"Red Candle"
posted by Mrs. Woods | Monday, December 10, 2007
Woods' English 2A
This blog is intended to be used as a discussion forum for Mrs. Woods' 2A students from Piedmont Hills High School. The blog will allow each student to offer responses and reactions to the novels read outside of class. This blog will also allow you to read the reactions of others.
65 Comments:
Love does not burn as brightly as we thought
1) I liked the way this chapter was written. I noticed that it had a wondrous amount of local color, the matchmaker, the grandparents wanting a child. In fact, I think it might be a little too typical of a Chinese person. Anyway, I thought this chapter was great; I was surprised that the matchmaker would relight the candle just to save his own job. Also, I think it was kind of unfortunate that no one thought of Lindo Jong as important seeing as how she is instantly given away near the beginning of the chapter. I give this chapter thumbs up because I love the way Amy Tan wove the local color into this chapter.
2)I thought the relation between Tyan-yu and Lindo Jong interesting. These two newlyweds are so young and worried about what their families think of them. They both are scared of being in bed with each other but both want to please Huang Taitai. At one time, Huang Taitai is mad that Lindo isn’t pregnant yet and Tyan-yu speaks for both of them by saying that he “planted enough seeds for thousands of grandchildren.” This shows that they both want to please Huang Taitai.
3) Question 4: I learned a lot of Chinese culture from this chapter. I learned that women weren’t really considered much in China and now I know why they fight so hard for their rights. Also, I now understand that it’s not just T.V. that shows Chinese grandparents who want grandchildren instantly. I thought that scene was hilarious.
Ew, Don't Touch Me!
“The Red Candle”
1.Reaction- This chapter was actually really hard for me to understand at first because I was so confused about what was going on. When I finally understood it after reading it through again, I loved how Lindo Jong was so clever. Personally, this showed that women weren't just like animals to men, but they actually had a mind and could think for themselves. Lindo's plan in this chapter surprised me because I didn't expect it; the whole time I thought she was just going to end up living neglected and serving Tyan-yu for the rest of her life because it showed honor to her own family in keeping her promises.
2.Huang Taitai and Lindo Jong's relationship is by far not like our traditional American mother in-law and daughter in-law relationship where the mother and daughter try their best to treat each other as if they were their own family. Hunag Taitai treats Lindo as if she is a worthless servant girl to be bossed around at her own disposal. Although no on would want to be treated like this, Lindo obeys and does not go against her mother in-law's will just to keep her promise to her own family of being a good wife and daughter in-law.
3.In this chapter, I think the main conflicts are external and internal. The external conflict is human vs. human, Lindo Jong vs. the Huangs. Throughout the chapter, you could feel the tension between Lindo and the Huang family because Lindo really did not want to be at their home and she wanted to with her own family, but she didn't have a choice. Lindo was stuck with Tan-yu and his family. The other conflict was human vs. self because Lindo really wanted to run away from the Huang household, but she didn't want to dishonor her own family by breaking her promise.
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Promises
Focusing on: The Red Candle
First and foremost I was offended when Lindo Jong, the narrator of this chapter, was stating that I (the readers) did not know the importance or commitment that it took to keep a promise. I was thinking, "you don't know who I am," but once I read her entire story I understood what she was trying to say.The Red Candle was about the story of her promise to her parents that she would marry Tyan-yu, a fat and pompous kid, and be a "good" wife to honor them. The depth and difficulty of her promise is overwhelming, especially because her situation is uncommon or even unimaginable today. Jong was expressing, through her words, that people in the past had to do the unimaginable, things that would change their lives and do it against their own will or for the sake of their family, unlike many people today. Apart from how I felt about the chapter as a whole, there were also a few characters who made me extremely irritated. I was especially annoyed by Tyan-yu, not only because he was a spoiled brat but also because of his cowardliness. His big head made him think that he was above everyone else, ultimately making him act like an immature king. Despite my hate towards Tyan-yu, there was also a scene in which I felt sorry for him. This scene was the scene in which Lindo realizes that Tyan-yu was afraid to lay with her, to have any sexual interaction with her. Though I was glad that he had no such desires for Jong, I was also sorry for him because I realized that he had also not been given the freedom to choose who he had wanted to marry. Another character that extremely bugged me was the servant girl. Even though the "only thing" she did was re-light the candle, her careless action had caused life-threatening troubles for Lindo. I felt refreshed and felt like I had finally gotten my revenge when Lindo lied to Huang Tai-tai, her mother-in-law, that the servant girl was Tyan-yu's "true spiritual wife," and that she was barren with his child. Though I felt sorry for her later on in the story, I also felt that she well deserved it because she had tried to decide Lindo's fate.
One phrase that can describe the relationship between Lindo and the servant girl is "secret rivalry." When the servant girl lies that the candles' flames were continuously burning throughout the night, Lindo's fate is ultimately on the verge of becoming a living hell for her. However, just in time Lindo is able to save her own life when she lies that the servant girl is the one who is the "true spiritual wife," of in other words the girl who was "destined" to take her place. Lindo had been the one who was losing in the beginning of the story, but in the end the servant girl becomes, in a sense, the girl who is "looking out from the window" and watching Lindo "running free" from her unwanted destiny.
One writing technique that Amy Tan used was symbolism. Her use of symbolism helped me get the deeper meaning behind the key themes of this chapter. For example, Tan mentions gold bracelets a couple times throughout Jong's story. Though there may be different interpretations of what the bracelets really represent, I thought that they symbolized the promises that a person had to keep. The words "promise," "free," and "independent," gave the connotation that the bracelets were a type of burden, and when the person was depraved of these "promises" they felt free and light. I was able to develop this connection through Tan's use of dialogue and words that surrounded the phrase "gold bracelets."
I believe that the theme, or life lesson of this chapter is basically to not forget or lose yourself even when you are overwhelmed by or hate life. Even though Lindo went through with the forced marriage, she promised that she would not forget herself. Lindo was able to save herself when she tricked her in-laws into thinking that she was not Tyan-yu's "true spritual wife," and thus was able to keep both her parents' promise and her own identity.
Johnny Chu
Period 7
1. The Rotten Marriage
2. The Red Candle
3. Lindo Jong was paired up to a boy younger than her when she was young. This is called an arranged marriage. If the daughter does not marry the son of the other family after they made their contract. Then the family will have disgrace and will be dishonored. Lindo was to marry Tyan-Yu when she was older. Tyan-Yu was a chubby boy of a rich family in the village. I feel that this type of marriage is not really fair because the parents decide who you marry to. It is really awkward for us since America is a free country and we are not used to these customs. Since Huang Tai-Tai was Lindo’s new mother she has to respect her and treat her like her real mother. Soon she got used to her picky expectations. If I were in her situation I wouldn’t be very happy since I have to serve someone that is my mom, but not my real mother. Another thing I want to point out is that Tyan-Yu and Lindo didn’t sleep together even though they were married. This shows how he is a coward and is still a child even though they were 16 when they married.
4. The relationship between Tyan-Yu and Lindo is like brother and sister. When they first got married they didn’t sleep together. Until sometime later they start sleeping together, but they don’t do anything. She even took off all her clothes, but Tyan-Yu did not even have the appeal for her. Another relationship that is interesting is between Huang Tai-Tai and Lindo. Lindo’s real mother told her to treat Huang Tai-Tai as her real mother and to never again remember her. Huang Tai-Tai had very high expectations for her and she was not treated like before by her mother.
5. Amy Tan showed that the candle being blown out really meant that Lindo and Tyan-Yu’s marriage would not last long. The two red candles were symbols of Lindo and Tyan-Yu. The red candles also foreshadows that their marriage would not last long.
6c. In the Chinese culture arranged marriages were planned by the parents with the matchmakers. Another interesting part is that when a girl marries, she has to treat her mother-in-law as their real mother. The girl would have to wake up earlier than everyone else and get breakfast and etc. prepared.
1) An Arranged Marriage?
2) Feathers from a Thousand Li Away “Lindo Jong: The Red Candle”
3) I wasn’t surprised that Lindo Jong was contracted to an arranged marriage by birth because the time period that she lived in back in China. The fact that her greatest mission upon living with her new family was to keep her promise to her parents to not disgrace them shows that she is obedient and loyal. This chapter was written with a lot of character showing the thoughts and feelings of Lindo Jong in particular and it also had a great deal of local color woven in. I think that the chapter was really confusing toward the end. I’m pretty sure that the servant girl who lies about the candle and the servant girl who flirts with the delivery man are two different people because one servant belongs to the matchmaker while the other belongs to the Huangs. Even so, she takes revenge on both of them toward the end of the chapter. What I don’t understand is how Lindo knew that the servant girl who flirts with the delivery man was of imperial ancestry and that she was with child. How did she know? I’m pretty sure that her dream was a fake, yet her facts were so real. Of the “three warnings” Lindo’s knowledge of the mole and the candle can be explained, but how could she know about the servant girl’s personal life?
4) I would describe the relationship between Lindo Jong and her real parents (especially her mother) as “silent love and longing.” They love each other, but that love is hidden. There is no mother who doesn’t love her own child and Lindo knew this for she said, “She would say this (treated Lindo as if she belonged to someone else) biting back her tongue, so she wouldn’t wish for something that was no longer hers,” (45). When their house was flooded and the whole family except for Lindo had to move, she didn’t protest, although she would very much rather live with her parents. She was able to make out her mother’s sadness and during her time living with the Huangs she never forgot her promise. That showed that her love for her parents was pure. She sacrificed everything, her happiness and more, to honor her parents.
5) I think that the most noticeable writing technique that Tan uses in this particular chapter is symbolism. There were various symbols such as the red candle and gold/jewelry. Although she didn’t think of it first, the red candle and her act of blowing out Tyan-yu’s lit side later played a part in setting her free. It was mentioned a number of times in the chapter: first, on the day of her marriage, then when she took a walk outside and saw the candle through the window and last when she retold her so-called “dream.” The red candle symbolized a marriage bond, a bond that sealed her to her husband and his family for the rest of her life. Her act of blowing out the candle symbolized that the marriage was in a way, invalid. The candle had gone out; it wouldn’t go on forever unbroken. The gold and jewelry was also a symbol. It stood for a promise. The phrase “my promise is as good as gold,” (42) would mean nothing if the gold was fake. Jewelry was mentioned again when Lindo’s mother gave Lindo her necklace. It was right before her mother reminded her to “obey [her] family,” and “do not disgrace [them],” (48). It symbolized the promise that Lindo was to keep while she lived with the Huangs. It was mentioned again when Huang Taitai took off all of Lindo’s jewelry thinking that it would make her more fertile. Lindo said that it made her “more free,” (59).
6) (c. What are you learning about Chinese culture?)
This chapter contained a lot of local color. The facts were present throughout the chapter. It talked about honor, arranged marriages, the matchmaker and a wife’s loyalty. There were customs to follow at weddings such as carrying the bride on a carriage from her house to her husband’s house (in this case, the neighbor’s house since Lindo doesn’t have her own home), lighting the red candle and that it was rude for guests to not attend when invited. I learned a few superstitions such as “[Huang Taitai thought] that scissors and knives were cutting off her next generation,” (58). There are still people who believe in such things, but I have no comment for whether or not they are true.
Bad Marriage
“Red Candle”
1.At the beginning of the book, I didn’t like Lindo Jong but she always seemed so happy and carefree. I thought this chapter revealed Jong’s character and why she behaves the way she does. From such a cheery exterior, I didn’t know she had a rough past. I liked how sly Jong was when she made up that story to get rid of her marriage. It showed that she was not a snobby rich girl that couldn’t think for herself.
2.Lindo and Tyan-yu’s relationship is complex. Lindo said that she did grow to love Tyan-yu, but in a sibling kind of way. Their relationship confuses me because they seem more like a couple. For instance, the way Tyan-yu protected Lindo from his mother’s fury by saying that it’s his fault that they don’t have children yet made me think that he has grown to love Lindo as well. Even though it’s weird, I sort of hoped that they would try to make the marriage work and somehow fall in love during the process.
3.Amy Tan uses foreshadowing to imply that Lindo’s marriage was not so good. At the beginning of the chapter she starts by talking about a movie when the soldier from America marries someone and they’re married forever. Then she goes on to say that her marriage was not like that and starts talking about what happened. This improves the story by pulling the reader to see what happened during that marriage, who was involved, and why it was bad.
4.The allegory illustrates a mother traveling to America and has had many hardships in order for her daughter not to suffer the same fate. However, the daughter turned out more that expected because she does not learn about her culture and it is therefore lost. This chapter relates to that allegory because it reveals that Lindo’s daughter does not know much about her mother or about her heritage. It shows that her daughter can easily break a promise and can just as easily forget about her culture.
1. Oh, This ISNT Love
2. “The Red Candle”
3. Amy Tan’s chapter, “The Red Candle,” has a lot of Chinese culture embedded into it. Some included are the arranged marriage, the dowry Lindo offers to the Huangs, and the red marriage candle, of course. As I read the chapter, I thought of how Lindo Jong must have felt when she found out she’d be forced to marry Tyan-Yu when she got older. I think it is unfair for her to marry Tyan-Yu because she didn’t have the opportunity to choose her husband and to be destined to be with someone at the age of two is irrelevant. Instead, the old village matchmaker found the mother of Tyan-Yu, who was able to choose the bride of her son. As I read how Huang Taitai chose her daughter in law, I somewhat thought of it as a mother grocery shopping, examining closely and making sure she chooses one “who would raise proper sons” and “care for old people” like a mother would check for ripe bananas and fruit (45). It was sad to know that at age twelve that Lindo was to separate with her family to live with people she knows absolutely nothing of. I think it was already enough that she has to marry someone she has no admiration for and then to live with his family at such young age is just too much for a twelve year old to experience. But at the same time, I also understand that Lindo promised her parents to do what she was told. So that just shows she has a lot of respect for her parents and is obedient.
4. I would describe Lindo Jong and Huang Taitai’s relationship as an unusual mother in law and daughter in law relationship. Traditionally, the mother would welcome the daughter into the family. But in this case, Huang Taitai treats Lindo as another servant, ordering her to clean and cook and do things servants would do. She doesn’t treat her very well. As for Lindo, even though her mother in law disrespects her, she obeys anyways. She does what Huang Taitai says because she wants to be a good daughter in law to her and keep the promise she made to her parents.
5. A technique Amy Tan utilizes strategically is flashbacks. The flashbacks allow the narrator, Lindo Jong, to retell what happened in the past.
6. In this chapter, “The Red Candle,” I notice a lot of Chinese Culture. It talks about how the village matchmaker takes a mother to choose a girl at young age to marry her son in the future. I also learned that Taiyuanese mothers chose eligible brides, who’d raise proper sons, are for the old and sweep the family burial grounds. In addition to the arranged marriage, the Chinese have a red candle that has two ends for lighting with the couple’s names written in gold characters. The candle is used at wedding ceremonies where the ends are lit and handed to a servant who is responsible of making sure neither end burns out throughout the whole night. By morning, if the ends have not burned out, the servant will declare their marriage unbreakable. The candle is like marriage bond to promise not to divorce.
1. Thank you, Buddha!
2. “The Red Candle”
3. “The Red Candle” is a well-written chapter that focuses on Lindo Jong and her arranged marriage with Tyan-yu Huang. The opening of the chapter grabbed my attention and really pulled me into the story. Not long after her birth, Lindo is promised to Tyan-yu, a spoiled kid from a wealthy family. At the age of twelve, her family leaves her with the Huang family and she begins her new life training to be the perfect wife. I felt bad for Lindo for being pulled into a promise that she had no say in and cannot get out of it or else she’ll disgrace her family and how she was treated more like a servant than a fiancée when with the Huangs. Then, I began to appreciate how clever Lindo is in weaving a tale that will annul her marriage. I liked Lindo’s resourceful personality and can’t wait to read how she’s like in America.
4. I would describe Lindo and her mother’s relationship as hopelessly tragic. It is clear that the two love each other, but are destined to be apart. In the chapter, Lindo’s mother address Lindo as “Huang Taitai’s daughter”, however, she would say that while “biting back her tongue”, trying to not wish that Lindo’s was still hers. In other cases, Lindo would cry to make herself seem uglier so that the Huangs wouldn’t want her anymore. Lindo’s mother would reply in turn that the contract “cannot be broken”. Although they want to stay together, they are helpless against their contract with the Huangs, and they are doomed to be separated.
5. One writing technique that Amy Tan uses in “The Red Candle” is similes. While the matchmaker and Huang Taitai are discussing whether or not Lindo is suited for Tyan-yu, Huang Taitai flashes Lindo a toothy grin. Lindo describes that smile using similes, one of it being “her teeth opened wide as if she were going to swallow me down in one piece” (44). Similes improve the story because they effectively describe appearances in an original way and grasp readers’ imagination. Also, there are no lines in the passage that bluntly states that Huang Taitai’s grin is frightening, but by the use of similes, we can conclude that it is.
6. There is a lot of local color incorporated into “The Red Candle”. In this chapter, readers are given a small idea of what a Chinese matchmaking arrangement is like. During these arrangements, parents look for the ideal daughter-in-law. For example, she mustn’t have a bad temper and need to grow up to be a hard worker so that one day, she will take care of them when they become old. Tan also describes what a wedding procession is like in this chapter. There are many processes to a wedding that have to be completed in order for the wedding to be successful and valid.
Rikki Dionisio
Period 6
1. Married at Age Two
2. Feathers from a Thousand Li Away: “The Red Candle” (Lindo Jong)
3. This chapter was full of Chinese culture. Of course the most obvious was when Lindo already had a destined husband when she was a mere two years old. In the 20th century it was important to the Chinese that their daughters were married off so they found husbands when the children could barely walk. I could only imagine how Lindo felt being forced to marry a man she didn’t love and live to make someone else happy while she is miserable inside because of it. Lindo “once sacrificed [her] life to keep [her] parents' promise”, and learned to cook, sew, and clean to be a good wife and not bring shame to her parents.
