All that matters is to express truth

It was difficult to find someone else who read this book but I finally found someone I knew who did, so we briefly discussed it.

Immediately we agreed that the ending wasn't as good as we thought it would be. Choy leaves it very opened ended. We didn't even get to read about Jack coming down the ramp to Kiam and Jenny. It would've been great to witness their reunion (how they would have reacted or what they would have talked about).

We discussed some possible themes for the novel and came up with: identity, family, exclusion, belonging, and importance of family traditions. Choy conveys very well the mixed pressures and beliefs of Chinese trying to make a living in a new land that wants their work but is not ready to treat them as equal citizens.

She has read both All That Matters and The Jade Peony. She prefers The Jade Peony over this novel because it doesn’t have the elegant structure that the previous novel has. She continued and said that The Jade Peony basically consists of three short stories (each from the point of view of the three younger siblings) and All That Matters is just one continuous novel; there's a huge difference in the feeling of the novel if you go from three narrators to just one. I haven't read The Jade Peony yet or haven't really read books that have several perspectives in one before, so it didn't really bug me.

She read the novel over three years ago, but when I brought it up to her she said the first thing that she thinks of about this book is food, so we discussed that for a bit.

We came with a few things: food was something that tied family together and allowed them to hold on to those family traditions that were valued so much by the elders. The theme of food seemed to thread or weave its way through the plot of the novel seamlessly; you could hardly notice it because Choy wrote it so naturally, it felt normal for me to read. When she mentioned food and the preparing of the food I realized how much it really is mentioned throughout the book. I feel it is completely safe to say that there is something to do with food in every single chapter. It is mostly talked about when Kiam or another sibling is helping Poh-Poh prepare dinner. I realized no one ever prepared the meal by themselves; there was always contribution from at least one more person. The children would clean and sometimes cut the vegetables while Poh-Poh cooked or boiled them. I feel this represents a strong family. I also found myself craving Chinese food the whole time while reading this book; I'm actually eating some right now. Back to what the food represents... We thought the dinners were what brought them together. They could have had a very trying day or had an argument with another family member, but they were still brought together and reconciled over preparing the food. As a step forward in their relationship, Kiam invited Jenny over for dinner. This brought her and both of them as a couple closer with everyone else in the family. Another significant part in the book involving food is when Jack came over for dinner, even though earlier in the novel he was always forbidden to visit. It showed respect between them and also brought them together. The meal Stepmother prepared specially for him (peanut butter sandwiches and hot dogs cut into small pieces) depicted the coming together of both of their cultures and that they really can work together and be peaceful. 

Even after Poh-Poh's death, the Chen family continued their normal roles of preparing the dinners. They all worked together to make sure a good meal is made. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit envious while thinking of this all. My family definitely does not have as much passion in such a great family tradition as Kiam's family does. We barely eat together, nevermind prepare the dinner together. I think it's a great thing to do, to work together and make something that everyone enjoys. It definitely brought his family closer together.

I feel as if I should mention the Kitchen God. The Kitchen God is mentioned a lot throughout the book. It is a large piece of paper with a photo of Zao Jun (Kitchen God) printed on it. This is always placed in the kitchen, hence Kitchen God, near the stove. According to Chinese religion, Zao Jun records everything the family does throughout the year, good and bad. On the twenty third day of the twelfth lunar month, just before Chinese New Year, he returns to Heaven to report the activities of the household to the Jade Emperor (Yu Huang). The Jade Emperor, emperor of the heavens, either rewards or punishes a family based the report given to him by Zao Jun. He is released from earth by the burning of the photo each year, which Poh-Poh always did. Poh-Poh, who was extremely passionate with their religion, took it really seriously and made sure she did not say anything that could offend him. After she died, Sekky wanted to continue this tradition, so they burned the photo as well, mostly to respect Poh-Poh's old ways.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book very much. I'm definitely a fan of Wayson Choy's writing now, and I'm a little upset he isn't a more prolific writer; it would have been nice knowing there was almost an endless amount of books of his I could read. Either way, I will most likely read his other pieces of work. If they are half as good as I thought All That Matters was, I'm sure I'll enjoy them just as much.

The Chen Family

I constructed a simple family tree of Kiam-Kim's family to help me visualize it better. I was going to include Third Uncle but he is a very distant relative on Father's side. He was the one who allowed them to come to Vancouver from China by sponsoring them, therefore he still poses as an extremely important character. Even though he is not included in the tree, I believe he should always be noted when talking about the Chen family.

