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Ying-ying St. Clair
Lena is also a Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac, like her mother Ying-ying. She grew up in a biracial household with two languages, and subsequently acted like an interpreter between her white father and Chinese mother. The role led her to feel guilty about not always perfectly translating important conversations, affecting the family’s relationships. Lena also has a difficult marriage as an adult, with her husband Harold, who is oblivious to her sensitivities. Lena tries to maintain an equal partnership between them, but loses track of what equality actually looks like in a marriage, and finds herself disillusioned and silenced in his presence.
Lena St. Clair Quotes in The Joy Luck Club
The The Joy Luck Club quotes below are all either spoken by Lena St. Clair or refer to Lena St. Clair. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Moon Lady
Quotes
All these years I kept my true nature hidden, running along like a small shadow so nobody could catch me. And because I moved so secretly now my daughter does not see me. She sees a list of things to buy, her checkbook out of balance, her ashtray sitting crooked on a straight table. And I want to tell her this: we are lost, she and I, unseen and not seeing, unheard and not hearing, unknown by others
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Rice Husband
Quotes
To this day, I believe my mother has the mysterious ability to see things before they happen. She has a Chinese saying for what she knows. Chunwang chihan: if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Which means, I suppose, one thing is always the result of another.
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Lena St. Clair Quotes in The Joy Luck Club
The The Joy Luck Club quotes below are all either spoken by Lena St. Clair or refer to Lena St. Clair. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Moon Lady
Quotes
All these years I kept my true nature hidden, running along like a small shadow so nobody could catch me. And because I moved so secretly now my daughter does not see me. She sees a list of things to buy, her checkbook out of balance, her ashtray sitting crooked on a straight table. And I want to tell her this: we are lost, she and I, unseen and not seeing, unheard and not hearing, unknown by others
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Rice Husband
Quotes
To this day, I believe my mother has the mysterious ability to see things before they happen. She has a Chinese saying for what she knows. Chunwang chihan: if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Which means, I suppose, one thing is always the result of another.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
