Commentary/Analysis on the passage of

Analysis of the Passage
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Analysis of the Passage
The excerpt drawn from ‘The Jade Peony’ novel by Wayson Choy is narrated by Jung-Sum the second brother of the Chen family. The events occur immediately after the narrator’s mother dies. Jung-Sum narrates how Mrs. Chin took him from his dead mother’s arms and took him to her cabin where the entire family including Mr. Chin welcomed him. The family treats him better and later on adopts him. The passage is particularly characterized by numerous literary devices as disseminated by the author. He particularly uses the repetition, symbolism, imagery, and diction to develop the passage and contribute to the overall story. The paper analyzes each of these literary devices as they manifest in the passage.
The author uses repetition to show emphasis in the passage. For instance, he writes, “Don’t be afraid … don’t be afraid,” to show the reassuring voice of Mrs. Chin when she finds the narrator scared in bed with his dead mother (Line 7). He also uses repetition when the narrator states. He was lifted “up, up, up …” to show how he Mrs. Chin separated him from his dead mother (Line 9). It is also used to emphasize that Mrs. Chin’s arms were strong as the narrator had mentioned earlier on in the sentence. Additionally, the term wetness has been repeated severally, “wetness clung to my legs. Sheets of wetness pulled away from me” (Line 9 & 10). It denotes the narrator’s current situation, which is of fear. He was afraid as he lay with his mother on the bed to the extent of wetting himself unwillingly and subsequently, the bed, and the bed sheets.

Symbolism also plays a major role in fostering meaning in the passage. The Chin family, in this instance, represents hope to the narrator. The passage opens with Herby Chin calling his mother, “Herby Chin kept calling for his mother until finally, I heard the back door open …” (Line 1). Herby calls for his mother to come and rescue Jung-Sum, the narrator whose mother has just passed on. Further, pulls the narrator away from the bed, where he is laying still grieving and experiencing great fear following his mother’s demise, “Mrs. Chin … began lifting me up, up, up, from the dark between my mother’s breasts” (Line 8 & 9). Moreover, Mrs. Chin gives him a bowl of morning gruel, “Now we have some jook, Mrs. Chin said” (Line14). Here Mrs. Chin’s represents the hope that the narrator experiences when he is welcomed into the family. His family was cold following numerous arguments between the parents and the normal thrashing by his father. However, this family spells better time for him. Further, the author adds that “Mr. Chin sat beside me and told all of his four children and myself a story of Old China” (Lines 17 & 18). The gesture is a reassuring sign to the grieving narrator in the story. Further, Mr. Chin tries to make the narrator feel as comfortable as possible when he asks Jung-Sum what he wants, “I remember … the quickening of my heart when he asked me what I would like” (Lines 21 & 22).
Moreover, the author also uses imagery to develop the plot of the story. Imagery enables the reader to create the mental picture of what is happening in the passage. For instance, “ … a rush of footsteps and voices from the kitchen, a chair fell over, curtains were whipped back, blinds swirled and snapped,” shows the commotion that follows once the mother to the narrator dies (Lines 1. 2 & 3). When describing the situation in the Chin’s cabin, the author writes, “their small faces reflected back to me my own vacant stare” showing that the Chin siblings were as confused on the happenings as the narrator (Line 13). Additionally, the narrator says, “There were many words I did not understand, phrases whose meanings were riddles” (Lines 18 & 19). The statement reveals to the audience the lack of concentration that the narrator experiences upon losing his mother. When the narrator adds that, “I remember the joy and excitement of his storytelling,” the audience grasps the consoling effect Mr. Chin has on him (Line 21). Finally, the author describes Mrs. Lawrence as “one who wore glasses and had a king face” to show the concern he had on Jung-Sum’s tragedy (Line 27).
Finally, the author uses diction to spark interest in the writer and ultimately drive the plot of the story. His choice of words is well-considered for the purpose of the narration. For example, he writes, “… pulled apart the rigid arms and began lifting me up …” to show that the narrator’s mother, who is being referred to in this context is already dead (Lines 8 & 9). Since the passage is a story within a story, the author does not intend to make the death of the narrator’s mother of the greatest concern. In fact, he wants to manifest the kindness of the Chin family. Moreover, he uses the disguise of the statement “… some pie a neighbor had brought by” to show the concern that the entire community had towards the boy after his mother’s death (Line 25). The choice of words used by the author is strong enough to draw a hidden meaning which would have otherwise required much space to explain using the normal language.
Conclusively, the author uses numerous literary devices to develop the plot of his story as well as peak the readers’ interest. He uses repetition, symbolism, imagery, and diction to make the passage interesting. His choice of the devices shows expertise and just like the passage under analysis any other part of the book could evoke such interest. Therefore, the other, through explaining various parts of the narrator’s life strategically and conveniently shows mastery of both language and style in the novel ‘The Jade Peony.’