And one night when his supper wasn't French fries, hamburgers, and coke, he ran into his bedroom and knocked over one of his tanks. Later that night, while he slept, Myhrra in her blue jeans, and with her eyes still made up, was down on her knee picking up the fish. (22).
Also, she supports her son at all times. When Byron is caught robbing money from the cub troops, Myhrra still believes her son to be innocent and tries to clear his name. Through the eyes of the daughters, we can also see the continuation of the mother's stories, how they learned to cope in America. With this, Amy Tan touches on an obscure, little discussed issue, which is the divergence of Chinese culture through American children born of Chinese immigrant parents. The Chinese-American daughters try their best to become "Americanized," at the same time, casting off their heritage while their mothers watch in dismay. For example, after the piano talent show fiasco, a quarrel breaks out between June and Suyuan. June does not have the blind obedience "to desire nothing.to eat [her] own bitterness." She says to herself, " 'I didn't have to do what my mother said anymore. I wasn't her slave. This wasn't China' " (152). Unbeknownst to June, Suyuan only hopes and wants the best for her daughter. She explains, " 'Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!' " (153). She means that any daughter should follow her parent's request without questions, not like the American daughter who follows her own mind. However, June answers back to her, " 'I wish you weren't my mother.I wish I were dead!' " (153). Unfortunately, the daughters want their mother to know that social pressures to become like everyone else, and not to be different are what motivate them to resent their nationality. They do not want to force themselves to think of their parents' suffering as a metaphor than an actual event. Thus, the novel reveals that a parent's love for his/her children is forever in existence.
