and figurative language facilitates the skill conveyance of poetry messages by poets. Specifically, these poetry devices are made easily visible in the poet through the use of varying imagery, form, and figurative language that provides an in-depth insight into the nature of the poem. Furthermore, the methods of Shakespeare helps secure the eternal nature of his poem.
References
Shakespeare, W., & Wallis, B. (1975). Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?. N. Adams.
Shakespeare, W. (2016). Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?(Sonnet 18). Poets. org. April, 20.
Harrison, R. G., & Burt, S. (2020). Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Art thou more temperate?… Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines…. Weather, 75(6), 172-174.
Ruslida, V. M., Sembiring, B., & Damayanti, I. (2019, December). Figurative Language in William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth’s Poems. In UICELL Conference Proceeding (pp. 161-170).
Literary Analysis of the Cask of Amontillado
Literary Analysis of the Cask of Amontillado
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Literary Analysis of the Cask of Amontillado
‘The Cask of Amontillado’ by Edgar Allan Poe is an interesting short story that significantly shows proper application of literary devices. Edgar Allan Poe is a famous literature author not only in the field of short stories but also in writing poems and essays. ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ is the author’s last and greatest short stories that were published in 1846. It is a story that dramatically touches the society as it involves vengeance, murder, addiction and torment primarily set in a large Italian underground cemetery. The reader sees it a voyage from the dark and enigmatic vacations of human inner self. The characterization in the text is excellent as the author brings a clear image of the characters and their traits in developing the story. Poe appropriately makes use of literary devices such as symbolism and imagery among others in building the plot and themes in the short story as elaborated into a profound extend below.
The author composes unique traits in his literary work which plays a significant role in attracting reader’s attention and creating suspense. For instance, regarding the short story The Cask of Amontillado at the climax the reader is left wondering about the bricks and the significance of building the wall. The narrator tells the story in first in the first person up to the end. The main cast of ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ includes Fortunato, Montresor and Luchesi. The characters play a significant role in creating the plot and bringing out the principal theme. The story is about the crisis between the narrator and Fortunato who has insulted him. The narrator has the urge to doing revenge (Foy, et.al page 45).
Looking at the plot analysis of the short story, the author has appropriately established it in the relation of other literary devices. He has efficiently used the fundamental constituents that makes literature work the plot complete and thought-provoking. These elements bring a natural flow of the story starting from the preliminary state of affairs, conflict, tricky situation, climax, suspense, completion of the conclusion. In the initial situation, the narrator brings about an insult and a vow of revenge. Characterization brings about the whole thing regarding the beginning of the story. It is through Fortunato’s unattractive traits that lead to his act of insulting Montresor. The narrator has a sympathetic character as he has forgiven the colleague for sometimes, but it comes to the extent that Montresor cannot hold that anymore thus the urge of doing revenge.
The conflict of the short story comes as the two characters the narrator and Fortunato are in a struggle to make things work out in the right way forever. For Montresor to avenge the insult by Fortunato, he has to get a worthy way to do it in such that there will be no capability of Fortunato revenging back. If it happens so, he would be the winner and has accomplished his mission. The punishment must have a practical impact that Fortunato will have to feel and undoubtedly know that it has come from the narrator. It is through the narrator’s avenging trait that the conflict of the story is evident. Moving a step forward to the complication of the short story, the author has put it in a natural way considering that there are no much of it manifested. Montresor carefully makes go a clue of what is happening through other characters the Amontillado and Luchesi. It led to Fortunato insisting on going after Montresor down into the subversive cemetery of his worst bad dreams. Montresor plays with him and lures him. However, Fortunato did not have any intention of turning back up to a situation when it was very late.
