Table of ContentsThe Hundred Secret SensesIntroduction:Plot Summary:Setting Analysis:Explain the Main Characters:Thesis Essay:Conclusion:The Hundred Senses secretsIntroduction:The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan is a modern novel that explores the search for identity and the tumultuous life that family can bring. Throughout the novel, Olivia Yee Bishop recounts her life with her half-sister Kwan and the stories she tells. Kwan, believing that she has yin eyes and can see ghosts, often tells Olivia stories from a past life that both women were a part of. While Olivia believes Kwan's stories are completely false, time and difficult circumstances begin to change her mind. Tan once again creates a brilliant story, which shows Olivia's self-exploration and how she finds it in her heart to accept her sister for who she is. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayPlot Summary: The novel begins with Olivia Yee Bishop explaining how her relationship with her half-sister Kwan began. Olivia lives in California with her parents and brothers. As his father lies dying, he asks his mother for a promise. It's about finding his daughter, Kwan, in China and bringing her home. No one in the family knew he had another daughter, so it came as a complete shock to them. Out of grief, Olivia's mother ardently promises to find Kwan. After a long search, they managed to find her and take her to California. Olivia, only five years old, is afraid that Kwan will get all of her mother's attention and doesn't want her to live with them. Kwan, for her part, is a very open and naive seventeen-year-old girl. Olivia, who Kwan calls Libby-ah, finds her older sister strange and annoying. One obstacle in their relationship is the fact that Kwan believes she has what she calls yin eyes, meaning she can see and talk to ghosts. Immediately alarmed, Olivia tells the adults the ghost stories, despite Kwan's confidence that she would keep it a secret. Kwan is soon placed in a mental institution and forced to undergo electroshock therapy. After this, she is released and no longer talks about ghosts except to Olivia. The latter is overcome by guilt and this time does not tell anyone about it. Kwan, despite his rules in the establishment, does not hold a grudge against Olivia. In fact, her love continues to grow and she considers them a real family. She often cares for Olivia as a mother would her daughter. As time goes by, Kwan continues to tell stories about a so-called past life. She says it starts in 1864 and she is a one-eyed girl called Nunumu. The village she lives in is somewhat overrun by American foreigners, including General Cape, Yiban and Miss Banner. Throughout the novel, obvious connections between Miss Banner and Olivia are revealed, as well as connections between Yiban and Simon. In Kwan's stories, Miss Banner and Yiban fall in love and are constantly torn apart, but their relationship ultimately endures. Olivia initially thinks Kwan is just trying to convince her to stay with Simon, but she slowly begins to believe the stories. In a way she thinks she's going crazy but she seems to remember what Kwan is talking about. When Kwan is around forty, she once again tells Olivia how much she misses China. Olivia, feeling guilty about being a bad sister, decides the two should take a trip there. Wanting to play matchmaker, Kwan arranges for Simon to join them as well. She hopes this trip will make things right and savemaybe marriage. The three travel to China and end up in Changmian, the village where Kwan grew up. This village happens to be the setting for the stories Kwan tells Olivia. The premise of the trip is an article that Simon and Olivia asked to write, with Olivia being the photographer and Simon taking notes along the way. The trip is interrupted when Kwan's aunt, Big Ma, is killed in a bus accident. Before the funeral, Simon and Olivia decide to go for a walk in the caves. They wander and wander, and Simon eventually leaves alone. Olivia waits for him for the ten minutes he promised he would be gone and then goes looking for him. He disappeared all night and later, Kwan insists on going to the caves to look for him alone. A few hours later, Simon returns from the opposite direction Kwan left and Olivia is panicked. She, realizing that she is still in love with him, runs to him in all haste. The story cuts to two months later. Kwan has still not been found and was declared dead by authorities. A search party had been called, but instead of finding Kwan, they discovered an "intricate maze of caves" (351). Kwan's research was all but forgotten in the frenzy created by the new discovery. After Big Ma's funeral, Simon and Olivia return to California and try to put the past behind them. Almost two years later, the final chapter begins. Simon and Olivia have a fourteen-month-old little girl. Her name is Samantha Li, Kwan's last name that Olivia and her daughter took. They don't live with Simon all the time, but they try to work things out. He comes to his house on weekends and they try to learn how to start a family. Olivia remembers Kwan and thinks of her often. She says that Kwan “aimed to show her that the world is not a place but the immensity of the soul” (358). Kwan and Olivia, despite their obvious differences, influenced each other throughout their lives together. Setting Analysis: The Hundred Secret Senses move between California and China throughout the story. The modern part, with the Bishops and Kwan, takes place in California where the three live. The story told by Kwan, meanwhile, takes place in China in the mid-1800s. We are in the final years of the Taiping Rebellion. During this period, Americans visited Changmian and settled there. Nunumu, otherwise known as Kwan in a past life, and the Hakka people were approached by these missionaries. The missionaries claimed to be worshipers of God and wanted to live there. General Cape, the leader, also called the people who lived in Changmian worshipers of God. He urged them to join him as soldiers and brought gifts to the villagers, promising a “Great Peace” (34). The Hakka people listened attentively, believing that this peace was near. Eventually, he betrayed them and the people who remained in Changmian after the soldiers left were left with almost nothing and very poor lives. Without the Taiping Rebellion period, this could not have happened. The villagers would not be so desperate to believe the empty promises of some stranger and Nunumu would not be forced to try to save Miss Banner and Yiban. While they were strangers, Nunumu could see that they did not know about the events created by General Cape. They were simply two people in love who wanted a better life for themselves. Changmian's setting is also important. It's a small, isolated village that hasn't seen much action. It is indeed a quiet town that functions normally. The arrival of these strangers proves to be their downfall. This setting is an essential part of the story as a whole. In whatConcerning modern Changmian, this parameter is equally important. It's still the same village, but it's also