Two additional examples of Chinese culture Tan wove into the chapter were Lindo’s dowry and the red marriage candle that holds a significant amount of culture and importance in it. Dowries are the goods, money, or land that a new bride brings to her husband. I never quite understood why a dowry was given to the husband, but I believed that the greater the dowry that is given, like in the chapter, the move lenient the husband is to the wife, but this is just my assumption.
4. The relationship between Tyan-yu and Lindo intrigued me because they are both so preoccupied with pleasing Tyan-yu’s mother, Taitai, that they refuse to sleep together. Tyan-yu forced Lindo to sleep on the couch for months because of their embarrassment and fear. But when Taitai found out she was upset and Tyan-yu blamed Lindo. They were basically sleeping separately for no reason. But when Lindo did finally sleep in Tyan-yu’s bed he refused to touch or be near her on the bed. When Lindo failed to become pregnant and Taitai found out and tried to help, Tyan-yu said that he’d produced so many possibilities of children he could’ve had thousands if it wasn’t for Lindo. This was to show Taitai that he was doing his part and it was all Lindo’s fault in attempts to please Taitai.
5. Tan uses plenty of foreshadowing that Lindo Jong’s marriage is not going very well. When she had Lindo sleeping on the couch for such a long time and having Tyan-yu not touching her is her implicitly saying that he marriage is not going to work.
6. What are you learning about Chinese culture?
There was an abundance of Chinese culture within this chapter including the dowry, myths/superstitions, common customs, and the role women played. Dating back to the earliest of times, in Chinese culture women were not seen as useful items other than to bare children and as indentured servants.
Kimmy Tran
1. Blow the Flame Away
2. “The Red Candle”
3. I thought this chapter was very interesting and was written well. I was surprised that Lindo was already planning to be married to Tyan-yu at such an early age. I was also mad at the fact that Lindo’s true identity was beginning to fade away each day she was at the Huang residence. SO when Lindo realized that she was as strong as the wind, I was happy for her.
I really liked her character. She was really smart and sly when she tried to get out of her marriage by describing a “dream”. She took small facts, like the mole on Tyan-yu’s body and her observations of the painting of the grandfather and the servant girl’s changing face and body and put them together into a whole devious plan for getting out of her marriage. She’s very clever and remains true to her self because she had “promised not to forget herself” (63) while also remembering her promise to her parents.
I thought that Tyan-yu’s refusal to sleep with Lindo was funny for some reason. It reminded me of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s situation. Both of Marie Antoinette and Lindo were scorned for not getting pregnant just because the male refuses not to.
4. I would describe the relationship between Lindo and her mother as stern but loving. Although her mother may seem cold to her sometimes and even say that she’s someone else’s daughter, Lindo will forever know that her “mother did not treat [her] this way because she didn’t love [her]” (45). She did it because she wanted her daughter to have a better life than she did as demonstrated when her mother says to Lindo that “[she’s] very lucky” (48) when she is preparing her daughter to go to live at the Huang residence.
5. Amy Tan uses a lot of symbolism in this chapter also. The red candles, as explained in the book, symbolize the bond of the marriage between Tyan-yu and Lindo. When Lindo visits the candles, they were fluttering and “bent down low, but still both ends burned strong” (56). This meant that the marriage, no matter how loveless and weak it may be, it could still last their entire lives. So when Lindo blew out the candle herself, this represented that Lindo must end the marriage herself, rather than waiting for destiny or an unknown force to end it. She does eventually end the marriage by tricking the parents.
Jewelry also is used as a symbol. The jewelry represents her commitment to a person and how herself, as an independent person, fades away. The gold given to her by her mother-in-law represents her commitment to the Huang family and keeping them satisfied. When her gold is taken off (in order to become fertile according to the matchmaker), she “felt lighter” and “more free” (59). This symbolizes that she had gotten her spirit and individuality back because she “[began] to think as an independent person” (59). Also she gets gold bracelets from her new husband when she gave birth to boys, symbolizing her commitment to them.
6. (c. What are you learning about Chinese culture?)
I learned from this chapter that to Chinese people, gold must be 24 carats or else it’s not considered real gold. I also learned that arranged marriages were common in China and also that in Chinese culture, people are very superstitious. Now I know more about Chinese traditions like the red candles and also that wives are usually treated like their only value is cleaning and cooking and producing babies.
The Silent Wind
The Red Candle
1. Although Tyan-Yu, the boy Lindo had to marry really bugged me, I wasn’t surprised at all how much he was spoiled. Back then, Chinese people really valued boys, especially first born boys. I can’t imagine how it would feel to be twelve years old and be left behind while your family moves somewhere else. Nowadays we have the internet and everything to keep in touch, but back then if you move, its hard to contact the people you moved away from. I think that Lindo is very strong and brave to move into her future husband’s home and serve them just so she could uphold her family’s name.
2. The relationship between Lindo Jong and her mother is a little detached. Since Lindo was promised off when she was very little, her mother was very careful and made sure that she always remembered that Lindo was not her own daughter anymore, but the daughter of the Huangs. Her mother always called her Huang Taitai’s daughter. This was not supposed to mean that she did not love Lindo, but she called her this so that “she wouldn’t wish for something that was no longer hers” (45).
3. I liked Amy Tan’s use of symbolism in the beginning of the chapter when she compared promises to gold. Lindo, the mother in the story compares her daughter’s flaky promises to 14 carat gold, which according to her, is not real gold. Lindo’s promises, on the other hand, are like 24 carat gold. This shows that Lindo’s promises are much more valuable because she sticks to t hem and will not ever turn back. I think this gives a slight foreshadowing that she will have to suffer in order to keep a promise unlike her daughter. I think this simile made by Lindo helps the reader understand a little more about her character and how much she values keeping promises.
4. The major life lesson in this chapter is to never lose yourself no matter what happens. This lesson is presented when Lindo is about to be married and she looks in the mirror realizing that she had “genuine thoughts inside that no one could see, that no one could ever take away from [her]” (53). She realized that she was like the wind that no one could see, but the effects could be felt by everyone.
-Laurie Jeng
1. What Flame?
2. The Red Candle
3. One of the major roles Chinese cultures had in this chapter was the huge influence parents and family had on the marriages of their children. In this chapter Lindo proved she had a great amount of honor for her parents, as she learned all the necessary things to be a good wife, and please her husband. Tasks such as cleaning, sewing, and most importantly cooking. Another item of culture Tan included in this chapter was the dowry and the red marriage candle. When Lindo was married off she offered her husband a dowry or offering. This could consist of anything from land to money. Respecting the tradition to present a dowry is the only reason I could see the reason to do so.
4. Lindo Jong and Huang Taitai’s relationship seemed to be mostly a daughter-in-law trying her best to impress her mother-in-law for her husband. Rather than welcoming Lindo into the family Taitai treats her as one of the many slave girls that already lived in the household. Lindo obeys the cruelness of her mother-in-law to stay true to her parents. I believe this portrays Lindo’s honor for her family to an even greater extent.
5. I believe Amy tan uses two very important techniques in her novel: flashbacks and foreshadowing. The flashbacks help us to know what has happened, and the foreshadowing helps us predict what will happen. Together these techniques make for a very interesting chapter.
6. In terms of learning about the Chinese culture, I have learned a lot. Even if marrying a loved husband isn’t the usual for a Chinese girl, the love amongst a Chinese family proves very prominent. The reason Lindo goes along with her planned and arranged marriage is to please her family. To live a loveless life, and make the best of hit, takes a lot of motivation. I believe she is motivated by her love for her family.
Raymond Yeh
1. Unhappy Celebrations
2. The Red Candle
3. In this chapter, Lindo Jong is forced by her family to marry the Huang Family’s childlike son. I believe that Lindo Jong tried her best to honor her parents’ wishes but in the end could not stand life in the Huang house. She was obviously treated as an inferior because she was sent to work with the servants. She has to take care of a husband that seemed more like her little brother and had to satisfy Huang Tai Tai with her chores. In the end, she made up a brilliant lie to escape from the Huang house. I was surprised that the family actually believed her.
4. The relationship between Jong and Huang Tai Tai is almost like mother and daughter. Even before Jong moved in the Huang’s house, her own parents already treated her like Huang Tai Tai’s daughter. Her mother would say, “Look how much Huang Tai Tai’s daughter can eat.” (45). When Jong finally moves in with the Huangs, she treats Huang Tai Tai with respect. She does all she can within her own power just to please her. Huang Tai Tai’s opinion was worth more than her own life.
5. Amy Tan uses the river as a symbol in this chapter. During the summer, the river flows with brown water while during the winter the river freezes into white ice. Like a river that changes its color to brown and back to white, Jong had to change in order to live with the Huang’s but still be herself.
6. Amy Tan references to Chinese culture in many different ways in this chapter with the aspect of forced marriage as the most visible one. Even though this chapter mostly takes place in the early 19th century, rural families, like the Huangs, still practiced many old fashioned customs. In traditional Chinese culture, girls are married off to another family at a young age as an investment. Girls were not also valued as much as boys.
A Cursed Marriage
1) (Red Candle) I thought that the
way that a family makes a contract for you to marry one guy is ridiculous or the other way around. This chapter showed a lot of local color becuase it sets an example of what the chinese culture is like, especailly in marriages. I felt sorry for Lindo Jong, especially how her husband did not even care about her and I thought that this is unfair.
2) Lindo Jong's relationship with Tyan-yu was amusing because of the way they acted towards each other. Lindo said "I would always become sick thinking he would someday jump on me and do his business," and this was pretty funny. Then she tries everything to sleep with him and he ignores her. She says "He was a little boy who never grown up". There relationship was sad and useless, a waste. They both are so scared to touch eachother because they unexperienced, I guess.
3) I learned that the Chinese culture keep their promises very well. This is why Lindo Jung married Tyan-tu. Women had a disadvvantage because they too can become bound to one man for the rest of their life and there would be not a thing that they are able to do in order to change it
1. “Newfound Strength”
2. “The Red Candle”
3. I really liked this chapter because it was so grabbing since the very beginning. Arranged marriages are uncommon in these modern ages and reading about Lindo Jong’s experiences in one was very interesting. The characters all seemed to have their flaws, which made them seem so real. Lindo Jong’s spoiled husband, Tyan-yu, also succeeded in really ticking me off. Throughout this chapter, I constantly wished something shocking would happen to Tyan-yu so he would finally get knocked off his “high and mighty” stool and just grow up. I felt sorry for Lindo because she had to go through this marriage in order to please her family and society. As I was reading, I found myself longing for the Lindo’s parents right along with her. Even so, I also felt slightly sorry for Tyan-yu at the end of this chapter because he was also pressured to marry and produce heirs with someone he didn’t like. I thought it was very clever of Lindo to make up a dream that would convince the gullible Huang Taitai to break off the marriage. It was a relief when Lindo was finally free from the chains of marriage that was holding her down. The only thing I found myself wondering was who the narrator was talking to when she began her story.
4. I would describe Lindo Jong and Tyan-yu’s relationship as a “brother and sister” relationship. They did not want each other in a different sense. When Lindo first moved into Tyan-yu’s room, they slept separately. Even when Lindo moved into his bed, nothing happened between them. Tyan-yu didn’t even attempt to make a move on Lindo when she took her clothes off for him. Though they loved each other, they didn’t think of each other as husband and wife.
5. In this chapter, Tan uses a lot of flashbacks. In fact, this chapter was mainly consisted of flashbacks on Lindo Jong’s childhood and arranged marriage. The flashbacks really helped give more depth to the character of Lindo Jong. By using this technique, the simple gold bracelets Lindo wore were given more depth past the simple definition of jewelry.
6. This vignette’s conflict was a combination of human vs. nature and human vs. society. The conflict with nature can be seen when the storms come and ruins the home of Lindo Jong, which forces her to move to her husband’s house and also forces her parents to move away. The conflict with society is apparent because arranged marriages were common and expected. Even though more freedom was given in other areas of China, it was still proper in this society to bend down to the parent’s will. Disobeying and refusing the marriage would go against the rules put down by the society.
The fire in my heart can fade every now and then, but it will never burn out.
"Red Candle"
1. My first reaction was after reading the first line of this chapter about how Lindo “once sacrificed [her] life to keep [her] parents' promise”(42). I would never put my life at stake to do such a thing. My mom said so herself that there is nothing more valuable than your life.
I think having arranged marriages is wrong. People can't experience or learn much if someone else chooses something so important for them, such as who they'll spend the rest of their life with. They're not able to have deep commitments with various people, therefore limiting their knowledge of emotional pain. It's also bad to have an arranged marriage because people are attracted to people who have a different immune system than their own, so that their baby can have a wide (and strong) immune system. If arranged marriages happen often, then I'm pretty sure that people of weak immune systems will reproduce, producing a baby that also has a weak immune system.
It's so sad how the mothers of the daughters in China back then had to promise their daughter to some random guy. When the daughter grows up, she'd be practically working for her husband's family, so I understand why Lindo's mom treated her as if she wasn't even her daughter. I'd be doing that too, just to ease the pain when my daughter goes away. This line especially expressed the pain: “She would say this biting back her tongue, so she wouldn't wish for something that was no longer hers”(45).
The families that stuck to the old traditions (at least, the ones that are unreasonable) are messed up. I doubt that any parent who cares the least bit for their child today would never separate himself from his 12-year-old.
As if promising to be Tyan-yu's wife were not enough trouble to give her, Lindo was treated as bad as the servants when she arrived in the Huangs' house. I think that is so mean because you should at the very least be kind to someone who has given their whole self to you. Lindo is basically giving her life to Tuan-yu. I can't believe the Huangs are adding her to their collection of servants.
“I couldn't see the wind itself... I was like the wind”(53). When Lindo talks about the wind, it reminded me of what Mandy Moore said in A Walk To Remember. “I can't see it, but I can feel it.” I think that's really nice.
It was nice that Tyan-yu didn't touch Lindo. But it wasn't nice that he lied to his mother about sleeping with Lindo when he didn't. He also let his mother blame Lindo.
Lindo was smart to make the Huangs think that Tyan-yu's baby was in one of the servants' stomache. Her plan made everyone happy, including herself.
2. I think Lindo and her mom really loved each other. Lindo kept her promise to her mom and didn't embarrass her family while finding a way to make everyone happy. Her mom's love was expressed in this passage: “My mother did not treat me this way because she didn't love me. She would say this biting back her tongue, so she wouldn't wish for something that was no longer hers”(45). Lindo also said that her mom was “very sad” when she was about to leave Lindo to the Huang family (48). Their relationship is strong because in the end, Lindo found a way to go back to her family.
3. In this chapter, I noticed that Amy Tan used personification, similes, metaphors, simile, and flashback. But what stood out the most to me was personification. I liked how Lindo's father said that “[the river] liked to swallow little children”(46). That's a much more interesting way of saying that the river floods. I also think Tan was clever when she wrote that “a lot of bad luck fell” on Lindo and Tyan-yu's wedding (52). Personifications make stories a lot more amusing. It also makes readers smile sometimes because it's good humor.
4. I think the theme of this chapter is that no matter what you have to go through (or who, in this matter), you should never forget yourself. Always remember who you are. When life kicks you to the ground, remember who you are or who you want to be. You wouldn't want to let it nail you to the floor forever, right? Don't let the candle in your heart burn out. In other words, don't give up.
Eileen Ly from 7th period
Twin-bladed Promises
A Red Candle
I felt sorry for Lindo. She was forced not to marry out of love but because her family was too poor. Her husband, Tyan-yu was spoiled and was raised by Huang Taitai, who smothered the child with affection. Why does she have to endure such torture…my guess is that she must have really loved her mom to have promised to uphold her family honor. Although her mother could only love her from a distance, Lindo managed to persevere with her life. I respected her determination and admire her ability to “never forget [herself] (53) at the peaks of despair in her life. Furthermore, she took excellent care of Tyan-yu and came to understand him better, as a little brother, of course. I felt that Lindo showed a lot of compassion on her part for the scene. But I don’t think she really liked Huang Taitai. (I mean who would?) I also briefly wondered about the ancient traditions of matchmaking and if they still exist today…hopefully not. One thing that definitely caught my eye was Lindo’s wits and intelligence. I was amazed to hear how she was able to come up with a way to change her life while not breaking her promise to her mother and also a promise to herself. As an independent individual, she took on the burden of promises and how they can affect a person in more ways than one. And most importantly,
The responsibility and devotion of keeping one.
From the first time Lindo Jong meets with Huang Taitai, the reader can already feel their relationship-awkward. I mean, who wouldn’t feel a bit freaked with an old lady looking at you intensely and smiling? I for one think Huang Taitai is a bit creepy. Lindo must at least feel a bit unnerved, don’t you think? And also, Huang Taitai seems to be of the people that you don’t really want to meet in life. In her relationship with Lindo, Huang Taitai is like the evil stepmother, always barking orders and complaints. In fact, when Lindo first arrives at her household, Huang Taitai puts her to work in the kitchen, “a place for cooks and servants” (49). I also feel that their relationship is forced. The only reason Lindo is putting up with her is because of her promise to her mother. Even when Huang Taitai slapped her in the face for not sleeping with her son (That’s a bit ironic…), Lindo still complies with her wishes. A normal person would have gotten fed up and slapped back. (I would. And also punched, too.)
Tan uses imagery from the first person point of view to describe to the reader how Lindo sees everything. This gives the reader a better understanding of how she thinks and interacts with things. There is also the regular use of metaphors such as comparing Tyan-yu to a warlord. There might be a bit of symbolism within the text though too. For example, the red scarf that Lindo wore during the day of her marriage is taken off at the end of the story. It could be that the scarf represents her forced life with the Huangs. Only when she takes it off does she truly see herself.