The climax of the story is the most significant part that one can refer the characters trapped in a conveniently man-sized world. This is the most massive and most crucial instant of the Poe’s story. It is evident as Montresor comes with Luchesi and his rival Fortunato is not pleased with the act. Fortunato refers Luchesi as a completely ignorant person and thriving one. Fortunato is chained in the upright casket in the foulest depths of the underground cemetery. Later the suspense in the story is created by the act of building brick by brick. Going into Fortunato’s situation, there is a significant suspense created by Montresor’s deeds. The actions of Montresor bricking Fortunato leaves him unaware of what will happen next to him to whether it is a complete joke or a dangerous thing. The putting of the final brick brings the termination of the story, and the suspense is resolved. Montresor is merciless and does not care even about hearing the pleading ringing of Fortunato’s bell. It was guaranteed that after the air in the tiny brick casket is thoroughly used up, Fortunato will be demised. The conclusion of short story’s plot helps the reader to have a perspective of looking back what happens and at what time did this happen. In the second last line of the story, it is clear that the story was the action of Montresor killing Fortunato occurred about fifty years ago (Gale, page 13). The bold thing at the end the story that the reader comes to know is that Montresor gets away from the crime he committed.
Furthermore, the short story’s themes have a significant effect on the literary analysis effectiveness. The major themes found in Poe’s story include betrayal, mortality, drugs and alcohol, freedom and confinement and foolishness and folly. The themes build the whole plot of the short story and are also significant in talking about the issues affects the society in today’s life. To begin with the theme of freedom and confinement, the difference between the two words is openly brought out in the story. For one character to have freedom and rejoice another one must be confined or die. It is shown with the act of Montresor killing Fortunato as a way of avenging for the assaults. The large part of the story happens in enormous and incredibly mistakes that could have been avoided there is togetherness and cohesion among the involved characters.
Secondly, betrayal brings about the main action in the story The Cask of Amontillado. It is because of one character’s betrayal that there is a revolting sequence of vengeance, seen underground in the mass grave. Betrayal is the core reason for the act of revenging and death. For instance, the insulting and threatening of Fortunato can be referred as a betrayal as Montresor gave him a chance of changing the behavior as it was expected but it was in vain. Taking a real-life example in today’s society, the same incidences are evident as people betray others resulting in enmity and death to a greater extent. The same the plays an essential role in building the plot of the story and developing other literary devices.
The other theme seen in the story is about drugs and alcohol. The commonly seen drug used in the story is wine. At the beginning of the Poe’s story, Fortunato is met drunk by Montresor as he plans to do the revenge. It can be the primary reason for Fortunato having the urge of using an abusive language as drugs at many instances result in the judgement impairment. All through the story drugs are mingling in between the lines and can be referred to anything that the character tends to use in acquiring their desires. Also, the theme of mortality is major in Poe’s short story and can be considered as a foreshadowing and illumination of was going to happen next in his life. The Cask of Amontillado is the author’s last short story before his death composes vast, terrifying fixation on bones, dead body and demise. The story can be seen as an illumination of the life after deceased and can be an explanation of what he has passed through in life. It facilitates the development of imagery as the reader is capable of building the exact picture in mind. For instance, on how Montresor was planning to revenge, how he was putting brick by brick on the casket and how Fortunato suffered as the casket run out of the air (Poe, page 21).
Additionally, the theme of foolishness and folly is significant, and the author postulates it effectively. It is through foolishness and recklessness that cost one’s life. For instance, it was Fortunato’s folly that resulted in his death. If the character had respect amongst other people, all would have worked well to him as such an instance of insulting would not have happened. The story is wholly about the about how foolishness and folly lead to hideous and cruel immoralities. ”The Cask of Amontillado” has two characters brings about the conflict and central matter in the story which are Montresor and Fortunato. By the end of the story, their joint ridiculousness terminates in misfortune and severe suffering for them both. The tragedy seen is core thing that takes the readers mind making one think more intensely about their silly ways. It is metaphorical as one sarcastically suffers due to foolishness like these characters. It is a moral lesson to the reader that prudence is vital in humans and facilitates to a better living with others.
It the story, Poe profoundly make use of symbolism, allegory and imagery. In The Cask of Amontillado, everything is symbolic and different things can be seen representing various meaning. To begin with is the coat of arms belonging to the Montresor’s family which is a picture of the shield. On it, there is a giant foot which the author refers to as wild a crazy serpent. This signifies that Fortunato is a snake on the glass which bits Montresor and on the other hand as a result of Montresor reactions his big gold foot crashed him down. The court of arms has a fabricated color which represents darkness and death of Fortunato. Through allegory that the theme of drug and alcohol is build up in the story. The author’s life was in captivity of drugs which had addicted him for a long while. One of the drugs he was addicted to was laudanum that comes from puppies that are obviously blue. This brings irony regarding freedom that is illustrated in the theme of freedom and confinement.
The tone of every literature work is vital in attracting the reader’s attention and making the story enjoyable. In this story, the author appropriately develops its tone regarding the settings and its composition. The tone of the story can be expressed as spine-chilling, humorous and elegant. Montresor refers to the mounds of the bones and the human remains as elegant making it sound somehow lovely. Hos he expresses the seemingly of the underground cemetery makes one see it as a beautiful place to be even though scaring. The humorous tone is also seen in large parts of the story. The jokes are to a greater extent entertaining breaking monotony in the short story. It can at some point make the reader contented thinking that everything happening for a moment is all right. Before Fortunato’s suffering and death, one is happy as everything seems to be doing on well and one is after that left guilty after the death (Saxton, page 38).
The settings of the short story can to an extent be viewed as awful and disgusting which can grab readers thoughts making one expects a horror and traumatizing experience. The Cask of Amontillado is all through acted on the underground cemetery during the carnival season in a particular place in Italy. The author purposely uses horror in the setting mainly with the aim of expressing either freedom or confinement in a contradicting way as the characters in various occasions’ shows imprisonment and liberty. The carnival festive and Montresor’s family underground grave are clear and directly illustrates the purpose of the story. During the Carnival festival, the Italians were celebrating their freedom, and people all over have happiness. The two main characters Montresor and Fortunato at the beginning of the story are seen participating in the same festival. Furthermore, as they both move deeper into the underground cemetery, they pass through smaller and fouler spaces. It signifies that as they move into the grave, they were going further away from the fresh air and freedom.
As seen from the above discussion, it is at the end of the story that the author reveals the name of the narrator who is Montresor and was a member of Montresor’s family. The narrator finally alters may he rest in peace which one is not sure whether he meant the words or not. At first, he is postulated as a person with human traits, and one could not expect that he was to avenge through murder. The trait would have played a significant effect making him feel sorry for his deeds. In the community the same occasions are evident, and it is a great lesson showing the repercussions of the evil actions people take in the name of revenge. The author is competent and has correctly applied literary devices in developing the story The Cask of Amontillado. The story is educative, and it does not only plays a vital role in entertaining the reader but also giving precautions of one to be cautious of the expected result in every act.
References
Foy, Roslyn Reso, and William E. Lambo. “Freemasonry, the Brethren, and the Twists of Edgar Allan Poe in THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO.” The Explicator 73.4 (2015): 252-256.
Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Edgar Allan Poe’s” Cask of Amontillado”. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.
Poe, E. A. (2016). The cask of amontillado. The Floating Press.
Saxton, Audrey. “The Devil’s in the Details: A Characterization of Montresor in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”.” Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism 10.1 (2017): 16.
Literary Analysis of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Literary Analysis of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club
The Joy Luck Club is a compilation of eight women’s personal stories—four pairs of mothers and daughters—about their lives and the relationships they must learn to navigate across various cultures. These accounts are conveyed through the eyes of the women, based on the perspective of the mothers and daughters. The plot begins not long after the death of Suyuan Woo, a founding member of the social and investment club. Jing-mei is supposed to take her mother’s position in the club as a way to attain a balance. The most essential concepts discussed in this book are tradition and culture. The two groups of women addressed in the narrative are diametrically opposed in terms of how they see the world, one focused on the past through tradition and norms, and the other unaware of their cultural past and fully assimilated into the American way of life. As a consequence of their cultural and traditional roots, they must make a concerted effort to guarantee that their girls are exposed to the same things they were, thus creating a rift in their relationships and later bridging the cultural and traditional gaps amongst them.
