Ying-Ying St. Clair's Narrative Journey Anonymous 10th Grade

According to Joseph Campbell, the hero’s journey is comprised of many different stages that test the hero’s ability to overcome obstacles, as well as find their sense of identity along the way. In the book The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Ying-Ying St. Clair, one of the four members of the Joy Luck Club, undergoes many challenges that shape her personal hero’s journey. Ying-Ying’s life goes through the three main stages of the journey, starting with the comfortable ordinary world, traveling to the special world, and ending with the return to the ordinary world as a changed person. As Ying-Ying experiences each stage, her perspective of life changes as her experiences help her mature and become stronger in order to endure the many challenges thrown her way.

In the beginning of the story, Ying-Ying is a lively, headstrong young girl living with her parents under her Amah’s meticulous care. At this point, Ying-Ying is oblivious in regards to reality’s true nature and lives life the way she wants to, as an outgoing young girl who tends to pay little attention to others’ feelings as long as she herself is satisfied. Later, at her youngest aunt’s wedding, Ying-Ying meets her future husband, whom she predicts that she will marry. This...