Book Report The Jade Peony By Wayson

Book Report, The Jade Peony By Wayson Choy Essay, Research Paper

Written By: Andrew Mar 1999 Wayson Choy’s first novel The Jade Peony is a revealing tale of growing up in Vancouver’s early Chinatown. It is told through the reminiscences of three children in a first generation immigrant family. This revelation of life in Canada is colorfully illustrated throughout the novel with more than a hint of traditional Chinese family values and beliefs. Not only is this a descriptive novel but also an entertaining one that is leavened by magic and ghosts, by the secrets and stories of their grandmother, Poh-Poh. The novel is written in three parts; the first one is narrated through Jook-Liang, the only sister of the family, the second part was told through the second brother, Jung-Sum, while the last narration was through the third brother, Sek-Lung. Through the use of this narrative combination Wayson Choy is able to weave a varying blend of children’s viewpoints into his novel. He distinguishes male and female characteristics as well as their age differences when he portrays the children going through the complexities of life. These children face a myriad of situations such as birth and death, love and hate, war, filial piety and prejudice. Wayson Choy’s novel of Vancouver Chinatown during the Second World War began with Jook-Liang revealing how her mother had come to Vancouver as her father’s concubine and grandmothers house servant. She also revealed why she and her two elder brothers began calling her own mother “Stepmother.” Poh-Poh, grandma, wanted to keep things simple and orderly, thus both father and mother did not protest out of respect, “that was the order of things in China.” (Pg.14) This first chapter introduced that respect and the acknowledgement of the “old ways” were very important aspects of their household. Jook-Liang met her best friend, Wong Suk in this chapter. He was originally from the same district as Poh-Poh, thus the Tong association asked if the family would help out the old man with a few meals now and then. On Wong Suk’s first visit ” I sensed from Father’s over preparation and nervousness” that he “was indeed not an ordinary human being. He was an elder, so every respect must be paid to him, and especially as he knew the Old One (Poh-Poh) herself.” (Pg.18) Grandmother cannot lose face in his company, the children had to be in excellent behavior and the family had to pay perfect hospitality in order to signal family respect and honor for the old ways. The First chapter also set the tone that China was in constant turmoil and that it was dependent of contributing remittances from overseas Chinese people. There were the growing war efforts against the Japanese, political strife and starvation. As an editor of the news sheets of those Depression years, Jook-Liang’s father noted “how much the Chinese in Vancouver must help the Chinese. Because no one else will.” (Pg.17) There was even a game which Jook-Liang’s elder brothers played that was created as a fund-raiser for Free China. Third Uncle Lew imported the game “Enemies of Free China” from Hong Kong so that he could sell them in Chinatown. This game depicted the Chinese people’s hatred towards three common enemies: the warlord, the communist and the Japanese soldier named Tojo. This game was a violent propaganda tool that saw the heads of the enemies being decapitated by sword’s which the children struck with. When Jook-Liang met Wong Suk for the first time she behaved like a typical six year old and pictured Wong Suk as a character right out of a fictional story. She saw his old twisted up and crooked features and pictured him as a “Mau-Lauh Bak” a “Monkey Man” from one of Poh-Poh’s stories. Jook-Liang was not afraid of Wong Suk and immediately after he became her best friend. He constantly took her to exciting places, bought her gifts and candy and also to watch cinemas. In Chapter three Jook-Liang found out about Wong Suk’s many forged papers and how many of the Chinese people had to pay Head Taxes to immigrate. She overheard that Wong Suk’s papers must be in perfect order, and if they weren’t maybe they could negotiate with the Tong. Unfortunately, the following day Wong Suk was late to pick up Jook-Liang to go to the cinemas. She later found out that Wong Suk was what they called a “Sojourner”, he was boarding the Empress ship to bring back the seven year old bones of the dead Chinese to Hong Kong and Mainland China, and he wasn’t going to come back. China’s “old ways” always lingered within the family. There was no escaping from Poh-Poh’s belief that Jook-Liang was mo yung, a useless girl. Poh-Poh constantly reminder her that if she wanted to “have a place in this world, do not be born a girl-child.” (Pg.31) Poh-Poh tries to explain to her why she and her brothers are so foolish, how Jook-Liang always wants to be Shirley Temple, while the second grandson always wants to be a cowboy and the first grandson wants to be Charlie Chan. They were “All stupid foolish! In China, you no play-act anything.” (Pg.40) Jook-Liang and her siblings constantly snapped back at her saying that they were in Canada and not “Old China.” Kiam was the eldest son in the family, when he watched Stepmother trying to give birth to her second child in chapter five, he wondered in contrast how happy his own birth was back in Old China. Kiam was the eldest son born to the First Wife of his father. Poh-Poh was ecstatic with his birth, but sh