Madame Liang Essay Essay, Research Paper
Madame Liang essay
In the book Three Daughters of Madame Liang there is a big emphasis on art. Art played a big role in the liver of the four main women in the novel. Joy, Madame Liang, Mercy, and Grace without art these four women’s lives would have been drastically changed.
You may believe that the Liang family is not perceived as an “artsy” or artistic family, but in fact they are really a very “artsy” or artistic family. They have Joy the painter, Madame Liang “the woman with style”, Mercy the musician, and Grace the concert pianist. Joy, whom is a contemporary painter, lives in the United States of America and stays here. Joy is the only daughter not to go back to china. This is due to her husband Hsuan Teng. Hsuan Teng influences Joy in not to go back to china. He is discouraged to go back to china because they then will be forced to work on farms, and not permitted to express their feelings in art. Hsuan is a well renowned artist and is almost a famous as Pablo Picaso.
” ‘You are an artist?’ he asked. (He is Hsuan Teng)
‘How did you Know?’ she replied. (She is Joy)
‘Paint under your nails,’ he said.”
She makes a profession out of painting, and Joy uses many Chinese colors in all of her paintings. Madame Liang perhaps one of the most artistic women in this novel. Madame Liang has art because she has style. Madame Liang has style in many ways. Just to name a two, managing an elaborate restaurant, and she wears only the best. “She turned restlessly in the huge bed. The down quilts were light, the sheets were of white silk, but she was sleepless. Moonlight shone against the windows for behind the curtains the moon was full.” This quotation talks of her elegant fabrics used in her bed. ” Madame Liang, who managed, no one knew how, to keep open a restaurant whose daily menu carried the finest gourmet foods” and “‘Three hundred dollars and fifty-five small coins,’ Chou ma announced.” I can conclude that one: Madame Liang owns a gourmet food restaurant and is very profitable. The restaurant is located in Shanghai where Madame Liang lives and dies. From all of the quotations they prove that
Mercy is a music teacher at a music school. “‘Stay’ she said, her hand on his arm ‘ You must no be afraid. I will teach you how to play music.’” Mercy is talking to Chen, one of her more talented students. Chen, who latter saves Mercy’s life, is a huge contributor to Mercy’s journey out of China. Chen is a contributor because while being prosecuted by the police Mercy can then make her except to freedom. Mercy teaches a profession and her husband is John Sung. Finally Grace, she is a concert pianist on the side. Grace can also be perceived as an artist because she is a botanist as a profession. ” ‘Why will you not choose your music in stead? They’d never force a concert pianist to come back. You’d not be productive in the new society. That’s why I’ve chosen to be an artist. In the new society who wants a Pianist? Anything- anything but a scientist!’” this is a quotation said by Joy a directed to Grace. Now what would life be like without their art?
I believe that Joy’s would the most drastically changed. If Joy had not chosen to become a painter she would not have met Hsuan let alone know who he was or is. Because Joy had not met Hsuan she wouldn’t be influenced to not come to China and would most likely go back to china. There are also many other things that could happen but this is a definite. While in china Joy might be executed like her mother or perhaps except with her sister Mercy. There are unlimited possibilities to the endings. Madame Liang is also another with a drastic ending change. Firstly, because Madame Liang has gourmet foods that cater to the government officials and do not close down her business, but maybe if she didn’t have the gourmet foods the government officials would close down her restaurant therefore she would not die and live happily ever after. Mercy is also another drastic change. Without Chen Mercy would be working on a farm right now. Chen got Mercy across the border. Mercy knows Chen from the music school. Grace if she had ” gone pro” with her music she most likely would have stayed in the USA and not meeting Lui pang.
In conclusion art was a huge aspect in the daily lives of the four women in Three Daughters of Madame Liang.