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1. Waverly, A Replica of Lindo: Analysis of Mirror selves in Amy Tan. The Joy Luck Club by
Bapakaye Prince.
Introduction to Fiction
An Analysis of Mirror Selves
March 15, 2014
Waverly: A Replica of Lindo
A Replica is an identical copy of a thing. Simply put, a look alike or a mirrorimage.
Amy Tan portrays this concept of epli atio through the characters of Waverly and Lindo Jongin her
novel The Joy Luck Club. The story centers on the lives of four Chinese mothers that immigrated to San
Francisco and how the culture of their new environment impacts the lives of their daughters. It also
reflects the inter-generational conflicts that exist between mothers and daughters today.
Waverly and Lindo Jong are replicates of each other in terms of theirintuitiveness, competitiveness,
approach, behavior as well as physical characteristics irrespective of the era and the power dynamic of
their relationship of which Lindo is viewed as the Quee Wa e l hile Wa e l sees herself in a
positio of lesse age as a Pa .
Waverly and Lindo possess the art of the invisible strength which ties them as simulacra of
each other but also itis important as it enables them to surpass any challenge that confronts them. The
invisible strength is like ed to the i d of hi h oth ha a te s uses to des i e thei a tio s in the
text. In the scene where Lindo is about to marry Tyuan yu, she says I iped tea s a d looked i the
mirror. I was surprised at what I saw. I had on a beautiful red dress, but what I saw was even more
valuable. I was strong. Iwas pure. I had genuine thoughtsinside that no one could see that no one could
e e take a a f o e. I as like the i d . The red color dress Lindo wears is symbolic to good
luck and prosperity associated with the marriage between her and Tyuan yu ut Li do s e phasis f o
he state e t is t the red dress ratherit is the thoughts she conceals on her mind and did not disclose

2. to any. These thoughts she harbors and did not disclose to anyone is the force and power that enables
her to surmount all the difficulties that confronts her and forge ahead courageously to get rid of the
dilemma posing at her while keeping in mi d to o e he pa e ts ishes. “he also des i es he self as
the i d this de otes a e i th/ ege e atio of he self hi h a e a out the e e al of he
mindset through her thinking. The idea of the wind is further emphasized when she says, I th e
head back and smiled proudly to myself.And then I draped the large embroidered red scarf over my
fa e a d o e ed these thoughts up. But u de eath the s a f I still k e ho I as (58). She having
the embroidered red scarf over her face and taking it to the weddingembodies a new found
fashionable/exciting life but a false representation of herself to her in-laws and the public. Waverly Jong
on the other hand, depicts the art of the invisible strength hi h he othe i pa ts in her. She
portrays this strengthwhen she plays the game of Chess. According to Waverly, I also fou d out h I
should never reveal why to others. A little knowledge withheld is a great advantage one should store
for future use. Thatis the power of Chess. It is the game of secrets in which one must show and never
tell . (95). The tacit of concealing the knowledge she acquiresfrom taking anextra mile to research and
know the rules of Chess became her secrets that gives her an upper hand in every competition she
partakesin. This is exemplifiedwhen she competes against a fifteen years old o . A light wind began
blowing past myears. It whispers secrets only I could here . . Here, the wind is a manifestation of
the knowledge she has acquired and concealed within her. The wind proved itself by providing her
escape routes thus empowering her towin the tournament. The art of concealment both characters
possess enables them to triumph over any situation that confronts them. Therefore, Waverly is a replica
of Lindo on the basis of their approach to tackling issues.
Moreover, Waverlyis a simulacra of Lindo on the basis of physical resemblance and character
wise. This is depi ted i the s e e at the “alo . These t ofa es, I thi k, so u h the same! The same
happiness, the sa e sad ess, the sa e good fo tu e, the sa e faults (256). This statement was made

