The Jade Peony

Question for The Jade Peony

Q.1) How does this story reflect the theme All That I Am?

Q.2) If you were to I interview Wayson Choy, what three questions would you like to ask him about this story or how it was written?

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Q.1) How does this story reflect the theme All That I Am?

In each of the three sections, the different narrators experience growth, maturation, and a loss of innocence. By choosing to narrate the novel through characters who are children and adolescents, Choy has an ideal set-up from which to explore this theme. Jook-Liang loses some of her innocence when she is separated from her beloved friend Wong Suk, while Jung-Sum loses some of his innocence as he confronts his attraction to another boy. Sek-Lung loses his innocence as he witnesses the illicit relationship between Meiying and her Japanese boyfriend. While these various losses and transitions towards maturity often cause pain for the young characters, they also lead them to have a more complex and nuanced understanding of the world around them.