The main conflict in “The Red Candle” is between Lindo Jong and her promises. It’s more of an internal conflict between her pride and devotion, against her happiness and freedom. In her unsaid promise to obey her mom, Lindo must not “disgrace [her family]” (48). However, Lindo “hurt so much [she] didn’t even feel any difference” (51), while living and obeying the Huangs. On the night of her wedding, Lindo blew out her husband’s red candle, signifying her unwillingness to marry him. She felt guilty about it at first but began to realize that she has control over her own fate shown when she compared herself with the wind, which “carried the water that filled the rivers and shaped the countryside [and] caused men to yelp and dance” (53). In the end, I would say that Lindo found a kind of peace between the promises to her mom and herself. She “would always remember [her] parent’s wishes, but [she] would never forget herself” (53).
Jane Wong
Period 6
1. An Unwanted Marriage
2. Scar
3. In this chapter, it really gave the reader a very forced and unwanted feeling in the beginning of the story. It was like the reader was dealing along with Lindo Jong's situation as well. It was relatable to compare her life to the women back in the days for marriages. They were forced to marry, which meant that they had to live their lives through without being able to choose who they wanted their husbands to be. I thought it was a really sad to sympathize about because things are so different in America these days in her chapter. She described how "the American solider goes home and he falls to his knees asking another girl to marry him" in a way that tells the reader that this was not how her situation turned out to be (43). This gave somewhat a clear overview of what she was about to mention to the reader about her own marriage. Overall, the chapter really did shock me a few times. Towards the ending, Lindo Jong actually said, "I learned to love Tyan-yu, but it is not how you think" (57). I was shocked becuase she was saying that she did actually love him in the end. She said it wasn't what we thought because she probably meant that it was like a family love feeling. Literally at the end, I thought she was very clever to how she told Huang Taitai that she had a dream that unfortunate events were going to happen if they did not abandon her as Tyan-yu's wife immediately. It just proved how much she wanted to prove that she was worthy of her family's promise, but also at the same time, worthy of knowing who she was and can still be if she just stood up for herself for once instead of doing what everybody wanted her to do all the time. I thought she was a very clever young woman in this chapter. Though there are some questions that leave me hanging. So did the marriage contract just disappear? Would she have to go through some sort of ceremony to wash away all that she has been through with the former marriage? I questioned this becuase in the beginning, she said something about how once you're married, you would have to stick with it forever. She also said something about how you cannot re-marry or disobey the new family in any way.
4. The character relationship between Lindo Jong and Tyan-Yu are like brothers and sisters. Though they were married, they never slept together. She thought that it was becuase he was still like a baby, an immature boy, who was not quite ready to do his business with another woman. In the scene where Lindo Jong heard Huang Taitai say that they had to have babies or else, she even tried taking off her gown in front of Tyan-Yu. He still did not touch her that night, so it let both Lindo Jong and the reader know that they were just going to sleep and live on like brothers and sisters every night. Also, there was Huang Taitai and Lindo Jong. Huang Taitai seemed like the typical asian mother who expected a lot from Lindo Jong, her daughter-in-law. Though she did not seem to be satisfied with Lindo Jong's actions at first, Lindo Jong soon proved to her that she was worthy of doing what she had to do and fulfilling the commands made from Huang Taitai. So this kind of gave the reader the image of a mother-daughter situation where both characters learned to be satisfied with each's actions in the end.
5. In this chapter, Amy Tan described the red candle as "a marriage bond that was worth more than Catholic promise not to divorce" (55). She also described how the candle was not just a candle, but something that was so important to the family traditions of their people. She said it was "supposed to seal [ her] forever with [ her] husband and his family, no excuses afterwar (55). The scene where the red candle blew out symbolized that the marriage between her and Tyan-Yu were definitely not going to last for long. It represented a different meaning other than long-lasting trust and bond as being a wife in the new family.
6. I learned more about Chinese Culture in this chapter. It definitely had a lot of new chinese words that fulfilled the sceneries to be more realistic. For example, Tyan-yu's name was not just a name. Tyan meant "sky" and yu meant "leftovers." This taught me more about Chinese cultures because it was said that he was named this because "his father was very sick and his family thought he might die" so "[he] would be the leftover of his father's spirit" (44). Today, our names don't have that deep of a meaning to as how Tyan-Yu did back then. Also, I learned how syaumei, meant a little dumpling. She probably brought this up to let the reader know that this was probably one of the most favourites for a lot of people. Chang was "a necklace made out of a tablet of red jade" (47-48). I suppose that jade was very welcoming back in the days for the people who strongly believed in promises and traditions. Overall, there is a lot of local color going on continuously in this chapter, which helps the reader visualize the place along with the marriage and everything. It showed more than enough to how a regular and traditional marriage would be put together and all the materials that were needed to be included. This definitely helped clear a lot of things up to what marriages were actually like in preparation back in the days.
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1. Learning to Live
2. The Red Candle
3. The first few paragraphs in this chapter reeled in my attention. ‘The Red Candle’ was unlike any of the previous chapters because it was told in a second person point of view. While it was interesting, it also confused me a little bit because I’m used to reading works of literature that are presented in either first person, or third person point of view. When the protagonist, Lindo Jong, narrates, “I’m telling you this because I worry about your baby,” I think that she is addressing her daughter and, with the flashback of her childhood, explaining to her about the true meaning of the word “promise”. As I read the chapter, I thought it was unfair for Lindo Jong, at the young age of two, to be arranged for marriage with a younger guy that she didn’t know at all. It’s like having a blind date, but worse! Later in her teenage life, she and Tyan-yu, a wealthy, but extremely spoiled kid, become married. I, personally, wouldn’t mind being married for money, but I wouldn’t want a spoiled mama’s boy for a husband. I really admired Lindo. She cleverly thought of way to break out of her marriage while still keeping the promise she made with her real family when she was a young child. She faked having a dream where her ancestors told her that it was necessary for her to get out of the marriage with Tyan-yu, otherwise there will be a series of omens. She went through that entire wailing outburst in order to get what she desired most, her freedom away from the Huang family.
4. Most people would find that the relationship between Lindo Jong and Huang Taitai is unusual or untypical for a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. I, on the other hand, find their relationship as no surprise. I’m able to meet halfway with Lindo Jong because the way that her mother-in-law treats her is the exact same way that my own mother is treated by her mother-in-law. Both are given mistreatment and are obligated to cook, care, and clean for their mother-in-laws, like a personal servant, or a house keeper. And the husbands cannot do or say anything either because they wish to please their mothers. In both Lindo’s and my mother’s situations, even though their mother-in-laws disrespect them, without questions or comments, they obey anyway. Lindo does what Huang Taitai asks because she wants to be a good and honorable daughter-in-law to her and keep the promise she made to her parents when she was younger.
5. One of the writing techniques that Amy Tan uses in “The Red Candle” is foreshadowing. From the time that Lindo Jong met her soon-to-be husband Tyan-yu, I had a strong hunch that their marriage would not last. When Lindo was introduced to Tyan-yu during the New Year, he “cried loud…with a big open mouth even though he was not a baby” (Tan 46). Many people take some of their childhood qualities with them as they grow older. The spoiled, whiney, and babyish quality followed Tyan-yu even in his teenage years. That personality trait isn’t very desirable in a husband. In the end, my guess was correct: Lindo Jong’s and Tyan-yu’s marriage did not last for very long.
6c. (What are you learning about Chinese Culture?) From every page that I turned to, I was able to learn one or two different things about the Chinese Culture. Out of all the chapters included in the “Feathers from a Thousand Li Away” section, this chapter had the most local color planted into it. I knew about arranged marriages, but I didn’t realize how important they really were in China. I also learned about its process. A mother speaks with the village matchmaker to find a perfect daughter-in-law, one who will bear grandchildren to carry on the family name, one who will fulfill her mother-in-law’s wishes, and one who “[smells] like a precious bun cake” (Tan 44). Like some other Asian cultures, the Chinese were very superstitious. They took the events that happen in dreams and myths very seriously, afraid of angering the gods or their ancestors.
-Terri Tan
Period 6
:D
Secret Sabotage
Red Candle
1. I liked this chapter; it wasn’t as serious as all the others have been so far. The narrator in kind of informal and jokes about things while she explains what happens. It also gave a lot of detail into the culture, with the match maker, how all the red was supposed to bring good luck, and how they explained the arranged marriage. I also liked how Lindo Jong was so clever about her idea to sabotage her wedding. She tricked everyone with a dream and her observations. She broke away from everyone else in the chapter, because she thought for herself and made her life better by doing so. But she kept the promises she made to her family too, she wasn’t the one who broke the marriage, although it was her idea to do so, and so everyone was happy.
2. Huang Taitai and Lindo Jong’s relationship started off bad. The first thing Lindo thinks about her new mother-in-law is how huge her nose is, then later, she says it’s because Huang Taitai thinks she is so much better then everyone, she looks down on them. Huang Taitai doesn’t like Lindo much either. She treats her like a slave, making her work with the maids and cooks. Normally, at least by an American’s standards, a mother-in-law tried to accept her new daughter into the family. Huang Taitai doesn’t really do that. She chooses to use Lindo as a new servant to complain at, and Lindo just lets her, not complaining back or ignoring her, all to satisfy the promise she made to her parents before she left for her new life.
3. There’s a lot of symbolism in this chapter, the main one I think is the candle symbolizing a long and successful marriage. If the wicks on the candle didn’t blow out through the night, the marriage was supposed to be a good, long-lasting one. But Lindo Jong didn’t want to be married to Tyan-yu, so she decided to end her marriage with blowing out his side of the candle. This symbolism helps foreshadow what will happen to Lindo’s marriage and it shows us more of the customs of Chinese weddings.
4. I think the theme in this chapter is that only you choose your destiny. Lindo Jong was chosen as an infant to marry Tyan-yu, a fate she thought she couldn't escape. When she thought about how much she didn’t want to be in that marriage, she decided she had to do something about it, and she did. This elaborate plan evolved from blowing out a sacred wedding candle. When she blew the flame, she chose to change her destiny.
1. “Keeping a Promise”
2. The Red Candle
3. After reading this chapter, I now really appreciate that I live in America and have the freedom to choose whom I marry, and do what I please. I felt very sorry for Lindo who had her future decided for her ever since she was two. She was treated like a good or a product to be traded or sold. When she mentions the way her own family treats her, she is not happy, instead she feels she already belonged to someone else. Back then, the culture was to be obedient, respect everything she was told. Consequently, Lindo grows up doing whatever her parents wish. When the flood destroyed her home, I felt even sorrier for her because she was forced to leave her blood family to go live with her future husband’s family. Here, she was raised as one of the servants to learn how to cook, clean, serve the elders and be a useful wife. At least she was fed and clothed to over time she was able to learn to love the people she lived with. Although they didn’t treat her as an equal, she still respected everyone and kept her promise with her parents that she would act happy. Furthermore, there was no way she could runaway because of the Japanese that surrounded the area. Basically, she went with whatever was hauled upon her. After the wedding ceremony that didn’t go so well, Lindo was smart enough to figure out a plan to escape this home. She knew her husband wasn’t happy with this marriage either, and with her knowledge of superstition she was able to convince Huang Taitai to let her go, and let Tuan-yu be with who he wants. At the end, I was very relieved to see that everyone had a happy ending. Tuan-yu was able to married with the woman he wanted, and Lindo was able to go to America and keep her “genuine” self or in other words she never forgot who she really was and where she was from.
Some questions that came up were what is Lindo really like? What’s the true personality she’s trying to say she has? Also, why would they betroth a younger boy to an older girl? Why wouldn’t Lindo’s family ever visit her? What was happening in China at this time? How come the Japanese were everywhere? Lastly, how did a girl with imperial blood get dragged into being a servant?
4. The relationship between Lindo Jong and Huang Taitai can be described as familial tolerance. Lindo is Huang Taitai’s new daughter in law, and Huang Taitai is now Lindo’s mother in law. They have the title as family, and living in a family, the two had to try to keep away from arousing any negative feelings, and cause turmoil in the house. Consequently, Lindo listens to everything Huang Taitai tells her to do, and follows her rules in the house. She learns how to do the work of a married woman, and doesn’t complain to anyone. Instead, she cries at night alone, and takes in all the pain. For Huang Taitai’s case, she doesn’t care about Lindo’s emotions or well-being. She wants Lindo to serve her husband, and her as well when she gets old and is too weak to do anything herself. Huang Taitai is being selfish in a way. The only reason she feeds and clothes Lindo is so that Lindo could have grandchildren for Huang Taitai. Unfortunately, Huang Taitai never got her wish from Lindo, so at the end she lets her go. For the time they spent together they put up with each other as best as they could, but afterwards when they leave, the two don’t bother to think about one another anymore.
5. Two techniques Amy Tan uses in this chapter are symbolism and foreshadowing. From the title “The Red Candle”, she foreshadows that there will be something important concerning a red candle. Likewise, the marriage Lindo goes through is based on a red candle. It symbolized “the burning flame” of the marriage, or it told whether or not the marriage would last. Lindo did not want the marriage to last, and luckily for her the flame blew out. This meant that sure enough, the marriage would end. Also, at the very end, Tan mentions the value of real gold metal. She talks about how Lindo only wears genuine bracelets. On the festival of Pure Brightness she takes these off to feel free and symbolically lifts off all the weight that held her down.
6. From this chapter, I learned that arranged marriages were very common in the Chinese culture. Also, honor and respect were a very big deal. If you were a girl and were forced to live in another family under the word of your family, you would have to keep that promise or else you would have to face major consequences and bring shame to your family. Girls weren’t thought of as an importance either; they were just used for work and making babies.
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1) Girl Power
2) “Red Candle”
3) This chapter shows a lot about the Chinese culture, and their values. Lindo’s parents give her up to Huang Taitai because they think that it is what is best for her. They made a marriage arrangement for her when she was still a toddler, just two years old. I could not believe that her whole life, her mother would treat her as if she already belonged to Huang Tai Tai. Each time she spoke to her, instead of calling her by name, she called her “Huang TaiTai’s daughter.” I can’t imagine how lonely girls in this situation must have felt! Lindo must have longed for a real relationship with her mother. When she finally goes to live with the Huangs, Lindo tried to be a good daughter. She tried to live up to her parents agreement and to please Huang TaiTai, even though she was a miserable woman. I kept wanting Lindo to yell back at Huang TaiTai but I know that culturally, that never could happen. The best part of the chapter comes when Lindo finds a way to beat the Huangs at their own game. The way she thought up the dream to make the Huangs want to get rid of her was pure genius. I wonder if they ever realized that they had been tricked!
4) I would describe Lindo and Tyan-yu’s relationship as “sibling-like.” I was surprised that after being appalled at what a selfish and pathetic husband she ended up with, Lindo eventually comes to care about him and love him like a sister. Because they sleep in the same room, but do not have a physical relationship, they end up actually caring about each other. Tyan-yu ends up being just a spoiled child. They really did not have anyone else to be close to because they are removed from other people their age in that big house, and they can’t socialize with servants.
5) Amy Tan uses the literary device of symbolism in this chapter. She uses the red candle used in the marriage ceremony as a symbol for the actual marriage between Lindo and Tyan-yu. The candle is supposed to represent the “melting together” of the newlyweds, and if both ends of the candle melt completely, the marriage will last. But in the middle of the night, Lindo blows out Tyan-yu’s end of the candle, and symbolically, she is “extinguishing” their marriage.
6) The Chinese cultural belief about the elements was highlighted in this chapter. Lindo was said to have plenty of wood, fire, water and earth but was lacking in metal. When she was given lots of gold bracelets, she gained metal. The irony was that Huang TaiTai was told that she was TOO balanced and that is why she did not have a son. That gave her the excuse to take back the bracelets. This is an example of one of the many superstitions in the Chinese culture.
1. "Like Photography, Use the Negatives to Develop"- Unknown
2. "Red Candle"
3. The way Amy Tan weaves regional details into this vignette amazes me. What with the ancient Chinese traditions of arranged marriages, visiting the local matchmaker, bestowing honor within one's family, and especially the role of women contrasting with that of men within the classes of society – it is all particularly demonstrated here in Lindo Jong's story.
The idea of a child, not yet a woman, being given away at the age of sixteen, is frightening. She is not to live a better life, but is forced to work as a peasant girl. Like the character of Lindo, she is not offered any real source of love. Reading this, and knowing that countless people lived their lives like this at one point in history, makes me realize that Americans, especially, take many things for granted our endless complaints don't do justice to what our ancestors endured to get us here. I have come to conclude that people with situations similar to Lindo must learn to balance the duty to one's parents and to oneself.
4. Because this chapter tells the story of the relationship between Lindo Jong's and her mother, I would describe it as alienated. From the moment Lindo's mother and Huang Taitai arranged for their offspring to be engaged, Lindo's mother displaced herself with Taitai and began calling Lindo Taitai's daughter instead of her own. This holds true from the passage when her "own family began treating [her] as if [she] belonged to somebody else" (45).
5. The passage from which Lindo makes the above mentioned balance between her parents and herself is as follows: "I made a promise to myself: I would always remember my parents' wishes, but I would never forget myself" (53). This event in the chapter shows Amy Tan's valid use of symbolism. Here, Lindo recognizes of her value, though she symbolically covers them with her scarf. Although at first, Lindo doesn't have much respect for herself and only uses her time to please her new family, she eventually learns to listen to her inner voice and maintain her strength even as she hides behind the scarf.
6. (c. What are you learning about Chinese culture?)
As mentioned above, this chapter showcased a great deal of local color. I learned about the ancient Chinese traditions of arranged marriages, visiting the local matchmaker, bestowing honor within one's family, and especially the role of women contrasting with that of men within the classes of society. It is all very different from modern-day American life.