3. by Lindo describing how similar events that took place in their lives have cause changes to the way they
ie the o ld a d ha e i flue e thei od o posu e. Although, Li do s ha a te is att i uted to a
Chinese Horse in the text on numerous occasion (50), (167) and Waverly a Chinese Rabbit (167). This is
emphasized in the scene where Waverly says Despite all the tension she places on herself- and others-
the doctors have proclaimed that my mother, at age sixty nine, has the blood pressure of sixteen years
old a d the st e gth of a ho se . A d that s hat she is a Horse . The character of a horse is
hardworking, cunning thanintelligent, obstinate, intuitive, capable of making sound judgment and
dexterous. The first and second parts a Horse life are characterized with ups and downs, the
tendency to leave their family when they are young and this comes with its disappointments. There love
life is t s ooth a d the thi d phase of thei li es is pea eful. O the othe ha d, a ‘a it is social,
sensitive, tactful, capable of seeing things before they happen, they possess a natural shrewdness.
However, irrespective of the subtle differences between Horses and Rabbits, Waverly is more of a
Horse than a Rabbit, looki g at the stages of oth ha a te s life for anexample, the series of events
that occurred as well as the manner they tackle issues. It isevident that Waverly is as a
Horse as her mother Lindo and not the rabbit she claims to be (167). This is also illustrated earlier in the
text when Lindo boasts about her daughter accomplishments saying. I told daughte
use your horses to run over the enemy; she informed one shop keeper (170). From this statement itis
evident that Waverly possess the traits of a horse which he othe k o s ut she does t. Late
in the text when both characters try to resolve the conflict thatexists between them Lindo states
I look at myface in the beauty parlor mirror. I see my reflection. I cannot see myfaults, but I know they
are there. I gave my daughter these faults. The same eyes, the same cheeks, the same chin. Her
character, it came from my circumstances.(265). This tells us that despite the American circumstances
Waverly isexposed to she still retains some of her Chinese nature as her mother indicating that the
o de isti g et ee the is tjust iologi al/ ph si al ut itextends to the social aspects of their
lives as well.

4. Additionally, Waverlyis a reflection of Lindo as they possess the trait of competitiveness. This is
illustratedin the scene where Wa e l ele ted to go a d s ueeze he ai fo i hess as Li do ill
put it, rather she stays at home and watch television with her brothers. Waverly says A d the the
tournament came and went, and she did not come to me crying, why are ou ot pla i g Chess? .
The phrase she did not o e to e i g i fo s us that Li do also see he daughte as a i al, going
to her and pleading to take up chess will definitely belittle herego. Unlike, Suyuan who kept insisting
that her daughter keeps playing the piano despite herlack of interestin it. (141). Both characters did not
only consider themselves as rival but extends this rivalry towards other characters forinstance Waverly
sees Jing Mei as a competitor. The scene at the dinner table clearlyillustrates this when Jing Mei says
Ma e I ould affo d M . ‘o s p i es if so eo e s fi paid e o ti e (204)
Jing Mei statement shows that Waverly still considers her as a competitoreven as an adult. The
statement also tells that Waverly alwaysesteem herself better than others and she uses words to inflict
pain on those she consider as rivals. This can be traced back to when they were young where Waverly
told Jing Mei ou a e t a ge iuslike e (140). Lindo as well also considers Suyuan as a rival as
they boasts and brag about their abilities and daughters. The scene after Church illustrates this,
I Li do s o ds “he i g ho e too a trophies. All day she plays Chess. All day I have no time do
othi g ut dust off he i i gs ) Lindo saying these words shows how she sees Suyuan,
especially when she emphasized that she dust off her daughte s t ophies all day. The statement
reveals that Lindo sees herself as a better mother than Suyuan using Waverly success as a reflection of
her efforts. She also uses these words to inflict pain on Suyuan Little wonder Suyuan as well
had to lie about her daughter to regain her ego.
Intuitiveness is one major feature Lindo and Waverly also possess as well. Other characters
could attest to this characteristic. The scene at the dinner table portrays it. Jing Mei says Wa e l as
the first and she picked the best crab, the brightest, the plu pest, a d put it o he daughte s plate.

5. And then she picked the next best for Rich and another good one for herself. And because she has
learned this skill of choosing the bestfrom her mother, it was only natural that her mother knew how to
pi k the e t est o esfo he hus a d, he so , his gi lf ie d a d he self . This ability enables
them to always have an upper handwhen dealing with others. For Jing Mei to attest that she learnt the
skill of intuition from her mother shows that Waverly is an exact reflection of her mother Lindo.
Waverly is a replication of her mother Lindo on the basis of intuition, competition, approach,
behavior as well as physical characteristics. Intuitively, Waverly acquires thisinnate ability
from her mother while she wasyoung and tend to exhibit it on numerous occasions in the text. The skill
of intuition gave both characters the strength to be outrageous and overshadow other characters.
Behaviorally, an individual look like his parent not only in their physical resemblance but alsoin their
actions. They are both hardworking, trickery and competitive. The life of the ho se mirrors the
fortune of Waverly and Lindo. Both left their families when they were young, got married twice and
were disappointedwith their first marriages. Waverly therefore is a horse and not a rabbit as she
claims to be. Thus in conclusion, Waverly is a simulacra of Lindo. In what other ways can one be a
replica of another character than Waverly alreadyis?
Works Cited
1. Chinese Metaphysical Zone. n.d. Webpage. 15 March 2014.
<http://www.metaphysicalzone.com/china/index.shtml>.
2. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Penguins Books Limited, 1989. Book.