Ann-Mei Hsu and Rose Jordan Relationship Map

Ann-Mei Hsu and Rose Jordan's Relationship Map

Their Resolution

Bridge Building

Ann-Mei and Rose’s relationship is similar to Edward and William Bloom’s relationship in Big Fish. During Big Fish, William struggles to learn the details of his father’s life. He knows all of the stories, but he does not know which parts are true. This is similar to Ann-Mei and Rose’s relationship, because their lack of communication causes Rose to not understand her mother, just like William does not understand his father Edward. In Big Fish, the truth behind Edward’s stories is never revealed and William is left never quite understanding his father’s life. However, in The Joy Luck Club, Ann-Mei and Rose resolve their conflict by talking with each other about Rose’s divorce, and Rose realizes that her mother was supporting her all along.

Another reason why Ann-Mei and Rose’s relationship is similar to Edward and William’s is the frustration that Rose and William both feel towards their parents. Rose is upset because she thinks the Ann-Mei is trying to get her to stay with Ted, and William is upset because his father will not communicate with him about his past. In the end, Ann-Mei and Rose’s relationship is the stronger one because their conflict is resolved.

Rose and Ann-Mei begin to resolve their conflict when Rose asks what to do about her marriage and Ann-Mei responds with: “This is not hope. Not reason. This is your fate. This is your life, what you must do” (130). This is the moment when Rose begins to think about standing up to Ted and asking for the house in the divorce, because her mother’s words inspired her. Rose and Ann-Mei’s conflict is finally resolved when Ann-Mei encourages Rose to work through her divorce: “I am not telling you to save your marriage,” she protested. “I only say you should speak up” (193). In this moment, Rose realizes that he mother was supporting her the entire time, not trying to make her stay with Ted.

Shortly after Ann-Mei says this quote, Ted calls Rose to inform her that he will be coming to pick up the divorce papers, and Rose is inspired to show him their dead garden and prove that she can stand up to him. This is because of her conversation with Ann-Mei, and Rose’s sudden confidence shows that her relationship with her mother is finally restored.

Their symbol/metaphor

A symbol of Ann-Mei and Rose’s relationship is Rose’s younger brother Bing. Rose and Ann-Mei’s conflict is that they do not communicate well enough, and Bing did not communicate to Rose that he was falling into the ocean, just as Rose did not talk with her mother about her divorce. Ann-Mei and Rose’s lack of communication causes a divide between them, and Ann-Mei struggles to understand Rose’s thoughts throughout the book. This is similar to how Bing falls into the water at the beach. Rose's inability to speak up then caused problems for the family while they set out to look for Bing, and it also causes problems with her mother when she refuses to talk about her divorce.

Before Bing falls, Rose thinks, “He’s going to fall in. I’m expecting it. And just as I think this, his feet are already in the air, in a moment of balance, before he splashes into the sea…” (125). This quote is similar to how Rose dives into her divorce without talking to Ann-Mei about it, which causes misunderstanding between them. Bing represents the tragedy of both Ann-Mei and Rose’s lives, but he also represents the consequences of miscommunication in a relationship.

What is their conflict?

Ann-Mei and Rose’s conflict is that they do not understand each other. Rose does not want to talk about her divorce with her mother, so her mother never gets a clear understanding about why Rose and Ted are divorcing. Rose thinks that her mother will be upset when her mother finds out that she is divorcing Ted, but really she only wants to support Rose. This is why a lack of communication is the root of their problem, because if Rose had communicated with her mother, then she would understand that Ann-Mei was supporting her in her decision to divorce Ted.

Ann-Mei saw the dangers of an unstable relationship with her mother being a concubine, and she understands what it is like to want to escape a bad man. When Ann-Mei tries to discuss Rose’s divorce with her, Rose is resistant. Ann-Mei says, “Why can you talk about this with a psyche-atric and not with mother?...A mother is best. A mother knows what is inside you” (188). This quote shows how hard Ann-Mei is trying to help Rose with her problems but Rose still refuses, causing herself more pain.