True or false? "Family and honor should take priority over the rights of the individual family member." How do you think An-mei and her mother would respond? Would they think the statement is true or false? Would they be somewhere in-between?
I think An-mei’s opinion would be the same as her mother. I believe, dependent on how her mother was treated, An-mei would probably think that individual will is more important than family honor. However, during the last scene, when her mother sacraficed herself by cutting a piece of meat off her arm into the stew in order to try to save Popo’s life, An-mei’s mother’s actions show mixed feelings toward this question. Even though she performed this painful routine, it doesn’t mean that she is sorry of her actions and that now she hold the same opinion as Popo. It may also be that she still hold her own opinions but loves Popo so much that she wants to saver her. An mei’s mother still respects Popo.
During one incident, Anutie spat in An-mei’s brother’s face when he accused her of driving their mother out of the house, Auntie exclaims that An-mei’s brother is not one to talk because of thier shameful mother. She continues to make points that seem to make An-mei and her brother seem like they have no rights, that they are the lowest, all due to the disgrace their mother brought to the family. Because of this, I think An-mei would have strong feelings in having individual rights.
Throughout An-mei’s whole life, Popo and Auntie always told her how shameful and evil her mother is. Her mother was compared to the devil and ghosts; even her name was unspeakable. An-mei’s love and admiration for her own mother deceased and only turned to fear. I think An-mei fears her mother only because she is afraid of Popo and Auntie turning against her and treating her negatively. As she said in the end, after witnessing her mother’s attempt to save Popo, “I worshiped the mother from my dream. But the woman standing by Popo’s bed was not the mother of my memory. Yet I came to love this mother as well... Here is how I came to love my mother. How I saw in her my own true nature. What was beneath my skin. Inside my bones” (Tan p.48). During this powerful moment of sacrifice, An-mei realized that she is not really afraid of her mother because in her shameful mother, she sees her own true nature. The respect her mother showed to Popo is a more prominent part of her mother that she loves. An-mei is tied between the importance of family honor and individual rights. From this witness, she learns that even though her mother brought her family shame, she still loves her family and what she did individually did not change her respect for her family. I think An-mei may be a bit tied in the middle of these two answers after all.
I think An-mei’s opinion would be the same as her mother. I believe, dependent on how her mother was treated, An-mei would probably think that individual will is more important than family honor. However, during the last scene, when her mother sacraficed herself by cutting a piece of meat off her arm into the stew in order to try to save Popo’s life, An-mei’s mother’s actions show mixed feelings toward this question. Even though she performed this painful routine, it doesn’t mean that she is sorry of her actions and that now she hold the same opinion as Popo. It may also be that she still hold her own opinions but loves Popo so much that she wants to saver her. An mei’s mother still respects Popo.
During one incident, Anutie spat in An-mei’s brother’s face when he accused her of driving their mother out of the house, Auntie exclaims that An-mei’s brother is not one to talk because of thier shameful mother. She continues to make points that seem to make An-mei and her brother seem like they have no rights, that they are the lowest, all due to the disgrace their mother brought to the family. Because of this, I think An-mei would have strong feelings in having individual rights.
Throughout An-mei’s whole life, Popo and Auntie always told her how shameful and evil her mother is. Her mother was compared to the devil and ghosts; even her name was unspeakable. An-mei’s love and admiration for her own mother deceased and only turned to fear. I think An-mei fears her mother only because she is afraid of Popo and Auntie turning against her and treating her negatively. As she said in the end, after witnessing her mother’s attempt to save Popo, “I worshiped the mother from my dream. But the woman standing by Popo’s bed was not the mother of my memory. Yet I came to love this mother as well... Here is how I came to love my mother. How I saw in her my own true nature. What was beneath my skin. Inside my bones” (Tan p.48). During this powerful moment of sacrifice, An-mei realized that she is not really afraid of her mother because in her shameful mother, she sees her own true nature. The respect her mother showed to Popo is a more prominent part of her mother that she loves. An-mei is tied between the importance of family honor and individual rights. From this witness, she learns that even though her mother brought her family shame, she still loves her family and what she did individually did not change her respect for her family. I think An-mei may be a bit tied in the middle of these two answers after all.
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