In “The Jade Peony” by Wayson Choy, Jook-Liang’s family had immigrated to Canada from China. She suffered from gender discrimination as a girl who lived under Chinese traditional culture. “Jook-Liang, if you want a place in this world, do not be born a girl-child.” (27) However, Jook-Liang was able to withstand these negative views with the support of her friend Wong Suk, who Jook - Liang thought as the monkey man when she was young. After spending a lot of time Jook- Liang, Wong Suk was able to give the support and care to her that she is lacking from her family. With Wong Suk’s open-mindedness and support, Jook-Liang was able to expand on her dreams and interests, as she showed a great fond in tap-dancing and yearned to become a movie star. She idolized Shirley Temple and mimicked her dance steps and fashion. It is effective as it shows how …show more content…
She also tries to impress Poh-Poh with her performance. When Poh-Poh refuses to watch Liang, it shows how she looks away from the modern, North American influences but the traditional Chinese culture. Moving into a country of unfamiliar traditions and eccentric society, my family and faced a lot of challenges like Jook-Liang. When I was thirteen, I moved to Canada. Barely knowing any English, finding friends was really tough. Whenever the lunch bell rang, I would be wondering in the hallway or eating in a corner on my own. Missing my friends and family, I was sobbing every under the blanket. Although it was tough for me, it was even tougher for my parents. Despite having a good English language background, they had to go through the hardships of understanding