1. The Ill Treated Wife
2. The Red Candle
3. I thought it was horrible how they had arranged marriages in China. I understand that some of the weddings worked out and the couple was happy, but in the case of this chapter, the bride wasn't happy. How they could look at a person and decide what elements make up the person interested me, but the idea of marrying off your children seems like slave trade to me. When Lindo met her husband, I felt so sorry for her because her husband seemed like quite the loser. It was unforunate that such a lovely, hard-working girl like Lindo would become married to an arrogant snob like Tyan-yu. In the scene where Lindo was forced to move from her family to her new home with the Huang's, I thought her family had a very strange way of telling her they would miss her because all they did was give her a dowry and tell her not to disgrace them. Once Lindo arrived her in her new home, it made me very sad when there was no special celebration for her coming and how she was treated like a servant. That seemed very unfair because not only was she forced to leave her family and move into a house with strangers, she was being treated equal to the servants when she was supposed to be the same status as Tyan-yu. The idea of having the red candle symbolise an unbreakable marriage seemed very sweet to me, but in this case it was sort of like a life-sentence in prison for Lindo. Tyan-yu seemed evil before the actual marriage, but after he kicks Lindo off the bed and forces her to sleep on the couch, he reveals himself to be a nothing but a brat. Also how he lied to his mother to make Lindo seem like the reason why they're not having a child annoyed me a lot. Despite all the hardships Lindo went through, I loved how she still maintained her identity and was still smart enough to think of a plan to get out of her "unbreakable" marriage.
4. Lindo and Tyan-yu seem to have a sibling relationship when they're supposed to be married. Tyan-yu is the annoying little brother who always gets his way and Lindo is the older sister who is always catering him. Lindo is forced to obey whatever Tyan-yu told her to do. She gives up the bed for him and when he lies, she takes the blame, just like an older sister is supposed to. In the scene where Lindo takes off her gown and advances towards Tyan-yu, he runs like a little boy who has never grown up. That's when Lindo realizes that he isn't a husband to her, he's more like a little brother who needs her protection. She isn't afraid of him anymore and sleeps with him in a non-sexual way. She protects him and because they do not have a sexual relationship, they are clearly not friends, the only relationship they could have is a brotherly sisterly one.
5. One writing techinque that Amy Tan uses in the chapter is imagery and it improves the story because I could really see and feel what Lindo was going through. During the wedding, everything was describe in extreme detail and I felt as if I really was with her in the room watching her get dressed. It felt as if I were a guest attending the wedding and partying with the rest of her family. I understood everything that Lindo was feeling before, during, and after the wedding. I was shown every extravagent detail of the wedding instead of just listening to her tell me.
6. This chapter is connected to the allegory at the beginning of the chapter because Lindo seemed to be telling her daughter about how difficult her life was in China. She was telling her daughter about the hardships she did not have to go through because she was born in America. Her daughter, just like the daughter in the allegory, would not ever understand the troubles of China through experience, so the story needs to be passed on or it'll die along with her mother. Lindo is passing her memories and stories of hardship onto her daughter, similar to how the mother in the beginning wanted to pass the swan feather onto her own daughter. Similar to the feather, the stories may seem worthless to the daughter, but to Lindo the memories and stories are all she has of China, just like the feather
24 Carats of Pure Gold
The Red Candle
1. I wasn’t very surprised that Lindo Jong was betrothed to someone when she was only two years old. This was very common in China. However, I was surprised that she remembered it. I cannot believe that her own mother treated her as if she belonged to somebody else. Personally, I think the Huangs treated Lindo more like a servant than a member of the family. Tyan-yu had certainly not treated Lindo as his wife, and she came to love him as a brother. Lindo was very smart to be able to get out of her false marriage without breaking her promise with her mother. She had kept her family’s honor and the Huangs could not say her family was a disgrace.
2. Lindo and Tyan-yu’s relationship is that of brother and sister. Lindo came to love Tyan-yu as her brother. Thought Lindo and Tyan-yu are a couple, Tyan-yu does not want Lindo, and nor does Lindo want Tyan-yu. Tyan-yu, scared of his mother, blamed Lindo for not sleeping with him, therefore having no children.
3. Amy Tan uses foreshadowing in this chapter. She uses the American movie at the beginning of the chapter to foreshadow that Lindo’s marriage would be a disaster. The American soldier returns home, only to marry another girl, not the girl he had promised to marry when he left. He never came back to her, breaking their promise.
4. This chapter revealed a lot about Chinese arranged marriages. Children were betrothed to each other when they are only toddlers, unable to make a decision for themselves. Once betrothed, they can not break their contract. A wife is unable to divorce or remarry even if their husband dies. No matter how badly a wife is treated by her new family, she must serve them until she dies.
1. Candle in the Wind
2. Red Candle
3. The Red Candle’s story of torturous endeavors was both pitiful and uplifting to read. The vignette deeply delved into the personal struggle or promise made by Lindo Jong. I was surprised by the willpower of Lindo Jong’s character. How can a woman withstand knowing that she has promised herself into a life of misery? I was slightly expecting her to crumble under the circumstances she was given; to marry a spoiled man and act as a servant to his mother. But this life of misery is not upholding family honor. I felt very sorry for her real family, especially her mother. Never have I heard a mother undeclared herself from a child. That is something no one can take away.
4. Lindo Jong’s relationship with her husband, Tyan-yu, was very forced and unequal. The arrangement allowed no permission or consent between the two. They had no bonding or interchanging feelings before or after their marriage. Lindo was treated more as a servant, then later as a sister. Tyan-yu did not see her as a wife, but as a sister. They may have created a stronger relationship in the end, but it was nothing close to love.
5. Amy Tan greatly exercised symbolism in this vignette. In the opening, with the purity of gold that is sprinkled throughout the story and more prominently, the red candle. The gold that Lindo Jong wore from her stepmother was too heavy. It acted as a burden on her body because of its weight, both physically and mentally. The gold is like a promise. When she removes the gold, she is relinquished from her mother’s wishes and seeks escape from marriage. In the end, Lindo reveals the gold she buys for her children are sacred promises, so that they, in turn, will not forgot who their grandmother was.
6. From this vignette, I learned a important ideal of Chinese culture. Many marriages are arranged within traditional families, such as Lindo Jong’s. In the story, Lindo Jong spoke of city people who married their partner with permission. But in her village, marriages were arranged. The matchmakers of the village set up the marriages from a very early age, having their marriage set before they can even speak. Before reading this story, I had not heard of the red candle that burned the night of the wedding. It taught me a great deal of Chinese values and traditions that symbolically, a candle burned is a lifetime of marriage.
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“I Promised not to forget Myself”
The Red Candle
When I started reading the chapter and about how Lindo Jong was arranged to be married to a stranger who was a boy younger than her, I thought it was going to be another one of those stories about a wife who suffers from an unfortunate and depressing marriage. Luckily, this one turned out to be quite different. Lindo and her husband, Tyan-yu, came to love each other, not in the traditional marriage way, but “more like the way a sister protects a younger brother” (58). I felt more at ease somehow knowing this because then I know that she wasn’t going to be forced to do some type of acts wives usually do… At the same time, I felt sorry for Lindo, knowing that she’s trapped in this passionate less love marriage forever. And worse, she has to do all these tedious, relentless chores that Huang Taitai insisted that she had to do as a wife. I laughed quietly to myself when I read that matchmaker’s verdict as to why Lindo couldn’t “have any babies.” She told the family that she was loaded with too much gold jewelry and metallic chains and therefore, “she’s too balanced to have babies.” When the family decided to remove the gold, which symbolizes the family’s pressure on her to produce an heir, Lindo stated that she “felt lighter, more free.” This was a turning point in the story of Lindo’s sacrifice because this was when she “started to think about how [she] would escape this marriage without breaking [her] promise to [her] family” (59). I absolutely admire Lindo for trying her best to keep her promise even if it meant sacrificing herself by accepting the marriage. Not only is she selfless, she is also very smart. Lindo’s smart enough to realize that the cost of her life for her family and their tradition was something she couldn’t pay. Therefore, her plan to trick Tyan-yu’s family into thinking their marriage was a disaster that will cause his ancestors to “begin a cycle of destruction” (61) was even more brilliant. She knew that all families were deeply spiritual and believed in the ghost of ancestors, and it worked out perfectly with the servant girl pregnant. In the end, she tells her daughter that “it’s a true story, how [she] kept [her] promise, how [she] sacrificed [her] life” (63). She even buys gold bracelets to add to the ones that she received from her new husband after they had children. Lindo says that “they’re always twenty-four carats, all genuine.” Before her marriage, she looked in the mirror and saw that she “had on a beautiful red dress, but what [she] saw was even more valuable. [She] was strong. [She] was pure. [She] had genuine thoughts inside that no one could see, that no one could ever take away from [her]” (53). This is why I think I respect Lindo so much and appreciate what she’s done for herself. In the end, not only had she kept her promise to her mom and family, but to herself: “I would always remember my parents’ wishes, but I would never forget myself” (53).
Lindo’s relationship with Tyan-yu would be platonic love, or friendship. They’re both in a loveless marriage that they had no power or control over. And through that, they bred a kind of kindred love. Lindo compared their relationship to an older sister and younger brother. During the first months of their marriage, Lindo noted that “he never touched [her]” (57). Lindo finally realized that her Tyan-yu never wants to do anything with her the night she took off her gown and laid in his bed. He was frightened and turned away like a little boy. From then on, Lindo was no longer afraid and started to like his as a brother.
The Gold jewelry is an example of symbolism because it represents all that Huang Taitai and her new family had weighed her down with and the pressure of giving them an heir. Besides the gold jewelry, there was also a very strong and beautiful simile. Lindo said she “was like the wind” right before she was betrothed. She saw the wind’s immense power in controlling the direction of the rain and how “it caused men to yelp and dance” (53). Later on in the story, like the wind, she was able to control her own destiny and steer it in the right direction for her.
I learned a lot about Chinese marriages that I hadn’t known before. Such as the red candle was being lit on both ends during the ceremony, signifying the beginning of their marriage, and that the candle had to be watched over all night by a servant to make sure it doesn’t go out. I also didn’t know that they had a red silk scarf to wear and that the wife had to do so many chores after. I thought that job was mainly for the servants, but apparently, the wife had to do lots of it too.
1. Looking on the Bright Side towards the Festival of Pure Brightness
2. The Red Candle
3. I thought that this chapter was really stereotypical until the plot twist with Lindo Jong tricking her mother-in-law, Huang Taitai. The stereotypical part being that her parents brag about weird things like how much she can eat or that something so small as a sour face will bring disgrace to her family. Also, how the son’s parents always want grandchildren so that their family will remain prosperous and at peace. Although I felt like this story was cliché at the beginning, I thought it became interesting when Lindo Jong decided that she was not going to follow old traditions just because her family couldn’t let go of old-fashioned customs. I was happy for her because instead of feeling sorry for herself, she was clever enough to achieve the life she desired. She got her revenge from the servant girl who lied so that Lindo Jong was about to live a long, miserable life with Tyan-yu and his mother. She thought of the plan to convince Huang Taitai that the servant girl was the true spiritual wife and that if the marriage between Lindo Jong and Tyan-yu was not broken, that it would become doomed. This plan and story of hers shows that she is independent and is truly strong just like the matchmaker had foretold. Amy Tan did a wonderful job of weaving local color into this story. She wrote about the kind of buildings they lived in, the land, servants, food, and the importance to preserve the family name. I thought it was really sad how Lindo Jong and her mother were no longer close once the matchmaker came. Her own mother called another woman her daughter’s new mother. It was not that she does not care, but it was to help Lindo Jong and herself. This must’ve hurt her a lot considering that Huange Taitai had no respect for Lindo Jong or her mother and even looked down on them.
4. The relationship between Lindo Jong and Tyan-yu can be described as forced. Even though they both resent their marriage and tried to stay as distant as possible with each other at the beginning at their marriage, Lindo Jong found a way to love him but it is “not how you think” (57). She was able to love him in brotherly way because they are both facing the same situation. Both of them are forced into a marriage that they never wanted and are pressured into making it last. They both want to obey their parents even if this means that they will live an unhappy life.
5. Amy Tan uses symbolism with the gold bracelets. She mentions this at the beginning of the vignette and at the very end. I think it symbolizes promises because she kept on mentioning it along with the bracelets. Once she was rid of Huang Taitai’s bracelet, it was like she was free and her promise was finally fulfilled. She kept buying new ones each time to remind herself of her worth but took it off the day of the Festival of Pure Brightness so that she’ll never forget. The twenty-four carats are all genuine and will last forever because it is real and pure.
6. I think that the theme for this chapter is to not lose yourself even when times are tough. Lindo Jong promised herself that she would not forget her worth and that she would not let go of her family’s promises. As a reminder, she buys bracelets that hold significance. She was able to keep her family’s promise and to escape her marriage at the same time by tricking Huang Taitai. She refuses to believe what society makes of girls at this time period which is petty and inferior to men.
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We've Got Magic To Do
"The Red Candle"
1.When I read this chapter I didn't notice that I was learning a lot about chinese culture; Amy Tan does a superb job of weaving in the littlest bits of information and culture about the Chinese in such a way that I hardly even noticed that she was doing it. I love learning about the Chinese culture especially the one about the two candles on wedding days. When the fire from the candle blew out and the matchmaker relighted it just to cover the evidence and save his job, I felt that it was a totally selfish thing to do. I loved Lindo Jong's character and think that she's a role model for young girls who think that they can't do anything, because they're weak. Lindo is a strong, courageous girl but at the same time she is also quiet and obedient. The day she got married, Lindo realizes that even though she has to obey her parents in order to respect them and make them happy, it doesn't mean that she's giving up her identity. She knows this makes her a more strong, prouder person and this helped her get through her wedding day and marriage too. Eventually she gets the strength to blow out her husband's candle and ending the loveless marriage. Although she was frightened of the oncoming consequences, she still blew it out because it was her own sake and she felt like she had to in order to secure her a better future for herself.
2.Tyan-yu and Lindo have a platonic relationship rather than a physical one. After they got married, Tyan-yu didn't want anything to do with Lindo bed-wise and even showed some apprehension when she even started undressing. Lindo doesn't want to have kids with Tyan-yu either and felt pleased and really relieved when he felt the same way as her. Although they both don't want to engage in sexual intercourse with each other in order to produce a child, it is clear that both want to please Huang Taitai. One time, when Huang Taitai is frustrated by Lindo's inability to bear a child yet, Tyan-yu reassures that he “planted enough seeds for thousands of grandchildren.” This shows that he is as much concerned about this situation as much as Huang Taitai and wants to satisfy her wishes.
3.Amy Tan uses the two candles having blown out to symbolize the never-lasting marriage of Lindo and Tyan-yu. The two candles represent the two newlyweds and Tan uses them in order to foreshadow their doomed marriage.
4.I learned from the Chinese culture that the parents plan their children's marriage and are they hire matchmakers who decide who the child would marry in terms of rank and the family's prestige. A new thing that I learned was that when a girl marries into the other family, she has to treat her mother-in-law as though she was her own mother. There are also some requirements to this marriage that the girl has to follow; it involves waking up in the early morning, preparing different food courses, and sewing also.
-Diana Nguyen ♥
Trung Tran
We decide our own destiny
“The Red Candle”
1)Throughout the chapter, the events were quite predictable because I am quite familiar with most of the old Chinese cultures. However, when Lindo Jong planned to escape, I was shocked. Most Chinese women would accept their fate because it was decided for them since they were born. They had no choice but live their life and learn to love their husband – bad or good – in order to not disgrace their family honor. The way Lindo Jong took matters into her own hands, and decided her own destiny left me speechless.
2)The relationship between Lindo Jong and her husband seemed awkward. This is expected since they were force to be married. Especially since Lindo’s husband is younger. He is still going through “changes”, and not fully matured. He probably does not even understand why he is getting married or why this woman was his wife. He was just told she was and so he followed the rules. This is quite common in China and it is also quite common when two people’s marriage is decided by birth. How can a person marry someone they know nothing of?
3)Since it is a short story, I see Amy Tang using a lot of imagery. She described the two women with “painted” faces and “watery” voice. Then Lindo was sitting on her mother’s “hot, sticky hands” (43). The reader is able to see the women and hear their voices while feeling the mother’s hands as if they were really Lindo.
4)I think the theme of this story is that one can decide their own fate. They should not let others decide their life for them. They have to make decisions for themselves and if they do not like how things are going, they have to act out and try to change it by themselves. Like Lindo, she hated the fact that her life was decided by birth and when she saw a chance, she escaped from it and started her own life- one she decided by herself.
1. A Farewell to Families
2. The Red Candle
3. As I began to read the first section of Lindo Jong’s story, I was hit with powerful statement’s filled with deep emotions. I realized that Lindo began the chapter by telling her daughter, whom she was speaking to in first person, the reason for telling Waverly her life story – so she won’t be forgotten. I was quite surprised when I first began reading because Lindo states that she remembered the day she met her new “mother” and the matchmaker, when she was only two years old. This surprised me because I can’t even remember anything from before 3 or 4 years old. Another thing I noticed was the concept of matchmaking itself. I was quite surprised this practice still existed, for I thought I died out a very long time ago, before the 1800’s or so. When I found out Lindo’s own mother began insulting her and treating her as if she was disowned, I was stunned. How awful would that feel to be neglected and not completely loved by one’s own mother, just because of the matchmaking process! One part of the text I noticed was when Lindo stated that her father told her the river swallowed little children. When I read this, I immediately recognized this was similar as in the proverbs in the last chapter, told in order to keep children safe. As I read through the text, I understood that spoiling a child too much can cause them to grow up without maturity. This can be seen with Tyan-yu, as he was spoiled and thus he grew up to be unthankful and quite childish. This could be seen when he would throw his food as a young adult, and later on as he would not sleep with Lindo. I also questioned why people of this area trusted marriage in the hands of a matchmaker. The matchmaker was not a very trustworthy person, as seen when the she declared the candles had burned, when they truly did not. In the text, the matchmaker’s advice for why Lindo did not have babies was very illogical and made up, stating that she was balanced with too much elements. I felt Lindo’s pain as a read through the chapter, envisioning being forced to leave your parents when your 12, to live with a family who makes you a household servant girl, only to be married to a childish husband who turns out to be more like a brother than a husband. I thought Lindo was quite smart when she told her mother-in-law about her “dream” in order to escape her dreaded household fate as a “stuck in bed” wife because of her mother’s obsession for a grandchild. By the end of the chapter, I understood that Lindo had left everything in China, including both of her families, in order to go to America and begin a new life.