I didn't find out until a few chapters ago that Master Chen (from Old China) was the one who made Poh-Poh pregnant with Father. I also didn't realize until now that 'Father' is never called by his real name in the book. I wonder why Wayson Choy decided to do that. Stepmother or Poh-Poh didn't call him anything different either. I was surprised she didn't mention this until she reached the end of her life since she always had stories to tell, but I'm sure just like anyone who has had that experience, she didn't want to discuss it. There are a lot of untold secrets in this novel, too.

After making this tree, it reminded me that two of the four children who live in the house are Stepmother's real children, yet they still have to refer to her as Stepmother. She never talked much about it until the last chapter. I'm not surprised she mentioned this while she and Father had an extremely powerful argument. To never be called mother by one's own children can easily upset someone. She was forced to conform and agree to this just so she wouldn't anger the ghost of the First Wife who she didn't even know. I felt really sympathetic for her.

I made the line connecting Jung-Sum and Father and Stepmother red rather than black to show that he was adopted. I have to constantly remind myself that he is adopted because he fits so well into the family and is treated with as much respect and pride as the other children are.

I put 'Unknown' in the box underneath Jenny and Kiam-Kim because at the end of the novel I found out that they were expecting a baby very soon. Poh-Poh told Kiam that he should have several children, so this is something she would have been proud to see.

Chapter Nine - Push Forward to Shore. Do Not Drown in the Past

The last chapter! 

More attention was brought onto the Chen family when Sekky claimed he could see Poh-Poh's ghost. Usually when a ghost lingers on earth it means something must have been done to offend them in some way. Third Uncle mentioned that she is stubborn and even after an expensive funeral ceremony she "maybe need something more" (Choy 377). I think Sekky saw her ghost, or claimed that he saw her ghost, because he was around her the most which caused her to influence him that much more. Most of her traditional ways passed through her and along to him. On Christmas day he reminded Father that they must burn the Kitchen God picture soon (something Poh-Poh did every new year). If there was one thing that troubled Poh-Poh, it was probably the loss of tradition and Old China ways of her only son, so if he performed the burning of the Kitchen God picture he would be respecting her and the old traditions. On New Year's morning Sekky didn't waste time; he got everything ready, even remembering the details such as putting honey on the God's lips (believed to make him say sweet things about the family to the Jade Emperor). After they all looked satisfied at the burning picture, Jung-Sum asked if they were suppose to wait until the Chinese New Year, which was when Poh-Poh always did it, naturally. Sekky was extremely discouraged by this and he was left heartbroken by his mistake.

The family decides to properly put Poh-Poh to rest by having an exorcise ceremony. A few days later Sekky stopped seeing her ghost, it was a good ceremony.

Then the chapter shifted from Poh-Poh to the war. I would have thought the war would constantly be in people's minds at this time, but even after the reminders from posters on every street corner and newsreels at the theaters, the teenagers found themselves only discussing what the most recent clothing line additions to store windows and the newest trends were. I guess the war barely sunk into the minds of the young Chinese because they were told by the government that they were not needed.

My prediction that Jack would join the army was right. In his situation it seemed almost inevitable, especially because he did not want to be at home, "it'll take me as far away from my parents as I can afford" (Choy 384). Choy didn't go into much detail about what was happening at the O'Connor's residence, but he did mention his mother's constant uptightness and his father's alcohol problem briefly. In my last blog I also said how someone will have to bring up the incident in the library from a few chapters ago; that is exactly what Jack did. Reading up to that point I could tell there was something else on his mind. The way I thought Kiam would have reacted earlier was the way Jack reacted at this part. Lots of rage and lots of exclamation marks. They continue to argue back and forth and eventually Kiam throws his fist at Jack's face. The speed at which they reconciled was a lot faster than I would have expected. It could be because arguing was really uncomfortable for them. It really shows how strong their relationship was. He reassured Kiam that Jenny really does love him. After that they were fine.

My favourite part of the chapter was when Jack made a last request. He wished to sit down and eat for the first time with the family that he has lived next to for 15 years. Knowing he would not eat anything they would, Stepmother cooked a special meal just for him: a whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich cut into bite-sized cubes, perfect to pick up with chopsticks. I thought this was kind of them to do. It was kind of an amalgamation of both of their cultures. I'm not sure if this would have still happened if Poh-Poh was alive (she was the main reason why Jack was not allowed over to their house) but it's interesting to think of what the situation would have been like if she was there.

