Jing Mei-Woo

"They are frightened. In me, they see their own daughters, just as ignorant, just as unmindful of all the truths and hopes they have brought to America. They see daughters who grow impatient when their mothers talk in Chinese, who think they are stupid when they explain things in fractured English. They see that joy and luck do not mean the same to their daughters, to these closed American-born minds 'Joy Luck' is not a word, it does not exist. They see daughters who will bear grandchildren without connecting hope passed from generation to generation" (31).

Jing Mei-Woo's understanding of the mothers have increased. She has deeper insight of their thoughts of an American daughter, who is usually ungrateful and annoyed at their immigrant mother who does not speak perfect English. The Joy Luck mothers are "frightened" because they know that Suyuan Woo has sacrificed so much for the future of her offspring, but they are outraged when they hear that Jing Mei-Woo knows nothing about her mother. As close friends with Suyuan Woo, they want to pass down stories of Suyuan Woo's trials so that there will be "hope" in future generations. Because the road to America was difficult, the Joy Luck mothers are afraid that their children will become ungrateful and assimilate into the America culture of greed.

The meaning of "Joy Luck" is the combination of happiness and hard work. Luck represents hard earned money, which results in joy. The American government gives aid to those who have low income, through, for example, food stamps. Even though many Asians are low income, they prefer to work for the money instead of accepting government aid since they see the importance of joy luck. Some Americans who accept government aid becomes lazy and dependent on it, which results in no happiness.