Characterization--by Sara

The novel “The Jade Peony” by Wayson Choy, is a story which took place in Chinatown Vancouver, of the early 1940s, told through the reminiscences of the three young children of an immigrant Chinese family.

Jook-Liang is the “useless girl” of the family, who dreams of becoming Shirley Temple and escaping the rigid, old ways of China. Jung-Sum is the adopted middle son who triumphs over loss and prejudice through boxing, and soon finds himself grappling with a bewildering sexual attraction. Lastly, Sekky, the sickly youngest child, surprises the entire family by teaching them how to mourn, and how to go on living.

Jook-Liang, the only girl, who narrated the first section of the book, has the most distinct characteristics compared to other characters in the novel. Her best friend—Wong Suk, was a deformed elderly man from the old country. As the two of them form an unlikely friendship, Jook-Liang ambitiously dreams of escaping the unyielding old ways while grappling with the old Chinese convention of elevating the life of a boy above that of a girl. When they first met, everyone was scared of Wong-Bak’s face, except for Jook-Liang, because she thought that Wong-Bak was the “Monkey King”, a fictitious character from one of the stories that her grandmother told her. No matter what established this unusual friendship, Jook-Liang put so much emotion in it that when Wong-Bak decided to go back to China, Liang was almost desperate to hope Wong-Bak could stay. It showed that Jook-Liang was a really emotional person.

     Furthermore, the second son Jung-Sum, who was adopted by the Old One, did not feel well when he first came to the Liang’s family. However, he felt he belonged there after starting boxing in the gym. It was surprised that he was so gritty that he could forget about his biological parents and started a new life. It exposed a very strong mind inside of his boney body.

     In conclusion, each of the character in this novel had different characteristics. These unique characteristics helped these three children surviving hardships and heartbreaks with gift and humor, discovering a new land without forgetting their common ground.