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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Part 2, Chapter 4: Two Kinds
Explanation and Analysis—Shirley Temple:
Suyuan and Jing-Mei’s search for “prodigy” talent takes them through barber shops, piano lessons, and an untold number of Reader’s Digest magazines. So when Suyuan stumbles across reruns of Shirley Temple on TV in Part 2, Chapter 4, the novel’s cultural allusion marks just the beginning of a years-long odyssey:
We didn't immediately pick the right kind of prodigy. At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple. We'd watch Shirley's old movies on TV as though they were training films. My mother would poke my arm and say, ‘Ni kan’—You watch. And I would see Shirley tapping her feet, or singing a sailor song, or pursing her lips into a very round O while saying, ‘Oh my goodness.’
Shirley Temple—one of America’s most popular child stars of all time—offers a comic foil for plans that go terribly awry. Inspired by the child actor, Suyuan takes her daughter to a barbershop that promptly ruins Jing-Mei’s haircut. Jing-Mei swivels through trivia tests, mental gimmicks, and instrument lessons that never take her anywhere. Temple’s meteoric success merely serves as a foil for Jing-Mei’s heap of dashed plans and failures.
The coded fame of this cultural figure strengthens the contrast between American and Chinese prospects of success. Not all aspirations get equally fulfilled. “Making it” for Temple is a song, skit, and slot on Hollywood’s walk of fame. Achievement never comes as easily for Jing-Mei. The more activities she circles through, the more swiftly “something inside of me began to die.” In the land of opportunity, Jing-Mei stumbles to defeat.
Related Themes:
Part 3, Chapter 2: Four Directions
Explanation and Analysis—Sun Yat-Sen:
Allusions help Waverly Jong reconnect with her Chinese heritage. Her confrontation with her mother leads unexpectedly to a reconciliation, as Lindo Jong eases her daughter’s self-doubts and offers comfort with an account of their ancestry:
‘We are a smart people, very strong, tricky, and famous for winning wars. You know Sun Yat-sen, hah?’
I nodded.
‘He is from the Sun clan. But his family moved to the south many centuries ago, so he is not exactly the same clan.’
In a slightly comic sense, Lindo Jong’s reference to a more-than-distant relative parodies the family-tree-seeking project. Sun Yat-Sen—Kuomintang leader and first president of the Republic of China—is at once a member of the family and “not exactly the same clan,” either. But the allusion invites a sense of pride and belonging. To claim blood relation to a historical figure is to find space in that culture for oneself. However slight his blood ties, Sun Yat-Sen ties Waverly Jong to those across the sea.
The Chinese leader serves an additional historical function. Sun Yat-Sen shaped modern China by overthrowing the Qing dynasty and establishing a republican government in its wake. He was exiled during the Sino-Japanese War, the turmoil from which Lindo and her other Joy Luck Club members escape. Sun Yat-Sen furnishes a glimpse into the circumstances of Lindo’s immigration and context for their arrival to this new land. Through his purported relation to Lindo’s Sun clan and his historical role, he allows Waverly to make sense of her own family and their story.
Related Themes:
