Throughout Mona in the
Promised Land by Gish Jen, the main character, Mona, goes through a series
of events in which she is attempting to discover who she is. Mona’s parents are
from China but have raised their daughters in America in order to give their
daughters the best possible life they could. What grabbed my attention in this
novel was the disconnect between the daughter, Mona, and her mother, Helen.
Throughout the novel, Mona describes how she is the “favorite”, yet, as the novel progresses, it seems that Mona has
fallen out of graces with her mother. For example, after Mona’s parents fire a
cook at their restaurant, Mona is worried that her parents are being racist and
attempts to talk about the problem with her mother who only responds with
accusations such as, “What kind of
daughter. How could you”( 220). When Mona explains her reasons for wanting to help Alfred,
she explains that she helped him in order to “find herself”. Mona’s mother does not understand. Helen says, “What you talking, find yourself?”
(221). There is a disconnect between the mother and daughter. Mona finds it
necessary to be able to define herself. Whether it is by religion, race, or
acts of kindness, Mona wants to know who she is. Helen cannot understand this.
Helen knows she has raised her daughter in a Chinese household, where first of
all, daughters respect their mothers.
The part that I find interesting is that it turns out, Helen did a little self-discovery of her own when she was younger. Mona discovers through her Aunt Theresa that Helen was a “young woman not sure what mattered, someone a little like Mona herself, except quiet, and full of secrets”(299). Here Mona discovers that her mother was a lot like herself, except quiet. Maybe that is what Helen did not understand. That Mona was vocal about “finding herself”. The difference is in the way these women dealt with growing up. Helen had “secrets” while Mona was verbal and acted on her emotions. As Mona begins to realize that Helen also “discovered herself” at one time, she begins to understand her mother more, and also long for a better relationship with her mother.
The book does not really address these differences in how each woman “finds herself” but one difference I can see is the difference in their cultural upbringing. Helen was raised in China where the cultural is much different than American culture. Mona and Helen’s differences could easily be due to the difference in culture. What brings the women together in the end is also interesting. Marriage. It would seem that this ceremonial act of two becoming one is the ground that unites, not only Mona and her boyfriend, but also Mona and her mother. It was a very interesting way to end the book. Despite their cultural differences in the upbringing, they are still able to connect through a ceremonial event that is shared across cultures.
Jen, Gish. Mona in the Promised Land. Vintage Books. 1996. Print.
The part that I find interesting is that it turns out, Helen did a little self-discovery of her own when she was younger. Mona discovers through her Aunt Theresa that Helen was a “young woman not sure what mattered, someone a little like Mona herself, except quiet, and full of secrets”(299). Here Mona discovers that her mother was a lot like herself, except quiet. Maybe that is what Helen did not understand. That Mona was vocal about “finding herself”. The difference is in the way these women dealt with growing up. Helen had “secrets” while Mona was verbal and acted on her emotions. As Mona begins to realize that Helen also “discovered herself” at one time, she begins to understand her mother more, and also long for a better relationship with her mother.
The book does not really address these differences in how each woman “finds herself” but one difference I can see is the difference in their cultural upbringing. Helen was raised in China where the cultural is much different than American culture. Mona and Helen’s differences could easily be due to the difference in culture. What brings the women together in the end is also interesting. Marriage. It would seem that this ceremonial act of two becoming one is the ground that unites, not only Mona and her boyfriend, but also Mona and her mother. It was a very interesting way to end the book. Despite their cultural differences in the upbringing, they are still able to connect through a ceremonial event that is shared across cultures.
Jen, Gish. Mona in the Promised Land. Vintage Books. 1996. Print.
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