Despite seeming to adjust well to their new circumstances, the mothers never entirely integrate their Chinese culture, rituals, expectations, or norms into their new American life as compared to their Americanized daughters. The mothers never get complete command of the English language, abandon their families’ traditions and habits, or forget that they were born in China. Their English-speaking daughters, on the other hand, were born, raised, and educated to consider themselves fully American, in a culture that is “too full to swallow any sorrow” (17). Their storylines concentrate around generational tensions, cultural misinterpretations, and other identity difficulties. Their mothers seem to be living in the past, according to their daughters. The daughters make no effort to hide their displeasure with their mothers’ tales about life in China because they are both outraged and afraid of their parents’ judgment. The mothers want the daughters to have the best termed as “swallowing more Coca-Cola than sorrow” (17). The mothers are seeking to educate their daughters about Chinese culture, but the girls are finding it difficult to balance their lives in America, particularly their jobs, with their mothers’ lofty and perplexing ambitions. As a consequence, moms and daughters have a sense of alienation from one another, leading to silence. A generational, sociological, and cultural status discrepancy that is difficult to overcome exacerbates the situation. The cultural boundaries between the women will not be broken until the daughters learn to listen to their moms’ experiences and understand how they relate to their own lives. Despite the fact that the ladies come from all cultures and have different ways of doing things, this is true.
Despite the fact that each tale in the novel has a distinct narrator, they all show how past events, traditions, cultures, or the relationship with any of these factors may influence the present. This supports the notion that a person’s traditions, past, background, and upbringing has a substantial impact on their cultural identity and worldview. Each narrator has a “moment when her identity becomes fixed forever” (64). Ying-ying’s life was formed by difficult childhoods, war, poverty, starvation, and, in her case, a single act of awful conduct as a youngster. She was the lone kid in a happy family where she grew up. Furthermore, three of the mothers married when still in their teenage years. Three of them were married to men who didn’t love them, and one of them married a great man who died in the war. One of the ladies had children with one of the dads from a prior marriage. Individual histories of the mothers are advantageous to their attempts to construct new lives in the United States to a greater or lesser degree. Each narrative is a powerful example of how past events continue to influence the present and to form a new culture that is fully founded on traditions and expectations. From a Chinese-American perspective, Lindo Jong admits that “these two things do not mix” in reference to American and Chinese cultures (254). Each mother’s Chinese ethnicity has an influence on her current life in the United States. Childhood has a tremendous influence on each daughter’s adult life, just as each mother’s past has on her daughter’s current, complicating the matter even further.
All of the parents’ stories had a few things in common: vivid recollections of growing up as a girl and young woman in China, perplexing tales about raising children in the United States, and almost terrifyingly high expectations for their daughters due to their cultural differences and expectations. Similarly, the daughters’ tales focus on how they failed to meet their moms’ expectations, how they were concerned about how Chinese culture would fit into their very American life, and how they had no clue of their mothers’ inner energy or deepest secrets. Several of the narrators highlight the difficulties they have while seeking to communicate their ideas and emotions with people from completely diverse backgrounds. Ying-ying feels like the separation of mother and daughter is too great, “I have watched her as though from another shore” (274). Because none of the daughters understand the language, no one in the family, including the daughters and parents, has any awareness of the culture. Furthermore, there are occasions when moms and daughters are unable to communicate with one another, making it difficult for both sides to understand the other’s perspective. Even if both the girls and their moms speak a little English and a little Chinese, communication will be challenging at times due to the need to translate words with very different intended and accepted meanings. There may be a few small misunderstandings as a result of this.
When the mothers relate to their daughters on the basis of their own lives, they are well aware that their insights are met with silence due to the differences in culture and upbringing. They continue to converse in the hopes that one of their words or ideas would strike a chord with one of their daughters, who will remember it and pass it on to her own daughter. Lindo Jong gives Waverly friendly parental advise despite acknowledging that fact that Waverly may “not understand where she comes from in a double cultural heritage” (49). Daughters are given their mothers’ tales as real gifts, soul sacrifices, and talismans in order to help the younger women tackle their challenges with the support of their mothers. These stories were hand-picked from the mothers’ immense archives of recollections. The mothers often conduct mental dialogues with their daughters, in which they develop questions, thoughts, and sentiments that they are unable to express orally owing to the cultural and generational differences.
In conclusion, the novel is a depiction of how culture, traditions, general gaps, and other features of an inter-generational relationship mesh together and diverge at the same time. The girls consider their moms to be dumb since they speak improper English. The moms, on the other hand, are furious with their daughters because they do not understand the cultural nuances of their language and have no plans to teach their own children about their Chinese ancestry. Throughout the story, characters repeatedly bring up Chinese concepts, only to learn the hard way that they must understand Chinese culture to appreciate its value. In a society where daughters and mothers have divergent life ideas, culture and tradition continue to clash.