I found it ironic that Jack was shipped off to Hong-Kong because he was the only white friend Kiam had, and now he is going to China. I wouldn't know how to feel if I was Kiam; his grandmother recently passed away and now his best friend is going off to war.

I was a bit scared of the way Father acted in this chapter. When he wants something he will make sure he finds a way to get it. After all the Japanese merchants were forced to sell their shops, he was one of the first to jump on an offer. Stepmother protested and told him that they did not need their land. The atmosphere between them became explosive. Their argument seemed so harsh that it even made me wince a little. Stepmother finally brought up the fact that her own children don't even call her their mother. She did not say anything after. It seems that silence symbolizes comfort; no harm can be done if nothing wrong is said.

At the end of the chapter, Kiam asked Jenny to marry him. It came quickly and at an unexpected time, right after she told him to break up with her. I thought it was odd to ask someone to marry you when they just said "don't stay with me" (Choy 415). Her reaction made it seem like she did not want to - she grabbed a glass and smashed it against a wall. If that doesn't sound like a 'no' I don't know what does, besides saying the word of course... It was Jenny's mother who came in and found out what had just happened. Jenny knew what her mother wanted so she told Kiam that she would marry him. In the end I don't know whether her final decision to marry him was an obligatory act towards her mother or a personal decision. 

The novel does not end with a numbered chapter; Choy included an "Endings" right after the last chapter. I learn that Kiam and Jenny are expecting their first child and that they were waiting on another arrival as well: Jack was expected to come home. He was sent back because of extreme burns and other injuries caused by being trapped inside a burning building. The fact that his own mother did not go to meet him at the station and instead told Kiam and Jenny to meet him there really means something. She knows how much both of them meant to him and she demonstrated her respect for her son by letting both of them be the ones to welcome Jack back home. The novels ends with Kiam and Jenny watching one of the ramps being locked into place.

Even though I have finished the novel I still want to look further into a few things, so this will hopefully not be my last post.

Chapter Eight - The Only Cure for Old Age is to Die

I am nearing the end of the book, and unlike other books I have read (mostly for school) I don't want it to end. I would actually be content if this book carried on for another couple chapters. Compared to the others, this was a very eventful chapter and it created several different emotions for me as a reader.

In this chapter, people are beginning to be judged by their appearance, names, and accents. Since the war is taking its toll on everyone, more and more people are becoming suspects; if you look Japanese, sound Eastern European, or have a German-looking name, you were criticized. At this time it wasn't easy for anyone who had either of the above qualities. This reminded me of an excerpt from something I read in a school book a couple years ago about Japanese discrimination in Vancouver around this time as well. I think it was about David Suzuki. Even though he looked Japanese, he felt Canadian. I quickly read an interview with Wayson Choy and he said he felt like a banana growing up, and still does: yellow on the outside, white on the inside. I think that played a huge role in the characterizing of Kiam-Kim. Back to the David Suzuki excerpt: thousands of Canadian Japanese citizens were put into internment camps (I forget what they were officially named) even if they were born in Canada and knew almost nothing about their background country. These posters were scattered across British Columbia. Kiam and a lot of other Chinese citizens were usually mistaken as being Japanese and that caused some annoyance; they wanted to make buttons that said "I am Chinese".

While at the library, Kiam witnesses Jenny cheating on him with his best friend Jack O'Connor. Instead of confronting them, he walked back to the desk where he and Jenny were previously studying. He continued to ignore it for the whole chapter. He didn't mention it to Jenny when they were alone or even act angry towards her. I'm shocked he hasn't done anything yet because it wasn't just a random guy, it was his best friend (even if it was a random guy I would have thought he would have been mad and visually upset). It did bug him though; he got distracted at school or whenever he saw either of them, but he still didn't react the way I would have assumed someone in his situation would. This suggests that he isn't one to start any drama and just wants peace to always remain between his friendships. This is him attempting to be optimistic; he thinks if he ignores it, he'll eventually forget about it. The common knowledge I have on repressed emotions and memories is that they never end well and these emotions are always there until they are completely solved and understood. He is going to have to bring it up to one of them eventually.

