Jade Peony Literary Devices

The Jade Peony uses several literary devices, making it an excellent choice for a novel study. Follow the links to learn more about the different literary devices in the Jade Peony:

Jade Peony Similes
Jade Peony Allusions

Jade Peony Symbols

Jade Peony Themes
Jade Peony Characters


Here are some novel study questions on literary devices: 

Similes

On page 200 and 210 there are two examples of similes. Find the similes and discuss what they mean and what two things are being compared. Likewise, explain how they affect the story.

Foreshadowing

On page 48, Choy uses foreshadowing when talking about the departure of Wong Suk. Give specific examples of this foreshadowing and discuss how it affects the story.

Symbols

Choose two of the following items and discuss what they represent in the story. In other words, for what are they a symbol?

The turtle                                                    
The Jade Peony

Jung’s jacket                                                
Liang’s tap dance shoes

Sek-Lung’s war toys

Character

Write a character description of any of the main characters in The Jade Peony. Consider both physical and non-physical qualities.

Plot

In many ways, The Jade Peony does not have much of a story. Explain why there are few plot details in the novel and how does this enhance or detract from the other aspects of the story.

Similes in the Jade Peony

In the Jade Peony, Wayson Choy uses many similes to enhance his writing. Here is a list of some of the best similes in the Jade Peony: 

"hungry as a bear" 
Liang describes the monkey King and Wong-Sul's hunger. This is true as Wong eats several bowls of rice, making Liang believe even more that he is the Monkey King. 

"An here I was, ten years old, with hands like silk." 
Jung-Sum compares his childhood to those in China. His hands are so soft because he doe snot have to perform manual labour. 

"and shut the door like a vault." 
Jung talks about closing the woodshed door with his turtle inside. The term vault is important because it shows how Jung values and protects the turtle. 

"his fists danced, clenched like two grenades waiting to explode." 
Jung describes Frank Yuen boxing. Grenades as fists give such a visual picture of the powerful punches. 

"English words seemed more forthright to me, blunt like road signs. Chinese words were awkward and messy, like quicksand." 
Sek-Lung uses similes to describe his challenges with the Chinese language. Quicksand gives a good visual representation of the struggling Sekky. 

"We could hear Mr. Barclay's class stampeding out like cattle, but everyone in Miss Doyle's class left in the usual orderly fashion." 
Sek-Lung compares the other class to a herd of cattle. This is an interesting idea as such a young boy shows pride in his class being organized and respectful. 

"I thought Tammy Okada must feel like a leaky submarine." Sek-Lung describes how Tammy feels when her pencil box is taken away.

"English words seemed more forthright to me, blunt like road signs. Chinese words were awkward and messy, like quicksand."
Chapter 8: Sek-Lung uses a pair of similes to describe the English and Chinese languages.

"The small knife skittered across the hall like a small frantic animal."
Chapter 6:  This simile adds to the intensity of the fight between Jung-Sum and Frank Yuen.

World War Two in The Jade Peony

World War II is prominent in the final section of the book.  Through the context of war, we learn more about the characters and the themes in the novel.

The War is used to show how the family is becoming more Canadian. This is especially true of the oldest son, Kiam. A number of times Kiam says he wants to fight for the Canadian Army. Yet, this is contrasted by the arguments of the father:

"When The Dominion says we are Canadian, then we will all join up!"

This is an important section because it shows how Canada still struggled to accept Chinese people as citizens.

World War II is most prominent in the story of Sekky, the youngest child. He is constantly playing war games, where he mimics the attacks of the Allies on the Japanese.

The War also shows us the relationship between the Chinese and the Japanese. As Japan attacked China, the Chinese and Japanese in Canada struggled to live side by side in Vancouver. In the novel, this played out through the story of Meiying, a Chinese teenager who falls in love with a Japanese boy.

The Fox Lady in The Jade Peony

The Fox Lady is a Chinese myth/story that Jung thinks about when he first meets Poh-Poh. The Fox Lady was an evil spirit that dressed up like a Fox Lady to lure children. Jung thinks Poh-Poh is the Fox Lady, showing how scared he was when he met his new family.

The Monkey King in The Jade Peony

The Monkey King is one the most important allusions in The Jade Peony. The family talks about The Monkey King in the first few chapters. Liang compares Monkey to her friend Wong Suk.

The Monkey King is a very old, and classic, Chinese story. It is about a Monkey who fights evil forces.

Anthony C. Yu

The Journey to the West, Volume 1

The Journey to the West, Volume 2

The Journey to the West, Volume 3

The Journey to the West, Volume 4

Arthur Waley

Monkey: Folk Novel of China

Japanese Internment in The Jade Peony

In the later stages of The Jade Peony, the relations with the Japanese Canadians becomes very important. The children at school are constantly fighting with the Japanese students, and while the adults in the novel are more civilized, the hatred is also prevalent. The problems arise because Japan is fighting both Canada and China in World War II.

These problems in the novel are a direct reference to the situation in Vancouver during that time, a situation that eventually led to the Japanese Internment.

The Japanese Internment during World War II is looked at as a dark moment in Canadian history. During the War, all Japanese Canadians were interned to worker camps in the interior of British Columbia.

Joe Louis in The Jade Peony

Joe Louis was an American boxer during the 1930's and 40's. He is the hero of Jung-Sum in the second section of The Jade Peony.




Joe Louis

Joe Louis was a famous American boxer who was Heavyweight champion from 1937-1949. Nicknamed The Brown Bomber, Louis is recognized as one of the greatest boxers of all time.

Joe Louis inThe Jade Peony

In The Jade Peony, Joe Louis is the idol of Jung-Sum, second brother. Jung loves boxing and trains in a gym. He is constantly comparing himself to Joe Louis, and wants to be like the champ. Jung says, "I had discovered Joe Louis, read everything about him, and taken to boxing." (100)

In real life, Louis was instrumental in breaking colour barriers in American sports. In The Jade Peony, Jung meets the boxer Max, who is black like Joe Louis. Jung's love for Joe Louis is no doubt one reason why he feels no hesitation in trusting Max and becoming his friend even though he is black. Louis taught many people that African Americans could be heroes too.



Like Shirley Temple, Louis is a North American hero idolized by one of the children in the novel. This again shows how the family is adapting to North American life and beginning to move away from the Chinese heroes.


Joe Louis is an important allusion in the second section of the novel, but there are many more allusions in The Jade Peony.