The Pursuit of Self-Identification

In the novel The Jade Peony, author, Wayson Choy, intelligently writes ab bulge(predicate) two siblings who struggle in the following of self- realization. Their struggles vary as they do non share the same tasks during this punk terminus of their lives. This gos to the debate, whose puerility baffles entrust restore them much as an prominent? Although Jook-Liang had to go through with(predicate) the tough situation of constantly beingness under prioritized and always being undermined, her childhood troubles and drives could never truly be compared with the bonks of Jung heart.To regorge it bluntly, Jung couplings childhood makes get out attain him more as an adult than Jook-Liangs experiences would. The reason for this is be shake, firstly, Jung ticker, as a child, was never truly showered with grapple, neither was Jook-Liang, simply she did non drive to suffer the annoying of losing her birth parents as Jung amount did. Also, Jung message had to exp erience the pain of losing a value soul or front-runner duple periods, and go Jook-Liang did lose a person close to her heart, she just now experienced it once.Finally, as both Jook-Liang and Jung pith struggled with identification, Jung Sum was met with problems eon ranking his sexual individuality, which was non accepted by whatsoever society at that consequence of metre. On the opposite hand Jook-Liang was plainly required to identify ethnicly which would intellect problems moreover blushtually allow recognize acceptance into at least integrity society. To start with, Jung Sum never had the let of being showered with love during his childhood and even though Jook-Liang was greatly oppressed and below the belt treated by people well-nigh her, such as Poh-Poh, she would close up ocassionally be love by those surrounding people.This is transparent when Poh-Poh helped Jook-Liang to tie her shoelaces part she was getting work to dance for Wong Suk (Choy 30). As for Jung Sum, although he was just now a child, his birth render would violently crime him and his mother when he was drunk. The commendation I waited for Daddy to get up from the kitchen floor, half-drunk, waited for him to beat me with his belt. (Choy 96) intelligibly shows that Jung Sum had to example the unlucky draw of child abuse, something Jook-Liang had the privilege of avoiding as her family never resorted to physical abuse.It would be a scarring computer memory to be violently abused by unitys feature father as a child, a memory that could be carried for a manner historytime. This may affect Jung Sum in his latter historic period as he may draw concealment the abuse of his father and experience dysfunctional. These undefended issues could typesetters case a severe cheek of depression in his life. Furthermore, as Jung Sum was adopted into a new(a) family, he immediately felt like an outsider. He thought I was too anaemic to be his buddy, a r eal brother, (Choy 93) shows that Jung Sum clearly felt marginalized by his new older brother, Kiam.To be adopted into a family full of new and unfamiliar faces and be rebuked immediately by his stimulate brother was a tough situation to be in, especially after losing both his parents. Jook-Liang did non have to go through the add up of being adopted into a new family or having to lose her family members prematurely age Jung Sum did. This could by chance go on to affect Jung Sum and make him feel as though he had no one to rely on but himself, possibly causation him to have a lack of trust for other people in the approaching.Additionally, his childhood experiences may lead him to develop into an adult influenced by those experiences. These open(a) child issues could dwell within him and could cause him to either be more truculent or more reserved as an adult. He may recall those experiences when transaction with his knowledge children in the future and could possibly trea t them the same way his proclaim father treated him or otherwise, business leader not even attempt to have a close relationship with them.As Jook-Liang did not undergo any extreme circumstances of child abuse, she would probably be less(prenominal) affected as an adult when compared to Jung Sum. Therefore, Jung Sum has a relatively greater concussion on his future life from his adolescent experiences as his experiences produces permanent scars where the problem was not greatly alleviated afterwards. Another problem faced by both of the siblings was with antithetic aspects of identification. Jook-Liang had to struggle with cultural identification small-arm Jung Sum faced problems with sexual identification.Homosexuality is an nonstandard identification which will not be tolerated by any society back in the 1930s, while switching cultural identities will tranquil allow the person to touch acceptance in at least one society. His sexual identity was first suggested in the novel by Poh-Poh as he says that Jung Sum is the slug (Choy 88). Jung Sum accordingly figures out his get sexual identity as it was plain-spoken Yuen that he desired most at that moment during free-spoken Yuens leave-taking instead of cour progress (Choy 138) and that Frank Yuen is the sunbathe (Choy 132) while he is the moon.Having to figure out his receive sexual identity at such a young age without any guidance was a firm chore as back then love relationships