4. The relationship between Lindo Jong and her mother-in-law Huang Taitai can be described as an awkward mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship. As soon as Lindo was accepted into the Huang family, she was treated as a servant, forced to cook and clean clothes, and even chamber pots. This shows how Taitai had little respect for Lindo and how their relationship could only get worse. The bad relationship between the two could also be seen when Taitai was unsatisfied without a grandschild, and when she forces Lindo to stay in bed all day, for 2 months. Throughout Lindo’s overall life with Taitai she felt not comfortable and eventually thought Taitai became a little crazy.
5. One of Tan’s writing techniques that I recognized right away that improved the story was her use of foreshadowing. Her foreshadowing could be seen when the river flooded, leaving the village in rubble and very much unlivable. In the same way, the river represents the negativity and unfortunate events that come into Lindo’s life, causing her to be unhappy and to eventually leave China. A major event that happened was when Lindo was a servant, stating she was going to be happy living in her new home, and when an elderly servent told her she’s a fool. This foreshadowed that Lindo would end up living a discontented life in an unhappy marriage to Tyan-yu. Another foreshadowing event could be seen on the day of her wedding, when much wind and rain came down and when small amounts of people showed up because of fear of the Japanese bombing, which was actually just thunder. Overall, Tan’s use of foreshadowing really hinted at Lindo’s negative life events to come.
6. c. I am learning much about Chinese culture from reading this chapter in the text. From this chapter, I learned that it was a traditional Chinese custom for wives to be picked at an early age by use of a matchmaker. I also learned that these matchmakers, along with their advice, were highly trusted by families. Another aspect of Chinese culture I learned about was the importance of ancestors. Elders were also considered very important, as was seen in the Huang household with the four different generations living inside. The ancestor reverence could also be seen during the Festival of Pure Brightness, which celebrated the admiration of ancestors. This is a tradition that was brought out from the ancient Chinese religion of Daoism which focused on harmony, nature, and ancestor worship. Daoist thought could be seen during the wedding, as the high official stated the importance of harmony throughout the ceremony. Another Daoist aspect could be seen when the matchmaker talked about Lindo’s elements, which represents the Daoist reverence to nature. I also learned that Chinese culture held the color red to be of importance as well as the symbol of the dragon, as shown when Taitai painted her home entrance. One other thing I learned about Chinese culture was that most names had meaning behind it. This is shown when Lindo states that Tyan-yu’s name stood for “sky” and “leftovers” because his father was very sick and was going to die. A last aspect I learned about Chinese culture was the importance of the Zodiac in matchmaking. I noticed this when the matchmaker stated that Lindo would be an “earth horse for an earth sheep.” This represented LIndo being the horse and her soon to be husband Tyan-yu being the sheep. This custom of Zodiac matchmaking can even be seen in today’s society.
“Promises of Gold”
CH. The Red Candle
3. At first when I started reading this chapter, I thought this was going to be one of those typical fairytale endings; about how the girl and her husband get married and live happily ever after. However, the turn of events caught me off guard when Lindo was separated from her family during the flood and sent to live with the Huangs and her future husband Tyan-yu. “No celebration was held when [she] arrived. Huang Taitai didn’t have red banners greeting [her] in the fancy room on the first floor. Tyan-yu was not there to greet [her]” (49). As Lindo stepped into the huge courtyard, Huang Taitai almost immediately sent her into the kitchen, and there, she learned her standing in the house. I always thought that future brides were treated very respectfully by her “family” especially if she was going to marry one of their sons.
Another scene that caught my attention was when Tyan-yu acted as if he hated his arranged wife, when in truth, he was just scared to even touch her. Although Tyan-yu was a demanding and mean husband, I sympathized for him because his marriage was an arranged one and he was never given a choice to pick the one he loved. A question that I had in mind was, why did Huang Taitai dislike Lindo so much and yet, agreed to the marriage set up by the village matchmaker? And how could the matchmaker be so cruel as to lie about the success of the candles and ruin Lindo’s life?
4. I would describe the relationship between Lindo and Tyan-yu as forced but mutual. Because their marriage was put together by a matchmaker, they never did have any feelings for each other; however, they could not “divorce” or it would break ancient Chinese superstition and bring bad luck. Even though they were forced to sleep with each other at night, it was more like “sleeping as sister and brother” (61). Tyan-yu did not dare to touch Lindo in bed, and in return, Lindo served as a faithful wife.
5. I notice that Amy Tan uses the idea of gold to symbolize the value of promises in this chapter. “His gold is like yours, it is only fourteen carats” (42). She is saying how nowadays, her daughter’s promises are shallow and absentmindedly made, just like the soldier’s promise to his girl before he left for war. However, Lindo says that her bracelets are “twenty-four carats, pure inside and out” meaning her promise to her parents were dutifully kept and that was how much it was worth.
6. One Essential Question: Choose at least 1 of our essential questions to answer for each chapter: c. what are you learning about Chinese culture?
In this chapter, a lot of local color is revealed. I learned how each village had a matchmaker who arranged marriages for couples. Those couples never have a chance to find their true love and instead, they are “engaged” to their future husband or wife at a very young age. The matchmakers used zodiac readings to find pairs and were always very superstitious. For example, during Lindo and Tyan-yu’s wedding, they used a candle to represent the marriage bond. If both ends did not go out, then it meant that the marriage bond could never be broken; however, if one end went out, the marriage was doomed.
1.Family Pride
2.The Red Candle
3. When I read this part, I was amazed to learn that Lindo Jong was someone who was put into a forced marriage. I know that it could happen and that it was very common in China, but after being used to them being in America, I wasn’t expecting something like that. Then it continued on about how their home was destroyed by a flood, which I thought was unfortunate because they really could not get any money back from it, and it meant that it was the end of her family life. She was then sent to her new husband and his family. He was really hateful to her, which made me think that he was a dumb punk trying to act manly. I was amazed at how she was able to live in that household, and if I was in her shoes, I would have done something rash that might’ve gotten me killed or lost in the middle of nowhere. But Lindo didn’t, she continued on and finally conjured up a cunning plan that put got her away from that family and passage to America. I was surprised at how she was able to find out about the servant’s imperial ancestry, and I didn’t really understand the part about how the servant girl acted, with her little voice teasing the handsome delivery man. All in all, I thought this was a great chapter that provided the most insight out of all the chapters I’ve read thus far.
4.The relationship between her Lindo Jong and her birth mother is a somewhat close and yet cold relationship. It’s mixed because Lindo teases her daughter in a sensitive way that most mothers won’t do it, like when she regards to her daughter as Huang Taitai’s daughter, like when Lindo ate a lot she would exclaim “Look how much Huang Taitai’s daughter can eat”(45). Their relationship wasn’t as bad as you would see it from the outside, because Lindo’s mother still gave her “Chang, a necklace made out of a tablet of red jade”(47-48), as a dowry even though all the furniture in their old house was also given as a dowry. It just showed that she wanted Lindo to have something to remember her mother by, which gave them a sense of closeness to me.
5.Amy Tan used imagery to show in detail the houses of both Lindo’s and Tyan-yu’s family, and the area around them. She also used it to describe how the other people living around them reacted to the Japanese attacks. Those people were afraid of the Japanese invasion, so they always thought that any thunder or lightning was the bombs and guns of the Japanese army being used upon them. Amy also used symbolism in her writings, when Lindo received the Chang from her mother. It seems that the Chang was just dowry for the family Lindo was being married into, but it was actually something for Lindo to keep in memory of her mother.
6.The theme of this lesson is that keeping a promise is all the same, you must complete it no matter how hard it is, from something like Lindo’s arranged marriage and pride for her family to simply promising to “come to dinner”(42), it is still important you keep it. But if it is truly unbearable, like in Lindo’s case, you can wiggle your way out of it but keep true to your promise so that you can get out of that situation and keep your promise. Basically, promises are very important and don’t take it lightly.
1.Keep Promises, Then Find Freedom
2.“Red Candle”
3.I thought that this chapter focused on tradition and Chinese culture more than the state of the country (in terms of politics). Lindo was a very enduring, strong character. It seemed that if I was her friend, I could depend on her for anything and everything. I think I feel this way because Lindo follows through with the promise she makes to her family. She keeps it, and is determined to make her life worth something; that gives me the sense of security if I were with her. Despite the kind of life Lindo was signed up for, I did not pity her. The way her character is shown gave me much belief that she would survive whatever she was about to face. Although I was not afraid for her, the thought of her husband taking advantage of her was always lurking in the back of my mind. When I finally reached the point where she attempts to seduce Tyan-yu and he refuses, I admit that I was extremely relieved. In the end of the chapter, I was just simply happy for Lindo.
4.I want to describe Lindo and Huang Tai-tai’s relationship as more of a business deal than an honest mother (in-law) – daughter relationship. There is simply no love or affection between them, no real sympathy or compassion. What binds them together is Huang Tai-tai’s desire for a loyal, hardworking wife for her son, and a grandchild to carry on the family name. Huang Tai-tai is only pleased and happy when Lindo does the tedious tasks correctly, and is frustrated when Lindo does not become pregnant, so I come to the conclusion that their relationship is more like that of an employer and an employee than anything familial.
5.In this chapter, I thought Amy Tan used symbolism very well. It helped foreshadow some of the outcomes. As I read about the red candle and how it represented the lasting of their marriage, I instantly knew that it was not meant to be, and that it would be sabotaged somehow. I also found that the jewelry and golden bracelets helped characterized the meaning of being “free.” The promises that Lindo made were like the jewelry put on her, that weighed her down; and when she was finally through with the promises, the heavy jewelry was lifted and she felt free again. The symbolism that Amy Tan uses has much local color and tends to help the reader understand and predict the enticing plot.
6.I thought that this chapter showed the very serious marital aspect of Chinese culture, and forced me to compare it with other cultures’ views on marriage. The Chinese have arranged marriages (which is something I’m sure many know), but there is much honor for the wife-to-be’s side of the family. The husband’s family expects a great amount of things from the wife; they expect her to be caring, hard-working, loyal, skilled, and especially fertile. It seems that there is nothing more dreadful than an infertile wife who cannot give the family grandchildren to carry on the family name. Within this chapter, I learn more about superstitions - special days such as marriage ceremonies are hoped to be untainted by with good weather; gloomy, dark weather is a sign of bad luck and misfortune.
Light the Wick
“The Red Candle”
1. In my opinion, “The Red Candle” is a very moving chapter. When I finished the last page, I couldn’t help but say, “Wow.” I love how Lindo Jing’s character developed over the chapter. Highly focused on promises and tradition, I felt that Lindo’s life was very sad. From a very young age, her family had betrothed her to another boy, Tyan-yu, that she had never met. When she finally did meet him, she disliked him because of his spoiled and bratty behavior. What kind of person would want to get married in that kind of situation? I am thankful that I live in the United States where we can choose our own future and our own partners.
Another part of the chapter that drew out some emotions from me is Tyan-yu’s character throughout the chapter. He made me truly angry with his spoiled and uncaring behavior. On the very first meeting with Tyan-yu, Lindo noticed that he still sat on his grandmother’s legs. I felt he was inconsiderate because he was old enough to stand but he was lazy and would “sit on his grandmother’s old knees, almost cracking them with his weight” (46). Did he not care about his grandmother’s welfare? Also, when Lindo was brought to the Huang house, she was treated like a servant, a cook. When she prepared an evening meal to Tyan-yu, he continuously complained about the food, would knock over the food that she prepared, and ordered Lindo around when she finally had the chance to sit down. What an uncaring husband.
2. In this chapter, I liked to focus on Lindo Jing and her mother’s relationship with each other. I would describe it as a tortured love. It is shown that her mother deeply cares for Lindo but she cannot show her love. Because Lindo is being wed off into another family, her mother would describe her as “Huang Taitai’s daughter” (45). Her mother would treat Lindo that way because she “wouldn’t wish for something that is no longer hers” (45). It is sad that her mother does love her child but she would be shamed if she admits that she would want something that is no longer hers anymore. When their house was flooded and Lindo Jing was forced to go over to the Huang house, her mother was deeply hurt and sad. Lindo Jing knew this. She never forgot her promise and this expressed her love for her parents. She sacrificed her happiness and her dreams to please her mother and her family.
3. In “The Red Candle”, Amy Tan uses a lot of symbolism. A symbol that she used often was the mentioning of jewelry. Even mentioned in the beginning of the chapter, gold was used often to represent promises and commitments. When Lindo said that her mother had a 14 carat promise and that true promises are 24 carats, she means to say that her parent’s promise is only valid for a short while. It is only “external”, and it won’t last long. A real promise is “pure, inside and out” (42). A real promise is kept forever without dulling or losing its value. It also represents commitments from one person to another. When Huang Taitai reclaimed all her gold from Lindo Jing, Lindo felt “lighter, more free” (59). Without the heavy thought of committing to her unloving husband, Lindo felt like she finally became an independent woman. At the end of the chapter when Lindo started having more kids, she always bought new 24 carats bracelets. These bracelets represent her undying commitment to her children.
4. From this chapter I learned about the Chinese culture of matchmaking and ancestor worship. In the United States, arranged marriages aren’t common. In fact, most people can choose whoever they want to love and most of the societies around them would raise any arguments. In China, families still enforce arranged marriages with a matchmaker. The matchmaker is claimed to know best to who would marry whom. I found it odd that people still believed in what one person’s opinions are. Another part of the chapter focused on ancestor worship. Families would pay respects to their ancestors and they believed that their ancestors were heavenly bodies that aided them in life. This was shown when Lindo Jing used her wits with her ancestors when he fooled the Huang family.
“Unburned Candle”
Red Candle
1. I think this chapter very accurately depicts the way marriages were in China, during that time period. It was very sad how Lindo got stuck with a husband that didn’t love her and a mother-in-law that was very demanding. It was very inspiring that, although everything was against her, Lindo still found the strength to stand up and change her fate. I know I probably would not have been able to change my life like that in the face of so many difficulties. I also probably would not have been as clever as Lindo in finding a way to escape. Although I was horrified that Lindo was forced into such a marriage, I was not surprised. These sorts of arrangements can be found throughout history in almost all countries. I am also not surprised that Lindo went through with the marriage in the first place. After all, it was the status quo and her mother had asked her to do it for her and the dignity of the family. In her place, I probably would have done the same. I was surprised that Lindo found a way to make the Huang family believe it was their idea to get rid of her, instead of her idea to leave. If I had found the conviction to leave, I probably would have just ran away, and make myself look guilty. I was happy to read that Lindo, in leaving, make the life of a servant girl better by matching her with Tyan-yu. I was angry that Huang Taitai was so mean to Lindo and that she made her do all of the housework. What is the point of all of her servants if she is just going to make her daughter-in-law do it all? This part reminded me a little of Cinderella. I was also annoyed when Tyan-yu told his mother that he had slept with Lindo, when he didn’t. He should have been able to stand up to his mother, instead of shifting the blame to his wife. They way that Huang Taitai was quick to assume the fault that there was so children lay with Lindo enraged me further. How come it is always the girl’s fault there are no children? Why can’t the guy be the infertile one? This scene showed just how inferior women are thought of as in China during that time period. In contrast, I thought I was amusing how gullible Huang Taitai was. She was ready to believe Lindo’s story almost immediately. It just goes to show how superstitious she was. I think this was away of showing what Chinese people believed during that time.
2. I think that the relationship between Lindo and Huang Taitai was one of a slave and its master, rather than one of a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law. Huang Taitai first “buys” Lindo from her mother. Then, when Lindo arrives to the Huang household, Huang Taitai does not even greet her properly. Instead, she treats her like a common servant, hurrying her into the kitchen. From this, Lindo “knew [her] standing” (49). She realized that her status in the household was not one of a daughter, but rather that of a slave. Huang Taitai then demands that Lindo complete all of her tasks to perfection, all the while brainwashing Lindo into seeing “Tyan-yu as a God, someone whose opinions were worth for than [her] own life” and “Huang Taitai as [her] real mother, someone [she] wanted to please, someone she should follow and obey without question” (51). She is obviously being treated as a slave. She cannot disobey Huang Taitai. When Lindo is “incompetent” for bearing children, Huang Taitai effectively discards her by sending her away. From this one can see that Huang Taitai never loved Lindo, but instead saw her as a means to obtain what she wanted. When Lindo was unable to give her grandchildren, she just throws her away without a second thought.
3. In this chapter, Amy Tan uses a lot of foreshadowing. When Huang Taitai looks down at the baby Lindo, “her teeth opened wide as if she was going to swallow [Lindo] down in one piece” (44). This foreshadows how Huang Taitai will take Lindo, and how unpleasant that will be. When Huang Taitai greets Lindo into the Huang household by bringing her into the kitchen, it foreshadows how the rest of her stay is going to be like. Another instance where Amy Tan uses foreshadowing is where she comments that Lindo knew what really happened to the red candle before the reader learns of what happened to it. By doing this, the reader gets a sense that things did not go exactly as planned. And by the candle not burning on the husband’s side foreshadows that Tyan-yu will be the one to ruin his and Lindo’s marriage. Amy Tan’s use of foreshadowing improves the story because it adds suspense and excitement to the story. It gives the reader a sense of what is to happen.
4. I think the theme of “Red Candle” is that one must find the balance between following one’s own heart, and the expectations of one’s parents. This is shown when Lindo “made a promise to [herself]: [she] would always remember [her] parents' wishes, but [she] would never forget [herself]” (53). In this quotation, Lindo realizes that it is important to balance duty to one's parents as well as duty to one’s self. She learns to honor her heritage and parents without giving up her own dreams.
1. The Red Candle
2. What Needed to be Done
3. After reading this chapter, I feel that marriage back then was tough for the wife rather than the husband. The husband seems to be cared for the most as if it was the most precious thing alive while the wife was being mistreated and going through tough times. I feel grateful that in America we are allowed to choose who we love rather than a random wife/husband we are force to care for.
4. The relationship between Huang TaiTai and Lindo Jong was distant in a way. When Lindo first came into the household, you would expect her to be welcomed with warm hugs and such. However, that was not the case. She was treated as a regular guest, no special treatment at all. She was put to a room, and then force to be worked like a servant. The normal relationship you would expect between a mother in law and a daughter to have is like a dream for Lindo. Even though she is being mistreated, she keeps her promise with her mother and obeys to be a good daughter to not have a bad face for her mother.
5. One of the writing techniques Amy Tan uses is symbolism. One thing she used was the red candle at the beginning of the chapter title. It symbolized the bond between Linda and Tyan-yu that their marriage would never be broken. However, the candle blew out, a sign that the bond will not succeed going unbroken. It also foreshadows that the marriage will not last.
6. In Chinese culture, marriages were planned out by matchmakers. The daughter being married to the husband also takes the responsibility in putting a good face for their real mother which is a burden they have to bare with. The daughter also has to cook, clean, sew, etc. to show she is worthy to be a future wife.
1.The False Inspires and the Real Grants
2.The Moon Lady
3.When I read this section, I felt like there’s finally a happy story to one of the women who came from China. Besides having a daughter and son in law that doesn’t care much about her Chinese heritage, Ying-Ying St. Clair seemed to have a good life. It can be seen in the beginning that her daughter was considered Americanized when she hears her “Sony walkman, her cordless phone, and her big important husband”(64). She didn’t like the life she has now, but she did enjoy a better life than the other 3 ladies. She didn’t have a Japanese attack force her to leave all her property and her children along a sidewalk to be left for dead like Suyuan Woo. She didn’t lose her parents like An-Mei Hsu did, whose father died and as a result her mother left the family to become a concubine to another richer man. She also didn’t have a flood ruin her home and had a forced marriage that she had to upkeep for the sake of her family like Lindo Jong had. As I read along, I thought she was pretty well off with a good caring family and had enough money to have a comfortable life. As I read about her two step sisters, I found it peculiar that they were referred to as number two and number three. Then I reached the large boat the family had rented just for the occasion. I mused at the use of a crane to catch fish for food, thinking it was something I would never have thought of to do myself. When I reached the point where Ying-Ying fell into the water and was rescued by a fisherman, I thought that her life would be changed forever and that she would be adopted into the fisherman’s family, which would ruin my hope for one of the four women to have had a happy story in China. Fortunately, she was brought to shore, where she saw the Moon Lady Performance. I wondered at what objects the Master Archer was shooting at that burst into blood and resembled a sun. Then I was horrified along with the young Ying-Ying to discover that the Moon Lady in the performance was a man, and I also felt that the hope that Ying-Ying made would be gone also, but in the end her hope of being found by her family was granted and I was glad that it ended on such a happy note.
4.Ying-Ying and Amah had a one-way relationship. Ying-Ying only thought of Amah as someone who would care for her and do what she wanted, but did not love her. Amah, on the other hand, loved Ying-Ying as if she were her own child. It can be proven when Ying-Ying expressed her feelings for Amah by saying that “I thought of Amah only as someone for my comfort, the way you might think of a fan in the summer or a heater in the winter, a blessing you appreciate and love only when it is no longer there”(72).
5.Amy Tan used very precise and descriptive imagery here, like describing the gutting and cleaning of the fish and the decapitation of the turtle. It gave me an eerie feeling that I was watching those acts there myself, with the scales and blood flying everywhere as it was being done. Also, the whole story of her life in China was told through a flashback because the present Ying-Ying is in America with her daughter and son in law.
6.I learned that in China people enjoy eating a wide range of food, including and not limited to shrimp that is still moving, turtles, and eels. I was surprised because I would never eat turtles and eels but I would eat shrimp but probably not raw. It was very interesting and surprising to have learned that.
The Marriage that never was
Red Candle
1) Besides my very strong belief that nobody should be forced into marriage and that it’s stupid and unnecessary to do it, this chapter definitely shows that the human spirit can be unbreakable. Lindo is stuck in a position where she does not want to shame her family by leaving the marriage, but hating it at the same time. On top everything, the story takes place in china, where a women can not break a marriage. She still finds a way to get out of the marriage by using Chinese superstition and her own mind, and still holding onto her family’s honor. I don’t think I would have been that resourceful. Then again, I don’t live in those times when I have to think of how to dodge marriage at the same time as deal with Japanese invasion. About the characters in this story, I think Tyan-yu acts like he is tough and on top, when its really his mother that is running things and he is scared of Lindo Tong. Huang Taitai is the real person who runs the show, she is the one who wants the child and Lindo to be a good wife and spoils Tyan-yu. In my mind, she is an over protective mother who needs to let Tyan-yu grow up and get off of Lindo’s back (metaphorically speaking).
2) Tyan-yu and Huang Taitai. I would describe their relationship as controlling. Tyan-yu basically has no backbone when talking to his mother, Huang Taitai. She runs the house and tells everyone else what to do and when to do it. I suppose your supposed to defer to your parents, but seriously, he is married and should at least be able to his mother he doesn’t want children yet or something. Though, that could be considered disobedience against your parents or dishonoring the family.
3) Amy Tam uses flash backs twice in this chapter, to great effect. First is at the very start, telling her daughter about how she gave up her life to keep a promise. The second time is when she tells us about the wedding night with the candle. Using the flashback for the wedding night gives us a sense of anticipation, knowing that something went wrong but not knowing what. It also tells us about the wedding night while telling us that everyone else believes that the candle burned correctly.
4) The overall conflict in the story is human vs. self, where Lindo is battling against to become her own person, to keep her personality and keep her family’s honor. As a result of her victory and resolution to escape and become her own person, she devises the plan to get out of the marriage take would make sure her family honor is not stained. She also has the conflict when she first enters the household and almost convinces herself that she is happy in her new house. She does find a sort of happiness, but she always remembers that she wants to get out some day and make her own destiny.
1. The Blown Flames
2. The Red Candle
3. This chapter was very well-written and I loved how Amy Tan was able to grab my attention within the first few pages. I was surprised to read that Lindo Jong was already engaged at the age of two! My mother use to tell me that girls in India use to get betrothed at ages ranging from five years and older, but never at the age of two. I, also, find it hard to believe that Lindo still remembered the day she met her “new mother” and the matchmaker. I was astonished to find that Lindo’s own mother treated her as a foreigner, “as if she belonged to somebody else” (45). I guess I understand her situation because she couldn’t keep Lindo beside her forever; she had to get ready to give away her daughter. When Lindo moved into her husband’s house, I personally think that her mother-in-law, Huang Taitai, treated her as a personal slave rather than a daughter-in-law. In addition, Lindo’s husband, Tyuan-yu, never accepted Lindo as his wife and she therefore came to love him as a younger brother. I admire the strategy that Lindo used to annul her marriage. She wove an amazing tale and managed to fool her in-laws without breaking the promise she made to her mother. This chapter was remarkable and I give it two thumbs up!
4. The relationship between Lindo and her husband, Tyuan-yu, can be described as forced and imbalanced. Without any consent of will, Lindo and Tyuan-yu were both tied together in the bondage of marriage. They did not have the relationship of a newlywed, but of a kindred relationship instead. Lindo was, also, treated like a personal servant by her mother-in-law, Huang Taitai, and then later as a sister by her husband, Tyuan-yu. Huang wanted Lindo to bear children, so Lindo was forced to sleep with Tyuan-yu otherwise Huang would “refuse to feed or clothe [her]” (57). When Lindo took off her gown and lay in bed with Tyuan-yu, he “was scared and turned his face” (58) refusing to accept her as his wife because “he had no desire for [her]” (58). Lindo therefore assumed that they had a brother-sister relationship, but nothing of a newlywed.
5. One writing technique that Amy Tan uses in the chapter is symbolism and it improves the story because it catches the reader’s interest and indirectly involves different meanings to the situation, which provides an enhanced understanding. Tan uses a variety of symbols throughout the story, such as the red candle and the gold jewelry. The red candle symbolizes the bondage of marriage between Lindo and Tyan-yu. When Lindo blew out the red candle, it symbolized that her marriage was invalid and Tan used the candle to foreshadow their ruined marriage. However, the gold jewelry symbolized the promise Lindo made to her mother. Once Lindo removed the gold, she was renounced from the promise and was “more free” (59). The gold was both mentally and physically weighing her down because Huang Taitai and the rest of the family pressurized her to bear a heir.
6. I think the main conflicts in this chapter are external. It can be seen through human vs. human and human vs. society. The conflict between humans is shown when Lindo Jong arrives at her husband’s house and encounters her mother-in-law, Huang Taitai. When Lindo first arrived at her in-laws, Huang put her straight to work in the kitchen, “a place for cooks and servants” (49). Lindo is not given the status of a daughter-in-law, but is expected to cook and care for her mother-in-law like a personal servant. Lindo didn’t want to live with the Huangs, but due to society and the promise she made to her mother; Lindo had to settle in her new home where she was obligated to fulfill the needs of her mother-in-law. The conflict with society is evident because arrange marriages were very common back in that time period of China. Lindo was forced into the arrange marriage due to her culture. Chinese parents would arrange marriages for their children since birth because it was sort of a custom for society. Lindo had no say in her decision for marriage because society had forced it upon her. Lindo’s life had taken such a turn that it was impossible for her to run away. She was trapped in the bondage of marriage and her life was bound to Tyan’s family. Even if Lindo had disagreed or outspoken against her marriage, the Chinese society would have looked down on her and assumed that she had disrespected the ancestors, therefore bringing shame onto her family.
1. “I don’t want to get married!”
2. FEATHERS FROM A THOUSAND LI AWAY: “LINDO JONG: The Red Candle”
3. An arranged marriage is something I would hate to go through. It is sad that two people have to be forced to marry each other but it cannot be helped because it is tradition. I felt sad when Lindo Jong had to separate from her family when the flood destryed their house. I would cry hysterically and cling to my family members if they said I had to live in another family’s house. I felt that Huang Taitai was very mean towards her daughter in law and ordered Lindo around. All Lindo Jong did in the house was cook and clean and do house chores. It was as if she was a servant instead of a family member. Lindo Jong’s new life was unpleasant. Lindo Jong’s plan was genius! I felt relieved she found a way to leave her unhappy situation. Observing our surroundings can help us in the longrun.
4. I would describe Lindo Jong and her mother’s relationship as loving. Even though her mother didn’t treat Lindo as her own daughter once she was betrothed, it is a sign of love although some people would say it is not. People say that when parents and children get into an argument, it is a sign of love because the parents care for their children’s well-being. What some people would consider as a cold relationship is really a loving one.
5. In this chapter, I notice Amy Tan using metaphors. In the beginning of the chapter, she said that Huang Taitai “had a painted face that was melting” and she said that the village matchmaker “had the dry face of an old tree trunk” (43). This contrasts the two women. Huang Taitai’s face was full of makeup while the village matchmaker’s face was bare and natural. The use of metaphor helps me picture the old ladies faces.
6. I learned a lot about the Chinese culture in this chapter, especially arranged marriages. I learned that pichi means bad temper, tyan means sky, syaumei is a little dumpling, and many more words. The age of the two people being betrothed does not matter. Lindo Jong was two years old while the boy she was to marry was only one year old. Young girls can separate from their family as early as twelve years old. I learned that daughter in laws did all the house work while their husbands get spoiled. If it rains on your wedding day, it is a sign of bad luck.
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1. “What I Want”
2. “The Red Candle”
3. I was surprised at the fact that Lindo and Tyan-yu were arranged to be married at the age of two. I thought their parents would at least wait until they were a little bit older to decide such an important matter. When Lindo went to live with the Huangs, I thought they would treat her like family, but I was truly wrong about that. I felt really bad about the way they treated her. She not only had to leave her own family, but was treated as if she was a servant. Her own husband didn’t even care about her. The fact that she tried so hard to never break the promise to her family, showed that she was strong. No matter how much pain she went through, she pushed it aside to keep her promise. Not only was Lindo strong, but she was also clever. I would’ve never thought she was going to fake a dream and make her mother-in-law believe everything she said. I guess she’s a good actress. It also surprised me because I thought she was going to live with the marriage to Tyan-yu forever.
4. Lindo and Huang Taitai have an odd relationship. When Lindo arrives at the Huangs, the first thing Huang Taitai does is “hurried” her to the kitchen, “a place for cooks and servants” (49) which showed how lowly Huang Taitai thought of her own daughter-in-law. She made her cook and clean and always bosses her around, never treating her as if she was apart of the family. This is unusual, because typically mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws try their best to welcome each other. But in this relationship, they obviously don’t do that. Huang Taitai continues to push her around, and Lindo continues to let her push her, because she must keep her promise to her family.
5. In this chapter, Amy Tan uses a lot of symbolism. The glowing candle symbolized the endless, successful marriage the couple would have. If both sides of the wick didn’t blow out, then their marriage would have lasted, but because it was blown out, it symbolized that their marriage was sure to end. Gold was also symbolized. It literally weighed Lindo down, but symbolically, it was the weight of the promise she kept with her family. When she was rid of it, she felt “the lightness come back into [her] body” (63).
6. I think the main conflict in this chapter is human vs. self, which is what Lindo deals with internally. She has to deal with leaving her family, at such a young age, to go live with a family that doesn’t even appreciate her. She fights and ignores the criticism Huang Taitai and Tyan-yu put upon her, but did nothing, because she remembered “her promise to [her] parents to be an obedient wife” (57). She wants nothing more than to go back home, but knows she can’t leave, because she must keep her promise. She knows what she wants and therefore, creates her little plan to escape, but to still keep her family’s honor.
Lies
Red Candle
1. My reaction to this chapter was that it was sad yet really meaningful. I would call this chapter lies because there was a lot of lying going on in the chapter, from white lies her future husband used to make her cry to her lies to escape the marriage. I feel what she did to escape her marriage was wrong when she told Huang Taitai about the servant girl. Though I understand why she did it, she wanted freedom from an unhappy life, without bringing disgrace to her family.
2. I would describe the relationship between Lindo Jong and Huang Taitai as slave-like. Lindo is always trying to please her mother-in law no matter what. She cared about her opinion more then her life, she was always struggling to please her. Huang Taitai did nothing but continue to complain over small things, and making her get better. Lindo was treated as a slave in this household.
3. Amy Tan uses the technique of symbolism in the chapter when she had Lindo blow out the red candle. This symbolized that the marriage would end soon, and that it wasn’t going to last forever.
4. I learned about the arrange marriages in the Chinese culture. There would be a matchmaker of the town who would arrange all the marriages and pair couples up. It also said that the contract cannot be broken unless both of the families agree upon the decision. If the girl is old enough and the family has to leave, the girl would live wit her fiancé’s family until she is old enough to marry.
“To Be That Girl”
2. LINDO JONG: “The Red Candle”
3. When I first began reading this chapter, I thought Lindo Jong’s comparison of promises to gold was an interesting way to think of promises, but I also felt that it was really clear in making its point. To me, it meant a lot of different things. Promises were to be treasured – pure and true, through and through, as Jong expresses as she says, “To Chinese people, fourteen carats isn’t real gold. Feel my bracelets. They must be twenty-four carats, pure inside and out” (42). The way she said fourteen carats isn’t real gold expressed that promises are things that weren’t meant to be partial – either they were, “pure inside and out,” or they weren’t gold at all. I agree with this all the way, and it really pulled me into the book, making me anxious to figure out how this would relate to the rest of the chapter.
As I continued into the book, I started to feel more and sorrier for Lindo Jong, because of her arranged marriage, which began when she was only two years old. I initially didn’t really care about the arranged marriage because I thought if this chapter was only about her being unhappy with the boy she was marrying, it would be pretty insignificant to the chapter, especially when compared to the beginning, where Jong said, “I once sacrificed my life to keep my parents’ promise” (42). I figured that being unhappy with the boy wouldn’t really be sacrificing her life, and so I discounted the marriage. Reading further, I realized that the marriage was important (why else would Amy Tan take so much space to describe it all?). I was sad at how Jong’s actual family treated her after she was engaged, treating her as though she, “belonged to somebody else.” I felt it was unfair that just because she was unwillingly chosen as Tyan-yu’s bride, she had to grow up this way. But in addition to that, I thought the marriage was a good thing – it made Jong who she was. Overall, I still wished that Jong could have become the person she was without this type of rearing.
From the beginning, I was surprised by Jong’s maturity. As she says, she “was actually a very obedient child (45),” and she didn’t protest her marriage, keeping the promise her parents had made with Tyan-yu’s parents. Also, her maturity is shown when she understands why her mother treats her as though she’s somebody else’s child, and through it all, she still understood that her mother loved her. Though she was affected by her parent’s treatment, she still obeyed them and kept their honor, as she was sent off to Tyan-yu’s house once hers was destroyed. I respected her for that, because I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to enter Tyan-yu’s house bravely (and with a smile too!).