Poh-Poh decided it was time to begin working on the final wind chime, the one that would be raised only after she passed away. She and Sekky had run out of colourful pieces of glass and shiny items and Poh-Poh thought it would not be complete in time. What seemed like a sign from the Gods, a local Chinese church burned down (luckily with no one in it), so Poh-Poh and Sekky both walked down to the ruins and foraged through the rubble. The two began to gain attention and it wasn't positive. People thought their actions were strange and it wasn't making the Chen family look good. From there on they were both strictly told to stay home for safety reasons. Poh-Poh was okay with this, she was waiting for her last sign: the return of an old friend who told her he would come back when she was ready and take her with him. Over the next few days, she kept seeing the ghost of him. She was too ill to stay at home so she was admitted into St. Paul's. The last thing she told Kiam was to have many sons with Jenny. The very next day Father came home earlier than usual and immediately went to Poh-Poh's room. He took the wind chime from underneath her bed and hung it in front of the window; the entire room was filled with dancing colourful spots made by the glass pieces. Personally, I think Poh-Poh was the most lively character, the most colourful one, so this part described her perfectly for me. Any room could be made more colourful or brighter when her presence was there. I was saddened by her death because she was probably my favourite character, but as Jenny said, "Everyone dies, everything ends" (Choy 351). It's going to be strange reading the next chapter because she won't be in it. The title of this entry ("The only cure for old age is to die") is a quote by the Great Buddha and is said by Poh-Poh, lightheartedly. She didn't seem scared of death after she accepted it.

I like how Choy decided to not state her death directly, instead it was implied by the hanging of the last wind chime. The description was subtle, thus if a reader wasn't paying attention they could have missed this significant event.

After her death, Kiam pondered and realized he never called her anything but Poh-Poh. In Chinese, 'Poh-Poh' means the mother's mother, but she is actually his father's mother, thus the proper name would be Nai-Nai. They were not permitted to call her Nai-Nai because on their documents she was stated as being their mother's mother. If they happened to slip up and call her that instead, the demon customs officers would ship them back to Old China. Jung-Sum, Liang, and Sekky were all documented as being his full siblings, too. He thought it shouldn't matter, they've only lived together as family so no matter what he would consider them family. Family ties and traditions both play huge parts in the novel. Kiam also learns that Father's father, his grandfather, was Patriarch Chen, Poh-Poh's master when she was a young slave in Old China. For this to happen he had to of raped her. This thought went through Kiam's mind and he was furious, but he concealed his extreme emotions by thinking Poh-Poh has not only gone through the worst, but she survived. He thought of her perseverance and it inspired him to see through anything no matter what. I thought it was interesting to be told this near the end of the book.  It makes me wonder what else there is that I don't know.

Identity

When put into a different place that is not like one's culture at all, it can be difficult to stay true to it and maintain that connection. It is hard for Kiam to remain "Chinese" when he is being immersed in another culture (North American). Throughout our lives little parts of our identities will constantly change, especially if one moves from one distinct culture to another, but it is up to us who decide how much it does change us. Kiam continues to struggle to balance the new and the old. Poh-Poh wants to see him perform family traditions and would hope to know he would still do them even after she is gone. He never gets away by speaking English near Poh-Poh without her criticizing him. She would like for him to speak Chinese all the time, but in a country where most of the citizens speak English, he knows that in order to have a successful future he will need to venture away from his old culture and become more comfortable with the new. Kiam is kind of lost with his identity because of his confusion with the collision between his family's culture and the new culture he now lives in. I believe that the way we express ourselves is greatly influenced by our identity. I feel as if Kiam does not want to disappoint Poh-Poh by saying anything negative that could slip out of his mouth about his culture, so instead he never really speaks much about it. This is probably why he tends to think a lot inside his head, because what is not heard cannot be judged or ridiculed. If we repress our thoughts and questions about our own identity, how will we truly know who we are and where we belong?

I think when we are able to hold onto our identity no matter where we go or what we do, that is when we will know who we really are.

Chapter Seven - No Guts, No Glory

Yet again, Choy chooses to accumulate several events into one chapter. This chapter can be easily broken into three main parts: discussion of the ongoing war, Jenny and Kiam's growing relationship and the project Poh-Poh and Sek-Lung continue to keep hidden from the others.

