Third post for "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

     I’ve read my next 100 pages and in all the stories I’ve read so far there are very interesting significant similarities.  In all the stories within this book, starting with “The Joy Luck Club” to “Best Quality” the narrators mother is a significant figure.  The mother always have the best instincts.  For example in “Rice Husband” the narrators mother told her that for each rice grain she leaves on her plate the man she is supposed to marry will have a pock mark on his face.  It turns out the one boy that had the most pock marks was this kid who  often bullied the narrator and the narrator refused to believe that she will ever marry this nasty faced individual.  The narrator decides to leave almost all her rice uneaten and thinks, maybe the boy will develop some kind of sickness that would eventually kill him.  Sadly the boy did die of an extremely rare measles-related illness and the narrator was now addicted to not eating.  Again the narrators mother told her about this idea of the man she was going to marry but she refused to accept it and now not only is she feeling guilty hearted but she is suffering with anorexia.

     In many ways I can relate with the whole mothers instinct because like many others, I know there are times our mothers would tell us something, but at the end of the day we tend to ignore what she has to say and she ends up being right.  Many times I’ve told my mother about someone I liked or someone who liked me and it seems as if they were never good enough for her.  At first it was a little hard dealing with my mothers negativity and her constant rude comments about how I pick the, no life, gangster looking individuals.  One particular boy who I had crushed on for a long time decided to give us a try and for three years of struggles and joy in our relationship I thought nothing could change my mind about my strong feelings for this boy.  My mom on the other hand never liked him and always told me to stay away.  I didn’t stay away, I just continued with him and left my mother to complain to herself.  Although like the story he did not die but my mother was right.  The man I dedicated a lot of my time to, was never as interested in me as I was in him.  It killed at first; however, it was relieving to know that I no longer had to waste no more time and dedication in someone so pointless to my life.  I know I’m talking a little bad about this boy but now we are closer then ever just as friends and nothing more.  So now when my mother says something about someone I like I pay close attention to what she has to say while letting my feelings play it’s role.