At the part where Jong “discovered” herself before her wedding, I was extremely proud of her, especially when I read the line, “I would always remember my parents’ wishes, but I would never forget myself (53),” because before, Jong had found “happiness” in the pleasure of Tyan-yu and Huang Taitai – she was satisfied with the content of others. I hoped that this would pave the way for Jong’s own happiness, rather than of others that did not even treat her as an equal. My prayers were answered when Jong finally escaped from her marriage with Tyan-yu, along with his entire family. She granted herself freedom, using a brilliant plan. The way she let herself free was amazing. Also, I thought the way Amy Tan weaved everything together was really, really cool. For example, during the course of the story, Huang Taitai ordered Jong to take off the gold that was given to her, which to me was an amazing interpretation of her taking off the burden of the promise (think about the beginning of the story!) of her parents, which was the start of her road to freedom. Lastly, at the absolute end of the chapter, Jong felt the lightness return to her – or complete freedom from the burden placed upon her. I truly felt that Jong deserved the freedom she got, and I applaud her for being able to do so independently.
4. The adjective I feel describes Tyan-yu and Lindo Jong’s relationship is mutual. They were mutual for their feelings towards one another, or lack thereof, and they were mutual in terms of what they wanted from one another – nothing. This is shown through Jong’s attempt to get Huang Taitai off her back, as she takes off her gown to get Tyan-yu to sleep with her (along several attempts before hand). Tyan-yu refuses her every time, making it mutual as she does not wish to sleep with him either. He does not want her, and she does not want him. Though Jong does say that she loves him, she loved him more as a brother than as a husband. She cares for him, but not to the point that she would want to sleep with him.
5. In this chapter, I noticed Amy Tan using symbolism. She used gold as a symbol for promises and the burden they carry, which she compared to one another at the beginning of the story. Gold, literally, made Lindo Jong feel weighed down, but symbolically, it was the burden of the promise her parents made with Huang Taitai that weighed her down – it kept her from being free. Once Huang Taitai removed the gold from Jong’s body, she “felt lighter, more free (59).” Also, in the story, “they say this is what happens when [a person lacks] metal. [They] begin to think as an independent person,” which is exactly what Jong did as she began to think, “about how [she] would escape [her] marriage (59).” When Jong finally escaped her “marriage without breaking [her] promise to [her] family (59),” she freed herself wholly; she found herself as she did the day of her marriage – light and free to be herself once again. I think this improved the chapter because it made it so much more interesting to read and understand, it also explains in an intriguing manner, rather than just plainly comparing the two things and saying how heavy a promise is. The way it is shown in parts throughout the story and how everything weaved together was also a way it improved the chapter. Without the symbolism, I know for sure I wouldn’t have liked the chapter as much as I did. The way it allows me to think more and figure things out makes the story much more likeable and it makes me feel intellectually accomplished once I figure it all out.
6. What is the theme or life lesson in this chapter and which line or scene reveals this?
To me, the theme of this chapter is that promises should be followed through. This theme is shown throughout the book, as Lindo Jong keeps her parent’s promise of marriage even though she wishes to escape it as much as possible. Jong sacrificed her life in order to keep her promise, as she devised a plan to escape the marriage, but still keeping her promise. Jong truly believed in the value of a promise, and thus risked her life in order to do so. Fulfilling promises is also like a measure of one’s own worth, as it gave Jong hers as she says, “I know what I’m worth (63).” Because after she had fulfilled her promise to her parents, the burden of it left her and gave herself value, which “[she]’ll never forget.” Also, in the chapter, Amy Tan stresses the Chinese value of keeping a promise, which stays consistent as it intertwines with Jong’s story, thus proving the great weight and importance of keeping a promise.
Tiffany Vuong
6th period
1. The Clever Promise
2. “The Red Candle”
3. In the beginning of this chapter I really felt the cruel customs and traditions of the Chinese. How does anyone really know who belongs together? Especially when they are only two years old? As Lindo grows up and is old enough to begin living with her soon to be mother-in-law, she sees the personality and characteristics of her future husband and does not like what she sees at all. Lindo is still very young to be getting married, but that’s not the only burden she has to carry along on her miserable lifelong journey, Lindo has to honor and respect her family name. Lindo could make the tiniest mistake in the Huang’s house and her mother could easily “lose her face.” It really surprised me how intelligent Lindo was; she used her emotions as a guide for a better life. She thought of a plan and thought about every little thing that could go wrong; she thought of a full proof plan, all the way down to the mole on Tyan-yu’s back.
4. Lindo and Tyan-yu’s relationship would be described as forced. Lindo definitely didn’t want to get married to Tyan-yu and Tyan-yu wanted nothing of Lindo. “[Lindo] learned to love Tyan-yu (57)” but not for his appearance or personality because “he never touched [her] (57).” If Lindo only loves him because of his actions their relationship is obviously going to fail. Lindo think of an incredible plan to sabotage her relationship with Tyan-yu, and for her to think of something so full proof shows the emotional stress their marriage had put her though.
5. In Lindo’s story Amy Tan uses a lot of imagery. Imagery is important in this chapter because it emphasizes the environment Lindo is living in. when using imagery you sense the tough conditions she has to pull through and overcome for her family name’s sake.
6. In Lindo’s story Amy Tan weaved in a handful of cultural facts; several of which was the Chinese language. For instance, “pichi,” a bad temper, “tyan,” sky, “yu,” leftovers, “syaumei,” a little dumpling, “chang,” a necklace made out of red jade, “shemma bender en,” what kind of fool are you, and “tounau,” meaning a special tonic soup. I learned that “to Chinese people, fourteen carats isn’t real gold [,] the must be twenty-four carats, pure inside and out (42).” The best marriage combination is an earth horse with an earth sheep. “Chinese say girl babies [are] worthless (44).”
1. Stop! Don’t touch me, this is my private square.
2. The Red Candle
3. After reading this chapter, I immediately felt grateful that I live in the USA, a place that welcomes new traditions and where old ones are meant to be broken. I am amazed at the characters Amy Tan were able to draw up and create. Lindo Jing came into the story with a hateful resentment against her future husband, Tyan-yu, and his family. However, as the chapter progresses, her feelings and attitude towards them change. Instead of anger and bitterness against Tyan-yu, she pitied him, which resulted to a loving sister-brother relationship. I also admire Jing, due to her strong promise and love for her very own family. She does not want to disgrace them so she goes on with her life, being the daughter-in-law of the Huang’s, with all of its duties and burden. For example, when Jing first arrived at the Huang’s, she was not greeted with hugs or warm welcomes. However, she was instantaneously sent to the kitchen to fulfill her duties as a wife-to-be, cook. Jing could have resorted to the easiest thing back then, killing herself. However, she does not want to disgrace her family’s name, therefore, Jing endures all her cruel treatments and continue being an obedient and honorable daughter-in-law to her new family.
4. Lindo Jing and Huang Tai-tai’s relationship, to me, is nothing like a mother-in-law-daughter-in-law relationship. There is no love or affection between the two. Each is only there for its purpose, somewhat of an arrangement or a deal. Huang Tai-tai does not praise Jing let alone love her. Only when does Jing finish her given tasks correctly and fully towards Tai-tai’s uttermost expectations does then Jing accepts a few smiles here and then. Tai-tai only wants a daughter-in-law who can take care of her every needs such as “combing her hair one hundred strokes” (51). Everything between Jing and Tai-tai is arranged rather than love and sympathy.
5. In this chapter, Amy Tan does a splendid job with symbolism. Tan portrayed the red candles as the marriage itself. If the candle lasts and becomes ashes, then the marriage is a good and loving marriage. However, if the candles burn out, then the marriage is a bad omen and is meant for destruction. Also, jewelry and gold is used to show “promises”. Once Lindo Jing made her promises towards the Huang’s, she was given the jewelry as a gift of token and it was put upon her, holding her down as well. When the promise was borke, the jewelry was taken off right away, freeing her body and soul.
6. In this chapter, we learn a lot about Chinese culture, specifically marital aspects. We learn that in Chinese culture, one does not choose their love ones, but rather to receive one and learn to live with it. We also learn that one does honor their family’s name very much, never ever daring to disgrace it in anyway. Also, in the marriages, the daughter must leave her home and go live with her husband’s family. She must tend and fulfill every single wish and task given at her. Basically, a female’s duty in China back then was to take care of a family, wash and clean and bare babies. Most importantly, I think I learned to appreciate my ability to be able to chose whom I want to spend the rest of my life with, my wife is not to be chosen by my parents or anyone else, but rather by me. :)
1.“Curse of the Ancestors”
2.“The Red Candle”
3.I felt for Lindo Jong having to move into her future husband’s house at such a young age. Further than that, I was angry that they treated her as a slave, claiming that a housewife had to know such things, while the housewife did none of it. The symbol of the red candles was startling. “That red candle was supposed to seal [her] forever with [her] husband and his family, no excuses afterward” (55). Many people have divorces after getting married. In fact, it happens most of the time. Therefore, I believe that having an arranged marriage with someone you do not necessarily like, and then being bound to them for eternity must be an extremely heavy burden to bear. Has anyone has broken this marriage seal before, and how many people have done it if they have?
4.The relationship between Lindo Jong and her mother-in-law can only be described as harsh, and almost cruel. On the very first day Lindo Jong arrived at the house, Huang Taitai “hurried [her] upstairs to the second floor and into the kitchen, which was a place where family and children didn’t usually go. [It] was a place for cooks and servants” (49). Normally parent-in-laws greet their children’s future spouses with respect and a warm welcome, but in this case, it was like adding on a new servant to the house. Not only did Huang Taitai introduce Lindo Jong into the house as a servant, but treated her like one as well. “‘Make her put her own nose to the barrel to make sure it is clean’” (50). She told another servant who was teaching Lindo Jong about being a servant.
5.In this chapter, Amy Tan used a simile on gold, comparing it to the worth of one’s words. “His gold is like yours, it is only fourteen carats” (42). The words of the people who are truthful are pure, twenty-four carats, and those who have fourteen carats are worth nothing.
6c.This chapter made me better learn how arranged marriages were set up. I learned that the year and animal in which the child was born greatly affected the luckiness of the marriage. I also discovered how the females were treated like slaves being brought into their new home. I never knew about the red candles uniting a couple forever, even through death either.
1. The Strength of the Horse
2. The Red Candle
3. The arranged marriage between Lindo Jong’s arranged marriage to me wasn’t so surprising. Arranged marriages were common in those times but what was surprising was that she gave up her identity when she married Tyan-yu. When she moved into Tyan-yu’s place, she completely changed herself so she could make her parents proud by being honorable. Tyan-yu’s personality really bugged me. His constant complaints and his neglecting towards Lindo made him a character that I despised and also made him a horrible husband. I liked Lindo’s sly personality. Her quick thinking enabled her to free herself from her forced marriage.
4. Lindo’s relationship with her mother is somewhat isolated or detached. Once Lindo’s marriage was announced, her mother seemed to speak about Lindo as if she was Huang Taitai’s daughter. She would say, “Look how much Huang’s daughter can eat,” implying that Lindo was now Huang’s daughter, and not hers.
5. I noticed that Amy Tan used symbolism in this chapter. The red candle, the title of the chapter, symbolizes their marriage as the color red in china represents luck and prosperity. The flame on the candle represents their lasting marriage. As long as the fire is still ignited, their marriage will continue to thrive.
6. The conflict in this chapter is internal. Lindo is struggling to live with her new family while not disgracing her own. She must live on without her family by her side, and live in a family that neglects and does not appreciate Lindo as a family member.
Brian Tat
Period 7
The Overweighing Metal
The Red Candle
At first reading, I thought how the girl sacrificed her life and to what depth did she sacrifice to her parents? So it seems that Lindo is telling Wavery this whole story, for she goes back and forth telling her daughter what they didn’t have back then and compares the two. I grew sad to hear that this girl would be forced to marry into the family. However, I wondered why Lindo’s family even decided to just let her marry into the Huang family? When I read, “… she didn’t love me,” I felt terrible (45). To not be loved by your own family, it was lonely and sad. I believe that their houses represented their own family’s power and wealth. The Huang’s house is untouched due to their higher standing in the valley, and this makes the audience think more about how wealthy the Huang family is.
From the line “Teach her to wash rice properly so that the water runs clear,” I believe that the water is her ability to follow in many directions (50). As explained in the first chapter, water represents the decision-making of a person. The Huang family wants it to be clear, so the water would be clean and clear. Like clean water, it is limited, and it can be deduced that they also want limit the decisions she can make. I thought of this when she asks, “Can you see how the Huangs almost washed their thinking into my skin?” (51).
Tyan-yu and Lindo Jong’s relationship can be described as abusive relationship. Tyan-yu would bully and insult her even when she was crying. When Huang Taitai accused Lindo of rejecting Tyan-yu’s attempts, he did not defend her. However, Lindo allowed herself to be abused because she doesn’t say anything about Tyan-yu’s fear of her body.
Amy Tan incorporates symbolism in this short story. From her first short story “The Joy Luck Club,” she explained three different elements relating to the characteristics of a person. In this chapter, metal is revealed to represent the independence and dependence of a person. It makes the story very interesting about how the characters see elements as symbols. However, it also allows the reader to discover the different ways of how the technique is also used. In the short story, she uses foreshadowing to express the importance of the red candle in the story. Amy Tan describes the use of the red candle, however, she pauses for a bit, and reveals that Lindo knew the true story of the event. It is then explained about how the red candle was unlit at the husband’s end. The red candle’s event also foreshadows and symbolizes that Lindo will exit through the marriage by her husband’s actions.
I’m learning that in Chinese culture, a man and a woman were given arranged marriage organized by their families when they were young. A matchmaker would set them up, and the family of the man would accept or decline. The man’s family would want to choose daughters-in-law that could raise proper sons, care for the old people, and sweep the burial grounds. In cities, however, a man would choose a woman to marry with the parent’s permission. When the man and woman grew old enough to marry, they would have a red candle brought by the matchmaker. It was exciting to hear about the red candle and how the short story was named after. The red candle would have two ends for lighting with the characters of the man and woman’s names. I never knew that there was even a candle in Chinese marriages, and that it “was a marriage bond that was worth more than a Catholic promise not to divorce” (55). It appears that the Chinese were strict about marriage, because they didn’t want the wife to divorce or remarry.
1) “Our Love Has Burned Out”
2) “The Red Candle”
3) The first paragraph struck a chord within me. To sacrifice her life for a promise to her parents, this just proves to me how much Lindo Jong confirms to the customs of Chinese society; she knows what to do in order to honor her parents and keep from shaming the family name, though I don’t see a point in that myself since she is practically owned by the husband’s family after she got married. In the beginning, she speaks to her daughter and grandchild with such bitterness that I wonder what happened between them. The description of the marriage did not surprise me since it was an arranged marriage. I’ve come to think that those never work out anyways. I was disgusted by Tyan-yu, the way he lied to his mother that Lindo was “simply infertile” to push the blame off of himself. I was a little amused at the way Huang Taitai reacted, how she believed that if Lindo stayed stationary then she would not disturb the “seeds of grandchildren”. The thing I loved most about this chapter was the wit and cunning tactics that Lindo used to get away from Tyan-yu and his family. The “signs” from her dream were absolutely hysterical; I can’t believe that Huang Taitai didn’t even know that her son had a mole on his back! Also, when I learned that the candle of marriage had actually been blown out by Lindo, I thought that it was so fitting because she secretly didn’t want this marriage. When I read that it had burned out anyways, I thought that it was so obviously relit just so that Huang Taitai wouldn’t have a fit because what kind of matchmaker would admit that the match he/she made is a bad one? I bet that this is probably what happened with most of the candles lit during marriages in this time because, honestly, what are the chances that the candle would keep burning all night long? In essence, the marriage was doomed to fail from the start from that little fact alone, even though it’s a superstition.
4) The relationship between Lindo and her husband, Tyan-yu can be described as “uncomfortable”. It’s territory that neither knows much about. For Lindo to actually glad to be sleeping alone on a sofa while her husband just throws her an insult and a pillow as a “good night” just shows how awkward their relationship is. Eventually they become accustomed to each other but only as brother and sister. Even then, Tyan-yu does not seem to love Lindo in any way.
5) Amy Tan uses foreshadowing in this chapter to describe the marriage of Lindo and Tyan-yu. She says, “A lot of bad luck fell on [their] wedding day” (52). There was a light rain storm that turned heavy as Lindo came out to start the ceremony. This rain forshadowed the marriage dissolving and washing away or break apart.
6) Throughout the whole chapter, there is almost nothing more found than “local color”. I learned that “to Chinese people, fourteen carats isn’t real gold”. I also learned that marriages were arranged when two people were very small, perhaps in their toddler years or even before they were born. The daughter-in-law would have to be very obedient and practically live only to serve for the husband’s family as they grow old. The Chinese are also very superstitious; the wedding date for Lindo and Tyan-yu was set on the luckiest day of the year, the day when the moon is fullest of all.
1) If luck was money, I'd be poor
2) Red Candle
3) This was a strong chapter, though I was confused in the beginning, because I didn’t realize that Lindo was a mother from China, not a daughter born in America. To this chapter, I reacted strongly, empathizing with Lindo throughout the chapter many times. I was also exasperated while reading, for I could not help but want to change the unfair situation. I was also surprised at the lack of control one has on their future, for their future was in the hands of their parents. I was also shocked at how the mother would always switch “possession” of Lindo with the future Mother-In-Law when it suited her. Yet again, I was surprised by the general atmosphere that surrounds a wedding, and the difference when it came to Lindo's wedding, was very surprising, for the association of thunder and lightning to bombs.