More apparent than ever, the war has reached Chinatown's doorstep. Everywhere Kiam goes he is reminded of the war overseas. I am beginning to think Father will talk to him more seriously about going off to war soon, since he is First Son, he must look brave to his younger siblings. It won't be happening anytime soon since the people of Chinatown were told that the Chinese and Japanese were not wanted by the Canadian government; all of the Asian descents have been denied into the army. I'm surprised Kiam wasn't discouraged by this. He lived each day like he didn't even hear it. If I lived in a country and they didn't accept people of my origin into the army, I would be wondering what else they didn't accept us for. This definitely describes the extreme exclusion "outsiders" or foreigners received at this time.

Tension grows in Chinatown as the war wages on. It's hard for me to tell if Father's work is appreciated or looked down upon. An elder spat in a spittoon and said "This for your dog-shit writing!" But then another quickly praised him for his work. This made me think what he does is very controversial; many people have their own opinions on it. I would definitely understand if he came home extremely stressed every day. He usually doesn't show signs of stress though; he isn't a very emotional character. He kind of seems 'flat' (lack of a better word) compared to the other characters. He hasn't changed as much, if at all, like the others have. It was this chapter that he showed a significant amount of emotion ever since he was furious at Kiam for getting drunk (chapter 6). A little bit after Poh-Poh had a frightful cough attack at the dinner table, Kiam saw his father crying at his desk. If there is anything I know about Father it is that he looks at the realistic side of things all the time. This means Poh-Poh is definitely reaching the end of her life and he knows it. 

I would have assumed this anyway since earlier, when I was reading a critical analysis, one of them mentioned Poh-Poh's death. Coming close to the end of the book I was wondering when it would be implied or mentioned. It was this chapter that I get the first hints of her diminishing health. She starts getting sick around the Easter holidays in 1940 with a chronic cough. At this time it is not contagious, but she is given medicine. She and Mrs. Lim call it "Westernized" medicine, thus she is reluctant to use it at first, then the coughs become such a nuisance she gives in and begins to take it.

The title of this entry is 'No guts, no glory". I chose to make it the title because it was said a couple times throughout the chapter and thought it was significant to the novel. No guts, no glory simply means no courage, no success. If you want to have achievements, you have to try and take risks and if you don't have the courage to do something, then you won't get the results from having done it. This popular saying can be connected to several parts of the book. Without courage, Kiam and his friends wouldn't have formed a relationship with Frank. Without trying or taking risks his relationship with Jenny wouldn't be getting as intimate as it has been.Without going out and looking foolish searching for pieces of shiny objects in garbage cans, Poh-Poh and Sekky would not be able to construct their lucky chimes. Jack said it too, when he mentioned all the young men who enlisted into the army and also when he told Kiam and Jenny that he was going to join, too. 
Kiam compared Jack to Gary Cooper and Fred Astaire, which adds to his characterization. It must mean he has a great sense of style, according to the people of this time, and has a really easy way with girls. He tries to impress them, even if they have rejected him before; as he would say "no guts, no glory."

The chapter ends with the completion and presentation of all of the lucky chimes Sekky and Poh-Poh created. She always planned to do this to celebrate the life she lived. This is another sign that Poh-Poh knows she is going to die soon.

Words looked up from this chapter: 

Pugnacious - eager or quick to argue

Amok - crazy, berserk 

Vicarious -  felt through imagined participation in the experience of others

Convivial - joyful, friendly

Fervent - enthusiastic, excited 

Alcove - nook, secluded spot 

Unrequited - not repaid or returned

Judging a book by its other cover

While searching for the cover of the version I have right now, I came across another one. ------>

It's a little more obvious to decipher compared to the first. A large crowd of people can be seen in the bottom right corner. They all seem to be looking in the distance where a ship can be seen. This is a huge part of the novel. It is how Kiam, his father and Poh-Poh arrived in Vancouver and also how Stepmother arrived; by boat. I'm sure the docks are flooded with people all the time, either waiting for shipments of China goods to come in or family or friends from China to arrive; a big part of the citizens of Chinatown's lives was spent at the docks.

As for the flower in the top right, I am not entirely sure of what kind it is. If I had to choose one it would be a white lily; it seems to resemble it the most. According to a few sites, the white lily symbolizes purity, modesty, virginity and heaven. They are also perceived as feminine since they have been said that they were created by Juno, the queen of the gods (in Roman mythology). This could symbolize that there is a feminine side to the book and that women are more respected there.

I thought maybe it could be a flower indigenous to China, but after searching I still could not find anything.