The Joy Luck Club Flashcards
1
And my mother loved to show me off, like one of the many trophies she polished.
2
I think about our two faces. I think about my intentions.
3
“Chinese people do many things. Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture.”
4
‘“Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why don’t you learn to play chess?” My mother’s eyes turned into dangerous black slits. She had no words for me, just sharp silence.’
5
I smile, this time with my Chinese face. But my daughter’s eyes and her smile become very narrow…
6
‘…still, they knew. They knew my face was not one hundred percent Chinese. They still charged me high foreign prices.``
7
Only her skin and hair are Chinese. Inside – she is all American-made. It is my fault she is this way.
8
‘I was six when my mother taught me the art of invisible strength. It was a strategy for winning arguments, respect from others, and eventually, though neither of us knew it at the time, chess games.’
9
If you show one, you must always sacrifice the other’
10
“What did I lose? What did I get back in return? I will ask my daughter what she thinks.”
11
she was the queen, able to move in all directions, relentless in her pursuit, always able to find my weakest spots.’
12
‘“How long does it take to say, Mom, Dad, I’m getting married?”
“You don’t understand. You don’t understand my mother.”
13
I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two things do not mix?’
14
Saturday market days when I had no tournament to play. My mother would proudly walk with me, visiting many stores, buying very little. . . .
15
I once sacrificed my life to keep my parents’ promise. This means nothing to you, because to you promises mean nothing. A daughter can promise to come to dinner, but if she has a headache, if she has a traffic jam, if she wants to watch a favorite movie on TV, she no longer has a promise.
