An-Mei Brave Meaning
The song “Brave” by Sara Bareilles is written in second person, and in the case of The Joy Luck Club, it is a hopeful message from An-mei’s mother to An-mei to persevere, speak up, and be brave. An-mei’s mother was viewed by An-mei’s family as ni, a traitor to their ancestors because she moved into Wu Tsing’s home as a concubine. Despite this, An-mei chose to go with her to Tientsin. She sees first-hand the harmful environment her mother lives in and understands why her mother takes her own life. “Brave” serves as a reminder to An-mei that her mother wanted the best for her. She wanted An-mei to grow into a better person than she ever was. An-mei took this message to heart and fully embraced it. She stands up to the disingenuous Second
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She found only greater misery and finally could not hide that... That was [her] fate” (Tan 241). The lyric “Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live / Maybe one of these days you can let the light in / Show me how big your brave is” would play. This establishes a link to An-mei’s mother’s tragic death and how it drastically altered An-mei’s life. Because her mother lost her face and found more misery, she wanted An-mei to have the opposite: a life full of love, hope, and freedom. The cage symbolizes the household of Wu Tsing and the manipulative Second Wife, which An-mei was able to free herself from and eventually journey to America to find a better life. The light symbolizes the still-present love of An-mei’s mother, which was able to break the barrier of death and translate directly into An-mei’s life. An-mei’s “brave” stems from her mother’s hopes and dreams and her meaningful sacrifice to “kill her weak spirit so she could give [her] a stronger one.” (Tan 240)
In conclusion, “Brave” by Sara Bareilles is an extension of An-mei’s mother’s love to her daughter. Although her mother’s suicide wounded An-mei, the deep cut eventually healed and translated into An-mei finding her voice and speaking up for herself. An-mei also realizes the wishes her mother carried with her to the grave and actively tries to fulfill them for
She found only greater misery and finally could not hide that... That was [her] fate” (Tan 241). The lyric “Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live / Maybe one of these days you can let the light in / Show me how big your brave is” would play. This establishes a link to An-mei’s mother’s tragic death and how it drastically altered An-mei’s life. Because her mother lost her face and found more misery, she wanted An-mei to have the opposite: a life full of love, hope, and freedom. The cage symbolizes the household of Wu Tsing and the manipulative Second Wife, which An-mei was able to free herself from and eventually journey to America to find a better life. The light symbolizes the still-present love of An-mei’s mother, which was able to break the barrier of death and translate directly into An-mei’s life. An-mei’s “brave” stems from her mother’s hopes and dreams and her meaningful sacrifice to “kill her weak spirit so she could give [her] a stronger one.” (Tan 240)
In conclusion, “Brave” by Sara Bareilles is an extension of An-mei’s mother’s love to her daughter. Although her mother’s suicide wounded An-mei, the deep cut eventually healed and translated into An-mei finding her voice and speaking up for herself. An-mei also realizes the wishes her mother carried with her to the grave and actively tries to fulfill them for