Plot Summary of Half and Half by Amy Tan
The Divorce and Loss of FaithAnalysis of Half and Half by Amy Tan
Themes of Faith, Fate, and HopeThemes in Half and Half by Amy Tan
Cultural Conflict and Identity
Half and Half by Amy Tan: Summary, Analysis & Themes
‘Half and Half’ is a story from Amy Tan’s 1989 novel, The Joy Luck Club. Narrated by Rose Hsu Jordan, a Chinese-American woman, the story intertwines two significant events in her life. One is the breakdown of her marriage to Ted, an American man, and the other is the tragic drowning of her younger brother, Bing, during her childhood. The narrative explores themes of faith, fate, and hope, drawing on the cultural tension between Rose's Chinese heritage and her American life.
Rose Hsu Jordan narrates the story, reflecting on her mother’s loss of faith and her own recent divorce from Ted, her husband of 17 years.
Ted, a medical student when they first met, took control of their relationship and marriage. He made all the decisions, including their marriage despite skepticism from both their families.
Rose’s mother disapproved of Ted being American, and Ted’s mother was concerned about the racial prejudice against an Asian wife during the Vietnam War era.
After being charged with medical malpractice, Ted loses confidence and pushes Rose to make decisions. Rose, unused to taking the lead, struggles with this, ultimately leading Ted to ask for a divorce.
The Childhood Tragedy
The second key event in the story revolves around Rose’s childhood when her younger brother, Bing, drowns while she is supposed to be looking after him at the beach.
The family visits the beach, where Rose’s father is fishing, and her mother and older sisters are on a walk. In a moment of distraction, Bing falls into the sea while climbing along a reef.
The following morning, Rose’s mother takes her back to the beach, hoping to recover Bing’s body. She brings her Bible and pleads with God to help find her son.
Rose’s mother recalls her childhood in China, where she witnessed a boy regrow his hand after a firecracker accident, fueled by his mother’s unwavering belief.
Efforts to Retrieve Bing
As part of her desperate efforts, Rose’s mother throws her sapphire ring into the sea, offering it to the mythical Coiling Dragon, hoping it will return her son.
For a moment, they believe they see Bing walking along the beach, only to realize it’s someone else. The next attempt involves throwing an inflatable tube into the water, thinking it will bring Bing from a cave, but this too fails.
The Bible and Hope
The story concludes with Rose taking out her mother’s Bible, placed under a table since her loss of faith. Inside, under a section labeled ‘Deaths,’ her mother has written Bing’s name in erasable pencil, leaving a glimmer of hope that he might still return one day.
The central themes of Half and Half revolve around faith, fate, and hope. The title references the ‘yin and yang’ of Rose and Ted’s relationship, with the story divided into two halves: the death of Bing and the collapse of Rose’s marriage.
Both the drowning and the divorce represent a failure to save something important. Rose’s story emphasizes how, just as Bing couldn’t be saved from drowning, her marriage to Ted couldn’t be salvaged either.
Hope vs. Fate
Rose’s mother believes that fate, not hope, should drive her efforts to save her marriage, echoing the same determination she displayed in trying to retrieve Bing after his drowning.
While Rose understands that her efforts are futile, just as her mother’s were with Bing, the idea of accepting fate instead of hope plays a significant role in shaping their outlooks.
Even without hope, Rose’s mother believes she must try because it is her fate. This philosophy mirrors her actions following Bing’s death, showing her unwavering belief in destiny.
One theme in the story is the cultural tension between Rose’s Chinese heritage and her American life. This conflict is reflected in both her mother’s skepticism towards Ted and her own struggle to make decisions in her marriage.
The Chinese concepts like ‘nengkan’ (the ability to achieve anything through will) highlight the influence of her parents’ belief system on Rose’s life.
The Intersection of Faith and Doubt
Faith plays a pivotal role in the story, but it is contrasted with doubt. Rose’s mother’s faith, while shaken, still allows room for doubt, as evidenced by her writing Bing’s name in erasable pencil in her Bible.
This blending of faith and doubt reflects the deeper complexity of belief systems in the face of tragedy, where hope and despair often coexist.
Symbolism of the Bible in Half and Half by Amy Tan
The Bible in the story is not just a symbol of faith, but of unresolved hope. The erasable pencil symbolizes the fragile hope that Bing might return, even as reality suggests otherwise.
It represents Rose’s mother’s struggle between accepting fate and retaining a glimmer of hope despite overwhelming odds.