Symbolism In The Joy Luck Club

Provided that there are many problems that one self has in their lifetime, Car Radio symbolizes a couple of them. For one, the mask is symbolized as a shield from hiding oneself from one’s true identity. Throughout the lyrics the mask is represented as a disguise from the world, preventing it from knowing your thoughts and feelings within you; as if having this fear of truly revealing of what you are inside. In addition, the crowd symbolizes an overcomed experience one feels when surpassing that struggle within oneself. The crowd is in representation of Tyler's thoughts in relation with his car radio being stolen. In total the overall theme is don't suppress your thoughts and become overwhelmed because if you face your struggles, you have a
By the same token, it's like Tyler is shaving his thoughts and trying to become another person than what he’s internally. As the lyrics read “...I hate this car that I'm driving there's no hiding for me I'm forced to deal with what I feel there is no distraction to mask what is real I could pull the steering wheel…” (Pilots). Not only does this epitomize a feeling of depression, but it also shows that this car radio, symbolically speaking, is the only thing that kept his sane from releasing these thoughts he is projecting. “My skin will scream reminding me of who I killed inside my dream” (Pilots). Uniquely this overwhelmed moment is leading to thoughts of suicide, implying when killing someone inside his head, that he has tried to kill himself instead of fighting through life’s reality. Furthermore, as he puts on the mask to hide the fact that his struggles have changed him and his identity, but he doesn’t want it known. In continuation, the lyrics further are spoken that “...Faith is to be awake and to be awake is for us to think and for us to think is to be alive...” (Pilots). Signifying that you have to face all these struggles no matter how arduous it can be because peace will prevail and fear will lose. Above all, that fear of our thoughts catching us and tangling us into this mess we put ourselves into, will not hinder us from reaching that peace within ourselves. Lastly, “I find over the course our human existence one thing consists of consistence and it's that we're all battling fear” (Pilots). All things considered, the mask as he is walking on stage to the crowd also represents fear, the fact that even though he is battling fear going out into the crowd to push forward and keep thinking to not hide in that bathroom forever in order to keep living and obtain that moment of