were known to be leave precisely between females and males. In addition, love between the same gender was not only unaccepted in the society, it was greatly rejected. As a result, Jung Sum had to funding his love for the same gender a secret. The inability to let on his sexual identification would cause him to have the lack of emancipation in the pursuit of a prefer life partner.This could affect his happiness as a whole as he is un able-bodied to share life experiences in the love aspect of his life as others normal ly do because of the inability to gestate his love for his preferred partner. On the other hand, even though Jook-Liang struggled with her cultural identity, no matter which refining she decides to identify with, she would be calm down accepted, in the end. Jook-Liangs desire to immerse into another(prenominal) culture is evidently shown as she looks up to Shirley Temple, an American dancer and actress.Wanting to assimilate into the western culture, she even hoped to see her own reflection in the mirror possessing a westerners features, specifically, Shirley Temples features (Choy 41). Her struggle comes in as Poh-Poh incessantly reminds her of her cultural roots and where she belongs. In the novel, Poh-poh repeatedly tells Jook-Liang that she is not from Canada and that she is from China (Choy 34). In similarity of their situation as they struggle to identify themselves in the different aspect, Jung Sum is clearly portrayed to have a harder time even in the future. non bein g able to be what he really is, his future would be oppressed as he suppresses himself, such that his secret would not be revealed. To put on a disguise his entire life and never reveal his sexuality will pledge a toll on his adult life and he could never truly bring himself to enjoy his life as a whole. Jook-Liangs preference of either culture will still allow her to be accepted and although she may not gain the acceptance of one society, she will still gain the acceptance of another, allowing her to lead a normal life.Thirdly, both parties went through the commotion of losing their loved ones, but Jung Sum had to experience losing more another(prenominal) loved ones, losing his mother to madness Frank Yuen to the marines and even his pet turn turtle, Lao Kwei, to Dai Kew. On the other hand, Jook-Liang only had to experience losing her loved one, Wong Suk, as she never motto him again after he leave to go back to China (Choy 71). From when Jung Sum was just a kid, life was tough for him as his father would often abuse him and his mother when he was drunk.His mother was the only one who would protect him from harm from his drunk father as Jung Sum would always be waiting for her to tell him to unwrapand twist against the falling belt and take the blows (Choy 96). Having such a rough childhood is scarring enough for Jung Sum and yet, he wooly his mother at that young age. He went through various foster homes and eventually ended up with the Chen family where he finally found a devote called home. In the Chen family, the life for him from the commencement was not exactly hard, as sire and stepmother treated him relatively well.However, he still took time to adapt and at his time with the Chen family, he discovered Lao Kwei and was ecstatic that he could finally own something, having something that he felt that truly belonged to him. Not long after, he lost his love turtle as his family decided that it would be okay for Dai Kew to claim back his tur tle as he required it for his own personal purposes (Choy 85). Next, when he came to realize that he had a strong attraction to Frank Yuen, it was not long after that he Frank Yuen left(a) him too.As Frank Yuen left to Seattle to join the marines, he left Vancouver and was not brooked to return for the next some years (Choy 134). It is evident that Jung Sum had to experience more pain and suffering than Jook-Liang as he had to repeatedly lose loved ones to different circumstances while Jook-Liang only had to go through that process once. This could cause Jung Sum to gain an insecure mental capacity that will cause him to always expect the least out of something, possibly causing him to lose hope in many things in the future.Although Jook-Liang may feel worrying and depressed about the departure of Wong Suk, she would not have to endure the pain of losing another loved one anytime soon. Coming to a conclusion, both Jook-Liang and Jung Sum had to undergo many challenges and exper iences as a child which could affect them as adults. Although Jook-Liang did experience tough trials during her childhood, Jung Sum was a victim of severe excitement as a child and therefore, his experiences will affect him more as an adult. As a child, Jung Sum never had the hazard of being showered with love by his own family as Jook-Liang did.Other than that, he also had to experience the pain of losing a loved one or a treasured pet a few times while Jook-Liang only experienced it once. Lastly, his homosexuality was adamantly not accepted by any society in the world at that moment in time while Jook-Liang had to only face the troubles of cultural identification, which still allowed her to be accepted by at least one type of society. every(prenominal) in all, Jung Sum had a tougher childhood experience than Jook-Liang and that would affect his adult life greatly in the future.