Amy Tan - Half and Half

I enjoyed reading the short story “Half and Half” by Amy Tan.  I believe that this story was given this title because it is about half of her childhood and half of her adulthood. As Rose is thinking about losing her husband and her faith in love, she remembers her past when her mother lost her son and her faith in God.  In this story she tells of how her youngest brother, Bing, drowns and explains her mother’s reaction to the loss.  This story also pertains to the relationship between Rose and her husband.  In their marriage, Rose is the Chinese half and Ted is the American half.  Both their mothers contest the marriage of the two.  Ted’s mother contests the marriage because she does not believe in racial mixing and feels that her son is marrying beneath his social status.  Rose’s mother knows that two different heritages will not blend and she fears that Rose will stop being Chinese.  This story also refers to the state of the Hsus before and after the drowning of Bing.  Amy describes the beach where Bing dies as “a giant bowl, cracked in half, the other half washed out to sea.”  Before Bing’s death the family was very happy and close-knit.  The mother was a column of strength for the family.  She was a very religious person and she carried the Bible around and read it for support and encouragement.  She abandoned her religion and placed the Bible as a support for the leg of the kitchen table after Bing’s death.  She was very angry with God because he did not return Bing to her.  Her anger negatively affected the entire family.  There is a huge gap in communication and thinking between Rose and her mother.  Rose has become very Americanized after her marriage to Ted.  Rose and her mother have very little in common.  The theme of loss of heritage is highlighted in this short story.  Rose’s mother totally resents her because of the rejection of her Chinese self.