4) I think the relationship between Lindo and her mother is very special. The mother, that is before she moves away, was constantly putting down Lindo. Also, as I stated earlier, the mother used to put down Lindo, either as her daughter or Huang Taitai’s daughter, whichever was more convenient for the mother. Sometimes mother would comment on “how much Huang Taitai’s daughter can eat,” (45) when Lindo ate too much. However, when Lindo makes a sour faces, mother would scold her, about how “the Huang’s won’t want [her] and [their] family would be disgraced,” (45).She only does this because she loves her daughter, for “she would say [the insults] biting back her tounge,” “so that she wouldn’t wish for something that was no longer hers,” (45).
5) I think that the beautiful, short two-part anecdote about the American soldier and the 14 karat gold was a perfect example of how well Amy Tan uses symbolism. I think it was a a very beautiful analogy of how the Chinese think of gold, and its purity. I think the gold signifies the ideas and memories of Lindo that will be passed to the grandchild, and it also represents the grandchild itself; how much of Chinese tradition will it know, how pure will it be, Chinese-wise.
6) I think this chapter shows the readers a lot of local color, especially the beliefs an d ideas the Chinese people had associated with. One of these beliefs was about the purity of gold, of how only 24 karat gold jewelry is worth something, not the regular American 14 karat gold. Another thing was the how the Chinese had associated lightning and thunder with bombs, fearing it, showing the general atmosphere and morale of the country.
1.“Sticky Seal”
2.The Red Candle
3.I was taken aback when Lindo was recalling her engagement when she was two. To be honest, I was more shocked that Lindo could actually remember (in great detail) her engagement at such a young age. I’ve seen and heard of many pre-birth engagements in tribe documentaries so, the shock value of that sort of diminished for me. I couldn’t believe that Lindo remembered the day of her engagement. The earliest memory I had was when I was probably five or four. But I suppose if it’s something that dramatic and life-changing as an arranged marriage, a person would keep that memory with them for the rest of their life.
While I was reading the chapter, I was confused as to how she really knew that the servant girl was of imperial descent. I don’t know if that’s the result of the lack of detail on Amy Tan’s part or my intermittent skimming. I think I’m leaning towards the latter.
4.The relationship between Lindo and her mother is blocked off. Because Lindo was engaged at two, I think her mother wanted to protect herself and Lindo by creating a wall between them. It was probably painful for them to be together, for her mother to raise her, knowing that she would be taken to another family. Her mother’s constant reference to Lindo as “Huang Taitai’s daughter” must be her way to dull the pain of having to give away her daughter (45). I don’t think Lindo blamed her mother for her behavior. Even though she had given Lindo away, Lindo realized that her mother was doing her best to be a mother to her without becoming too attached. I think when Lindo’s mother made the deal with the matchmaker she truly believed that she would have a better life. But as the years went by, she was beginning to pine over the loss of her daughter.
5. Like many of her other chapters, Tan uses a variety of symbols: bracelets, candles, and the river. Lindo’s bracelet was like a dog collar. The bracelet that Lindo wore represented her loyalty to Huang-taitai’s family and the power they had over her. Once she was rid of that bracelet, she fulfilled her promise. The title of the chapter, the red candle, is a symbol of Lindo and Tyan-yu’s marriage and relationship. The candle was supposed to show everyone that the marriage could never be broken because the two ends of the candle would burn out at the same time. But a servant had accidentally let one of the candle’s ends burn out prematurely and later re-lit it to avoid punishment. This symbol foreshadowed the downfall of their marriage.
6.In this chapter, I learned that matchmaking was taken very serious in China. Before reading “The Red Candle”, I had a preconceived notion of what matchmaking was from “Mulan.” (And yeah, I referencing “Mulan” again. It was my gateway to Chinese culture sadly) I thought that girls would have to be a certain age and meet with the matchmaker one on one. But I realized through this chapter, that in some cases, the matchmaking can take place even before the girl can write her own name. I also learned in this chapter that divorce was looked down upon in China. For some reason, I thought that women, who had little to no power in China, could divorce from their husbands. I guess I just take the power of women for granted.
Genuine Gold is 24 Carats
“The Red Candle”
1. Throughout this chapter, I was repeatedly shocked at the Chinese customs. Although I had originally known that parents often arranged marriages for their children, I had expected for them to show some love and respect for their children. I did not expect that Lindo’s parents completely treated Lindo as someone else’s daughter. I was also shocked to learn that a matchmaker had arranged Lindo’s marriage when she was two years old. I had always thought that families arranged marriages with family friends before the child was even born. Although there were many shocking details in this chapter, I also found that there were many that I was familiar with, such as having the women of the household do the chores. Overall, “The Red Candle” made me feel a twinge of pity for her because she did not have the chance to speak out for her own desires and wishes.
2. I feel that Tyan-Yu and Lindo’s relationship is obligatory. They were forced into a marriage arranged by their parents and although Lindo eventually came to love her husband, “though it was not like the way a wife loves a husband, but more like the way a sister protects a younger brother” (62). When she says she is an “obedient wife” (61) and explains her daily routine, Lindo seems to express that being Tyan-Yu’s wife is a duty. And like a younger brother, Tyan-Yu puts the blame on his “older sister” Lindo when they could not produce a child. There was no love in their relationship. Lindo only feels an obligation to protect her younger brother as an older sister would have.
3. Amy Tan uses various symbols such as the red candle and gold. The red candle represents “a marriage bond that was worth more than a Catholic promise not to divorce” (59). This red candle supposedly “sealed [her] forever with [her] husband and his family” (59). When Lindo decides to blow out the candle although both ends of the candle burned strong, it symbolizes that Lindo has taken the fate of her marriage into her own hands. She would end the marriage herself. Gold jewelry is also a symbol used in “The Red Candle.” It first appears in the beginning of the story, the gold bracelet symbolizing promises. The gold jewelry appears again when the matchmaker attempts to figure out why Lindo has not bore a child yet. Taking off the gold jewelry made Lindo “feel lighter, more free” (63). Perhaps that gold was a symbol of the promises made in marriage to her husband and his family. When the jewelry was removed, her promises were also removed. Finally, the gold jewelry returns at the end of the chapter. This time, the removal of her jewelry symbolizes her “promise not to forget herself” (66). She takes off the gold jewelry on the Festival of Pure Brightness to “feel the lightness come back into [her] body” (66) symbolizing her promise to herself.
4. I’ve learned much about the Chinese culture that I had never actually known about, despite my own Chinese heritage. It seems as though Chinese people only wear 24 carat gold jewelry, pure gold. I also learned that Chinese families arranged marriages for their children through a matchmaker. Often, these arranged marriages were between a poorer and richer family. I also learned that the Chinese are very superstitious when it comes to their ancestors and such. The Chinese believed in bad luck and curses and would risk anything to get rid of it. I also got a deeper insight on the social statuses between women and men. Chinese women were used as maids, and did all the chores in the house, whereas the men were just treated well, and did none of the house chores. Sprinkled into the storyline, Amy Tan has taught me much more about the Chinese culture than I had ever known.
Dan Truong
Period 06
Slave to a Promise
(On “The Red Candle”)
3) I enjoyed parts of this chapter because I learned so much about Chinese culture from it, thanks to Amy Tan’s highly-skilled way of weaving local color into it. I was surprised how Lindo Jong was practically sold to a family at the age of two where she would be forced to be servant to the Huangs. Poor Lindo was even treated by her family most her life as if she belonged to Huang Taitai already. I don’t think arranged marriages benefit the actual people marrying as much as they do the parents.
4) The relationship between Lindo and Tyan-yu can be described as harmless and sibling-like. Lindo points out to herself that though Tyan-yu may own her body, he does not own her heart. She still has her own mind and uses that to free herself from the Huangs. She comes to love Tyan-yu as if he were her own brother because he doesn’t touch her at night and she feels relieved.
5) I noticed she used symbolism in this chapter. I realized that gold is very worthy to the Chinese folk and that in this story it symbolizes the worth of a promise. This writing technique enhances the chapter because it shows how much Lindo’s promises meant. She sacrificed her life to keep her parents’ promise.
6c) I learned that back then the fate of a child, who they will spend the rest of their life with, would be decided by the parents. I learned that the Chinese were very superstitious. I learned that a child must treat their mother-in-law as if she were their own mother. I learned that promises are very important and must be kept at all costs.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
“My Scarf”
The Red Candle
1. While reading this vignette, I felt the majority of it brought the reader to feel sorrowful for Lindo Jong. Lindo was not only arranged to marry a boy at a very young age which forced her mother to treat her as if she no longer fit into the family, she was looked down upon by her in-laws and accused of not bearing the new generation when it was clearly not her fault. Although Lindo was in a situation that would seem unbearable, I do not feel it was necessary for her to lie about having a dream that her husband would die if they did not end their marriage to escape from the ungrateful household. Through leaving her in-laws, she was able to go to America and find herself again though. I felt that was an appropriate ending because it was on a happy note when everything before was so dismal.
2. The relationship between Lindo Jong and her prior mother-in-law, Huang Taitai, can be described as giving and no receiving. Huang Taitai always expects Lindo to do everything perfectly and never considers Lindo’s feelings. Lindo never recieves anything for acknowledgement or good work.
3. Amy Tan uses symbolism in this vignette. The red scarf that Lindo uses on her wedding day as a veil symbolizes her barrier that keeps her from being her true self when married into the Huang family. Once she ended her communications with the Huang family and took off her scarf, she felt “the lightness come back into [her] body” (63) and free.
4. I leaned that Chinese people are extremely superstitious. The Huang’s actually believed in Lindo’s dream and followed it and a good day had to be picked for the wedding.
1. sheep and horse
2. the red candle
3.i think arranged marriage is very unfair. As in this case, she was paired with a spoiled boy that did not care about Lindo Jong. The matchmaker had predicted that the marriage was to be successful because they were born in the year of the sheep and horse. I think, in some cases, arranged marriage could work. Ive heard stories about couple that had learned to love each other and make their family happy also. But, because Tyan-Yu was too difficult to work with this arrangement did not become a happy relationship. He purposely spilled soup and made her day miserable on purpose. I would be horribly depressed knowing that I was stuck into this deal. I was surprised at the cleverness she had when Lindo escaped.
4.the relationship between Lindo Jong and her step mother ca n be described as a master and slave. In a way, she had bought Jong from her own family. She treated her like another servant in the house instead of the wife of her son. A grandson was really all she wanted from her. so, she became angry when Tyan told her that Lindo did not want to sleep with her. it was if she had purchased a broken object and could not return it.
5. I think a good technique that Amy Tam used was simile. She describes Jong as a horse. That is the year she born in and also the characteristics she is given. Even though there was nothing she could to escape the enslaving marriage she stayed as strong as a horse. She was obedient even when they made her angry.
6.She had genuine thoughts that no could take away from here. The theme could be found in the passage when she realizes the power of the wind. She would never forget herself and at the same time remember her parent’s wishes. Never let go of what you really are.
1. True Gold Not Fool’s Gold
2. Red Candle
3. What a feminist author! What she writes make me angry into two ways. One way would be what she wanted as a reaction. I hate men who are horrible to their wives and I hate men who are big liars, Tyan-yu and the soldier from the movie, respectively. So I can still feel the anger that is suppose to envelope the reader to, obviously, dislike if not hate Lindo’s first husband. Then I feel another anger…toward Amy Tan this time. As I said before, what a feminist. Why are men portrayed with such atrocity?! Most of them anyways. If you don’t believe me, read at least three of Amy Tan’s books in a row and 1. You can tell what’s going to happen overall (she has a repetitive style) and 2. Most of the men in the stories are either trash from birth and on or born rich but still a trashy person “in [their] bones” (Bonesetter’s Daughter by…duh…Amy Tan). So I want to say to her, What’s wrong with Chinese men?! My father is an incredible person and so are some of my friend’s fathers. They sure are all Chinese! And what’s up with all the American husbands too?! They are better than the Chinese husbands she portrayed that raped, tortured, and beat their wives but if you think about it, not as good as they should have been. So to her I suppose all the men in the world are horrible?! I know she doesn’t think that way but with her stories, you would think so. She is suppose to represent China in a good way bringing the culture out to the rest of the world not making up nonsense myths and customs and denouncing the Chinese men. I’m blogging, venting, and taking this out on my laptop. This chapter seriously pissed me off, adding the fact that I just read two other Amy Tan books. (sry for the rough language)….so to continue with more pleasant language…
Hearing June talking about Lindo Jong and actually hearing her talk about herself are quite different. I thought about what Lindo Jong said about how children give themselves excuses to not be able to visit their mother when they had promised already. I wondered if I will be like that and I thought I suppose it is only human and when they do make up excuses they don’t notice that they do or don’t think that it’s a big deal to them or their parent. Then Lindo also mentions about the movie that her daughter watched to miss dinner with her. She also watches it and says how the soldier makes a big promise to a girl he probably loved at the time but later after the war he went to another girl and proposed. The Hollywood scenes may make people feel and comment how romantic the second girl looks surprised and is shocked to find she suddenly falls for the guy too. Okay, not to be mean to most of what books and movies are made but now when I read that I thought that was stupid. What kind guy is that?! What kind of girl is stupid enough? I feel for the first girl that the soldier promised, and incredibly mad that I look down upon this soldier. Continuing calmly…I am mad that marriages back then were all arranged, for the whole entire world this seemed to be. I especially hate this tradition. And it seems that all the mothers in Joy Luck Club have had an arranged marriage as the first time. Lindo Jong has experienced a lot as a young wife. I especially want to tear Tyan-yu to pieces every time he “made special efforts to make [Lindo] cry.” (*breathe in, breathe out*)
It was normal to spoil a son but for whatever reason the Huang family did was just to me …..what?? confusion…their reason didn’t make much sense to me. And it is also normal for a mother in law to not like a daughter in law. That’s pretty cliché. I mean we even have the movie by Jennifer Lopez called “Monster in Law.” It is stereotypical that a mother doesn’t really like the wife of her son usually thinking whoever he chose isn’t good enough for him.
Does Amy Tan really know the traditions for getting married? The red veil doesn’t come off until after the bride and groom are in their room and sitting on their bed. The candle, I must say is possible, just possible, because different regions in China have their different custom. But mostly the same with small variations.
4. Characters: Lindo is really feisty but I suppose the strongest stallion can be beaten out of their spirit. The Huang’s family thinking had been melted onto her mind. How happy it is to see her husband eat the food she makes without once complaining about what he eats or her looks. How wonderful it feels to have her “mother” pat her on her head after she has combed her hair for one hundred strokes. How pathetic. But she is still strong as she realizes what she must do to save herself. Tyan-yu is spoiled, terribly spoiled and truly cares nothing for his wife. She means nothing even when he marries her. In the scene when they are just married and made man and wife, he lifts the red veil and throws it off but without a single look at Lindo. He just puts on a show that’s all.
5. The gold bracelets in this chapter symbolize truth and honesty and responsibility. She also compares to 14 carat gold to her 24 carat gold. Each kind of gold matches with something that a person does or shows.
6. One of the themes of this “The Red Candle” is faithfulness to oneself. The soldier in the movies makes a promise to be faithful to his girlfriend and compares it to gold. But, “his gold is like yours, only 14 carats” Lindo tells her daughter, saying the soldier’s promise like her daughter’s promise cannot be trusted or honored. Only twenty-four-carat gold, a like a sacred promise, is pure.
1. Promises
2. The Red Candle
3. At the beginning of the chapter Lindo Jong talks about promises and the fact that they mean a lot to her, unlike a lot of people nowadays. Lindo was arranged to be married at a very young age. the matchmaker said that they would be a good match even though the boy was a year younger than her. I thought it was weird that Lindo's family started treating her as if she "belonged to somebody else." There was a flood several years later and Lindo had to leave her family to go leave with her husband's family, the Huangs, at the age of twelve. I thought that was shocking; she was so young. Although she moved in with her fiance's family they did not actually marry until a few years later. They had very bad luck on their wedding day. The Japanese attacked and there was rain causing a poor attendance at the ceremony. The Chinese marriage ritual was very interesting. I like the part with the candle the most, it's an interesting idea. It didn't surprise me that the candle blew out and the matchmaker declared it did not. It probably happened a lot. I thought it was weird that Lindo and her husband, Tyan-yu, never really "slept together." People back then normally did it at around that age. After a while Lindo didn't want to be part of that family anymore so she came up with a plan. I thought her plan was very creative and kind of funny. It ended up working and she eventually went to America.
4. The relationship between Lindo and her husband can be described as timid. He was really shy, they never really talked to each other and didn't really sleep together either. This is shown after they got married and Lindo slept on the sofa, while he slept on the bed. Even when she eventually slept on the bed with him, he never touched her.
5. In this chapter Amy Tan used foreshadowing. In the beginning Lindo talks about promises and the promise she made with her parents. You can tell that the story will lead back to those promises later on. The foreshadowing improved the story because it increased the anticipation and made the reader want an explanation. At the end of the chapter the promise that she upkept was the one to herself; she promised not to forget herself, who she was.
6. (a) The life lesson in this chapter is to not forget yourself. Lindo had to leave her family, get married, and find a way out of that marriage, but in the end she put herself first and did what was best for her for once. The moment of realization occurred on the last page of the chapter, when she took of her scarf and felt like herself again.
FEBRUARY 8 2019 AD
I have a thought that is a little different than what is spoken in these paragraphs.
Because both prospective husband and wife got together in front of the families and Church Ministering Teams it show that the commitment was there from the start.
The depictation of the soldier telling his sweetheart he would wait for her when he returns from his tour of Military Service to marry her but during the time away has a change of heart to marry someone else shows that time was well spent proving the authencity and success of the Nupial's and Marriage of the success of their lives together.
So many overseas brides came home to the daunted looks and feelings of perspective brides over the centuries.
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