where Kwan grew up. The city, although virtually destroyed by foreigners during the Taiping Rebellion, has recovered. It's once again quiet and somewhat insignificant. This location is a crucial one because of the caves. This is where Simon initially gets lost and Kwan disappears. It is here that research teams are discovering caves that the Hakka people may have escaped from in the mid-to-late 1800s. The setting of Changmian, both in flashbacks and in modern times, had an impact considerable impact on history. This made Kwan's stories possible, with Nunumu having to help Miss Banner and Yiban try to escape the foreign traitors. This place is also what brought Simon and Olivia together and ultimately led to Kwan's disappearance. While a different setting may not have completely changed the story, it was Changmian who really made The Hundred Secret Senses such a poignant novel as it is. Explain the main characters: The main characters in The Hundred Secret Senses include Olivia, Kwan and Simon. Olivia is the narrator who is going through a difficult period in her life. It is Kwan, her older half-sister, who tries to change Olivia's life, believing that fate will make things right. Simon, Olivia's ex-husband, plays a key role in her journey to self-discovery. These three individuals have an intertwined history that develops throughout the novel. As they travel from California to China, all three experience specific changes that affect them and each other. There is a conflict between the main characters, namely Olivia and Simon. The two men, once married and in love, are separated and a divorce is pending. Olivia feels like Simon is still pining for his dead girlfriend, Elza. Even though he's been open about his past relationship, Olivia can't help but think that Elza is everywhere in their lives. This may have something to do with Kwan and his ghost stories. Simon, not realizing how unhappy Olivia is, continues his life as usual. One day she tells him how depressed she feels about the direction their lives are going and he responds that she's just in a funk. Throughout the novel, the two have disagreements as they attempt to resolve their differences. This conflict is actually on track to be resolved by the end. The two have a daughter and are trying to make things work. Although they do not live together, the events that occur throughout the novel strengthen their relationship. There are many romantic relationships throughout this story. There are of course Simon and Olivia, as well as Kwan and her husband George. In the flashbacks or stories told by Kwan, there are other romantic relationships, including Miss Banner and Yiban. It is a tumultuous relationship that parallels that of Olivia and Simon. Throughout the novel, there is also some antagonism between the characters. The first is between Olivia and Kwan – completely one-sided, of course. It started when the two first met and Olivia didn't like Kwan. This strange relationship continued until the trip to China, where Olivia learned to truly appreciate her sister. The antagonism that existed was resolved in the end, but the beginning of their life as sisters was full of this one-sided dislike. These three main characters have very different personalities. Olivia is a very cynical woman who is disappointed with the direction her life is taking. She feels stuck in some way and wishes she had something more exciting to look forward to. Simon, her husband, is a somewhat oblivious man who pretends everything is fine.Of course, he doesn't see the real problems but is aware that their relationship isn't perfect. Finally, Kwan is the most unique of all. Although she is sometimes naive, she is very optimistic and believes in the power of destiny. She believes that Simon and Olivia will end up together and that everything will end well. She displays a very distinct personality compared to the other two main characters. Olivia, Simon and Kwan are three very idiosyncratic personalities who complement and change each other. They challenge and console each other. Their relationships, both with each other and with the other characters in the novel, add to the plot and make the novel what it is. Olivia slowly discovers herself during a journey made possible by Kwan, helping to save her marriage to Simon and their ultimate happiness. These characters in The Hundred Secret Senses are different and complex characters who enrich the story. Thesis Essay: The Hundred Secret Senses of Amy Tan is a thought-provoking novel that explores the journey of love and acceptance. It begins with Kwan and Olivia's relationship when they first met. Kwan, a naive and optimistic girl, is deaf to Olivia's sarcasm and embarrassment. She continues to tell him about the ghosts she sees and who she talks to. The dislike within this sisterhood is completely one-sided, with Kwan's love for Olivia evident from the start. She takes on the role of her mother, because Olivia's real mother isn't always there for her. While she treated Olivia with nothing but love, what she received was the opposite. Olivia was mean to her and often ignored her. When she didn't know what a word was, Olivia would tell her the wrong word. For example, Kwan one day wanted to know the word for pear, but didn't know how to say it. His sister told him the word for it was vomit. This was only the beginning, as the two men had met not long before. Olivia was still a young child at school and often embarrassed by Kwan. As adults, their relationship didn't change much. Olivia spoke to Kwan on the phone off duty and attended parties like they were obligatory. Speaking of her sister, she said, “I’m not saying I don’t like Kwan…. But I often feel bad for not wanting to be close to her” (21). She obviously wants to get closer to her sister but can't find it in her heart. Olivia views her relationship with Kwan as just a requirement, but that begins to change after her breakup with Simon. Thinking of Kwan and their past together, she says: I think of Kwan, how his love for me is misplaced. I never go out of my way to do anything for her, unless it is motivated by emotional coercion on her part and a sense of guilt on my own... I never take pleasure in being just nice to her... I'm no better than my mother! - carefree about love. I can't believe how oblivious I was to my own cruelty. (154) This is where Olivia begins to realize that she hasn't treated Kwan as kindly as she should have. Kwan was just kind to her and loved her like a sister. Shortly after this revelation, she speaks on the phone with Kwan, who brings up the idea of ​​a trip to China. During their journey, Olivia begins to truly appreciate Kwan for all that she is and does. She sees that she has been unfair throughout their relationship. Although she didn't always believe ghost stories and generally thought Kwan was crazy, she begins to believe them. Olivia remembers the dreams Kwan talks about, but now she can't remember if they were dreams. When Kwan talks about Miss Banner and Nunumu and their friendship, Olivia feels like she's experienced the same things. The stories begin to mean.