Jade Peony – Wealth Essay, Research Paper

Wealth

When people talk about wealth they usually mean materialistic things such as money, however there is another type of ‘wealth’, emotional wealth. This is the wealth that people give to each other. Some examples can be spending time with people, lending a hand to someone you do not know, providing kindness, and being a friend to someone when no one else will. If a person gives wealth to another individual it is likely that this act of kindness will never be forgotten, the connection leaves an impact on the person you gave the wealth to. This creates a special bonding between people, and it shows that there is a relationship of understanding. This is because the individual who gives the wealth understands the needs of the person who is receiving the emotional wealth. It also shows that person receiving the emotional wealth is not too proud or stubborn to accept this present of understanding. The wealth that people give each other is very important because it helps an adult, or a child learn about life. It reminds us that we all have unique strengths and weaknesses, and how important it is to use our strengths to help or to give to individuals who are in need of emotional support. The opposite of emotional wealth is emotional selfishness or lack of understanding. This happens when people do not understand each other and therefore they may help another to believe that they are worthless and that they can not achieve their goals. This person is only damaging and not providing emotional support that the individual needs. Wong Suk provided a wealth that some members of Jook-Liang’s family could not provide.

Most people need some people who they can tell their hearts to and express their feelings. These people usually your parents, grandparents or friends, help provide emotional wealth. However some members of a family and some friends can not provide this type of wealth, in some cases they may even do the opposite. In Chinese culture around the time ‘The Jade Peony’ takes place, females especially, young females, were not treated with the respect that males were. To quote Poh-Poh in the Jade Peony, “A girl-child is mo-yung – useless”. As a result her family does not treat Jook Liang with the respect that she deserved. Because she is a girl, she is labeled as less useful than the boys. This means that her opinions are not as valued as the opinions of some of the brothers of the household. She is considered as the weaker member of the family. As Jook Leung says, “He told Kiam and Jung that Wong Bak might appear ‘very strange’, especially to me as I was so young, and a girl, and therefore might be more easily frightened.” It seems that she feels that she can not open up to her family and that they do not provide her with the feeling of wealth that she needs.

Unlike members of her family, Wong Suk gave Jook Liang emotional wealth. He spent money on her but the most important thing in their relationship was that he spent time with her and valued her as a person. He said to her, “you are my little girl, my family.” He also played games with her calling her his ‘bandit-princess’ and taking her out of the house for a movie or for ice cream. He even went to lengths to get her some ribbon for her shoes, when it had cost him an hour of labor. Poh-Poh the grandmother thought that it was a waste of money. Wong Suk treated her as a person worthy of his time and his affection.

When a person gives emotional wealth to an individual, it shines through amongst all other things. It may change that person’s life forever. Wong Suk gave Jook Liang the emotional wealth that her family could not provide. She seems to have gained a self confidence that she did not have before Wong Suk was in her life. The emotional wealth that Wong Suk gave to Jook Liang will probably affect her for the rest of her life. She says, “I thought of old Wong Suk leaning on his two canes. And I danced”. This proves that she was still thinking about him in her day to day life and what he said about her, will stay in her mind forever. She says, “Wong Suk knew my worth: he would never desert me. I was his family. He told me so.” He was her family as she was his. She will never forget this.

The wealth that people give each other is shown in the love and understanding that people have with one another and the way people treat each other. Some people may think that others are worthless and therefore they do not provide them with wealth. Some may measure wealth in materialistic objects, such as money, but true wealth comes from the way that you treat others, and yourself. Wealth is given in numerous ways but hopefully when someone is in need there will be a individual to provide a emotional wealth and make sure that you do not feel worthless.

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