ver the female. Lindo is a perfect example of how Chinese tradition prohibited the female from having status in society. Ying Ying St. Clair’s life suggests a lack of honor for the female. As a sixteen year old, she attends the festivities after her aunt’s wedding. There, a man plunges a knife through a watermelon, symbolizing the loss of virginity. This is a sign of profound discourtesy. A man who treats a woman like this and gets away with it is very cruel. Something is wrong with society, if it allows gestures like this to go on unnoticed at a public party. This taunt deeply hurt Ying Ying, but her strength helped her overcome its pain. Later, she married this man. He began going on business trips to the north. Ying Ying came to know he was leaving her to live with an opera singer. “That I [Ying Ying] thought of throwing myself into the lake like the other ladies of shame. And I will tell her [Lena] of the baby I killed because I came to hate this man so much”. This shows how badly this man made Ying Ying feel. He pledged love to her, but it showed that he undervalued Ying Ying once he left. Ying Ying was unable to really ever love again. Lena became involved in a terrible marriage also. She subordinated her spirit to her husband, and she bitterly resents his domination over her. She can do nothing to stop this, because that Chinese culture calls for male domination. Ying Ying’s life as a female was poor because how males treated her was accepted by Chinese society. Bibliography Joy Luck Club Amy Tan Word Count: 944...
