Joan Is Okay

Chuàng is a Chinese word that Joan first utters to her father as he dies and then later explains. It means “to create something that never was, to forge a new path, to innovate, to achieve, to strive” (95). This concept, dear to both Joan and her father, symbolizes the connection that she has to her family in spite of their many differences. Joan’s parental relationship cannot be characterized by warmth or what would look to many like love, but Joan does note several times that her father had always been supportive of her career goals and respectful of her education, drive, and job. After Joan obtains her medical degree, her father calls her his “doctor daughter,” and she understands that he is proud of her. Joan’s father struggled as an immigrant, but never gave up, forming business after business while trying to be successful in the United States. After returning to China, he finally found success, and his business took off. The two share a spirit of chuàng in that each of them, in their own way, forges a new path and achieves largely through their ambition, determination, and effort. Joan and Fang also share chuàng.