Chapter Two - "Too Much Discipline Can Spoil the Lesson"

Reading chapter two went by faster than I thought it would. I was actually shocked when I turned the page and saw “THREE”. I’m taking it as a sign that I’m enjoying this book more and more. 

After reading the first two chapters, it is clear that Kiam-Kim is a very curious character. He also knows more than the elders think he does. He acts older than he actually is because the way he is being raised. He has a lot of respect and is well-mannered, probably because he has good people around him. His family gives him enough food, shelter, and love, and teaches him respect: expect nothing, be patient, be modest, they tell him. I realized that respect is a huge part of Chinese culture. The children are scolded for what seems like the smallest things. It shocked me at how hateful Mrs. Chong was towards her daughter, Jenny Chong. I probably read the words “dead girl, useless daughter” eleven times. I thought she was being extremely harsh. She didn’t invite her into the dining room to eat; instead she told the group of women to ignore her and ‘let her rot’. I was wondering what on earth she could’ve possibly done to make her mom so offended. I was happy when Mrs. Chong eventually told the others why. She said that her daughter threw a book at her father. Like Kiam-Kim, at first I thought it was a heavy-sized book; no, it was a flimsy notebook. I thought that maybe Jenny must have done something or several things in the past in order for her mother to react the way she did. Hopefully further into the book I get to learn more about her. Later in the chapter Jenny and Kiam-Kim are left alone in the kitchen to clean up. It was then that I found out how rude and obnoxious Jenny is. As bad as she is I don’t think she deserves being called a dead, useless girl. After all, the way she is might be because of her mother. The title of this post is dialogue from this chapter. Poh-Poh is the one who says this in response to Mrs. Chong's obvious unnecessary punishments towards her daughter. Mrs. Chong replies, "And not enough discipline spoils the child" (Choy 97). I agree with both of them when it comes to general punishment, but in relation to the novel I think Poh-Poh is the one who is right. I have a feeling Jenny is the way she is because of too much discipline, therefore she forgets why she is even being punished in the first place. 

As weird and completely far-off as it sounds right now, I think later in the novel there might be an intimate relationship between Jenny and Kiam-Kim. 

This chapter seemed to focus on Kiam-Kim’s relationship with his grandmother; it helped me understand the two a little more. Throughout the chapter Poh-Poh shows mixed emotions about her grandson; she brags about him when her friends come over to play mah-jong, but she still seems disappointed by him when they discuss Chinese culture and tradition. This is an example of the big theme ‘traditionalism vs. Westernization’ in the novel. It doesn’t surprise me that she is frustrated about Kiam-Kim. He is losing touch with his Chinese culture and being an elder, she isn’t used to this lack of culture. Since he was only a baby when he lived in China he doesn’t remember a lot about it. He has spent most of his life in British Columbia; therefore he will most likely absorb that culture because he is being immersed in it. Poh-Poh is upset because of that. Kiam-Kim says, “By the end of grade 2, I knew more about British Columbia than I could ever remember about China” (Choy 70). He claims that he doesn’t care if all his Chinese brain cells withered away. I think later in the novel he’ll mention how he wishes he would’ve learned more about his culture and where his family originated from. Poh-Poh is also both disappointed and slightly jealous of his ability to read English labels and write simple English sentences with ease. Either way, she still scolded him for his poor Cantonese. He starts to feel influenced by his white friend, Jack O’Connor’s, religion, and believes Jack when he tells him that the Kitchen God is ‘just a piece of paper’. 

There is also a conflict of race differences. There are Chinese and white people that live amongst each other on the same street that Kiam-Kim and his family live on. The white elders wanted everyone to stay among their own kind. Both the Chinese and white elders would glare when they saw the younger generation playing together. I think this represents change and the struggle that comes with it. 

I predict that Kiam-Kim is going to struggle satisfying each generation. What I mean by that is he may be trying to be accepted by his grandmother, but he won't be prepared to live in the new world (Vancouver) when he is older if he only knows the ways of Old China. His father is trying to modernize their culture to help them fit into the North American culture, while still maintaining their normal values and traditions. 

The chapter ends with the announcement that someone must go pick up the family’s newly adopted son. Kiam-Kim is confident that he will be a good role-model for his younger siblings.

I’m curious as to how well the new son fits into the family in the next chapter.
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Words looked up from this chapter:
Galvanized
Filial
Feign
Incantations
Exorbitant