Music is a prevalent motif in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, appearing during times of loss and confusion as a reminder of the past. The vignettes all share a common thread, in that the music reveals how one must acknowledge and learn from the past in order to mature and gain wisdom. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Music is always present as a reminder of the past, especially past mistakes or regrets, in the stories and reflections of the characters. When Ying-Ying stumbles upon Moon Lady's performance, she describes the performance as a song of regret: "The sad music of the lute began again as the sky on the stage lit up. And there stood the poor lady… An eternity had passed since she had last seen her husband, for such was her destiny: to remain lost on the moon, in eternal search of her own selfish desires” (82 ). As the Moon Lady sings her song, she remembers how she betrayed her husband and was thus separated from him. As atonement for her sins, she sings and reflects sadly for an eternity, always remembering her past mistakes. Jing-Mei's memory of her piano playing also demonstrates the overarching theme of music as a reminder of the past: "The lid of the piano was closed, driving away the dust, my misery and its dreams..." (154). When the piano is closed, it also fades away the memories of how Su Yuan sparked Jing-Mei's genius and motivated her, but was unsuccessful due to Jing-Mei's ignorance. The piano and the music it produces are “[Jing-Mei’s] misery and [Su Yuan’s] dreams…” (154). It’s a reminder of Jing-Mei’s past reluctance and her mother’s past hopes. Meanwhile, An-Mei also reveals music as a reminder of past mistakes or regrets in her account of her mother's death: The only sounds were those of the girl in the clock playing the violin. And I wanted to shout at the clock and silence its meaningless noise, but I didn't. I watched my mother walk in bed. I wanted to say the words that would calm his body and mind. But I stayed there, like the others, waiting and saying nothing. And then I remembered his story about the little turtle, his warning not to cry. (269-270)The music of the clock served as a reminder of the past, and specifically of his mother's words regarding "the warning not to cry." Through the clock's music, she begins to remember things her mother once told her, such as how she had no place in the Wu family's false luxury. For example, when Second Wife gives An-Mei the fake pearl necklace, "[An-Mei's mother] told her to wear the necklace...so she would remember how easy it is to get lost in something fake …Then she turned to [her]: 'Now can you recognize what is true?' » (261). The music that repeatedly taunts An-Mei during her mother's death forces her to revisit her mother's past advice. By listening to music, the characters are awakened to their regrets and past mistakes. The Joy Luck Club conveys the message of reflecting on past experiences, rather than excluding them and trying to ignore the truth. An-Mei, after discovering all her luxuries in her new life, describes the clock in her room: "It was a wonderful clock to see, but after hearing it that first hour, then the next, and then always , this clock has become an extravagant nuisance. I couldn't sleep for several nights.And later I discovered that I had an ability: not to listen to something that didn't make sense that was calling to me” (254). An-Mei tries to ignore her doubts and enjoy her new life without delving deeper into the truth behind it. She tries to ignore the music and the reminders of her past, her true home, which contained no false luxuries or illusions of joy. However, as her mother dies after poisoning herself, "The only sounds were those of the girl in the clock playing the violin... [An-Mei] wanted to shout at the clock and silence its meaningless noise: but [ she] did not” (269-270). Now, she finally realizes the falsity of her life in the Wu family and remembers the past and her mother's wise words through the endless chime of the clock. She initially tries to ignore her instincts, until she is finally struck by the magnitude of her mistakes when her mother died. If she had realized this earlier, she could have alleviated her suffering and realized her true identity. Ying-Ying, on the other hand, is not ignorant of the truth. She confronts her past mistakes and misadventures, recounting her reaction to Moon Lady's song: "At the end of her sung story, I was crying, I was shaking with despair. Even though I didn't understand his whole story, I understood his grief. In an instant we had both lost the world, and there was no way to get it back” (82). She recognizes her mistakes and the family she lost. She doesn't wander aimlessly in search of something she knows she can't get back or try to deny the truth, but instead, she confronts it and accepts it. Finally, the characters learn that one must apply past experiences to the present and learn from their mistakes to achieve maturity. Jing-Mei attempts to play the piano again after her mother's death and as she plays, she reflects on the past and realizes something she had not known before, gaining insight and wisdom: After After tuning the piano, I opened the lid and touched the keys. It seemed even richer than I remembered... In Schumann's book, in the dark little piece I played at the recital... It seemed more difficult than I remembered... surprised at how easily the notes made me were coming back… I realized they were two halves of the same song. (155) Jing-Mei listens to the music again, to her past, and she learns a monumental lesson from this small moment of reflection. When she begins to play, the message is unclear and "harder" to perceive, but as she puts more effort into remembering how to play, she realizes it. Jing-Mei finally realizes that the piece she played years ago was originally only half of a song and was incomplete. Does she realize her past ignorance of her mother's hopes and her naivety? she had exhibited when she first played the piano. She remembers her mistakes and, in doing so, gains a better understanding of her mother. She becomes wiser as she begins to think about her mother's true intentions towards her. Ying-Ying also learns an important lesson when reflecting on the time she was separated from her family:...I never believed that my family had found the same girl...But now that I am old, and I Each year brings me closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And I remember everything that happened that day because it has happened many times in my life. The same innocence, the same trust and worry: the wonder, the fear and the loneliness. How I got lost. (83) Ying Ying still remembers Moon Lady's song very well and looks back on her mistakes several years later. She.