The novels that I have read are Joss and Gold by Shirley Lim and The Scarlett Letter by

Nathaniel Hawthorne. The two main multicultural elements that I have extracted from both of the

novels is family relationship and gender issues. The concept of a family relationship can be

analyzed through the bonding of a mother and her daughter and the upbringing of a child by his

or her parent(s) while gender issues is scrutinized by gender-based differences between men and

women.

The unconditional love a mother has for her daughter is indeed evident in both novels. In

Joss and Gold, Li Ann strived hard to provide for her daughter, Suyin. Even though she was

emotionally affected by her divorce from Henry and having to raise a child on her own, Li Ann

always made Suyin’s well-being her top priority. She knew that she needed money in order to

secure a good future for her daughter. So, she worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. Page 92

paragraph 1 line 5 to 7 states that Li-Ann was once a copyeditor for Longman before becoming

the creative director at Bates. She knew for a fact that staying in just one job for a long time would

get her nowhere. Experience is what needed the most for a higher paycheck, hence she job-

hopped frequently. On top of that, Li-Ann even gave English tuitions in the evenings when she

came back home from work. After moving to Singapore, she freelanced and worked part-time for

extra cash.

Despite being occupied with work, she still somehow managed to spend some quality time

with her daughter. After work, she doesn’t immediately sleep. Instead, she changes into her

pajamas and tuck Suyin into bed. On page 96 paragraph 2 line 2 to 4, it is written that Li-Ann

crooned a good night lullaby to Suyin before she falls asleep. She made every second worthwhile

as she only gets to see her daughter at night. Her hectic schedule also did not stop her from

providing the best education for Suyin. On page 92 paragraph 1 line 7 to 12, it is made known

that Li-Ann took her time to find the right school for her daughter even though she was busy

working different jobs. After much thought, she placed Suyin in American school where the fees
were much higher than usual. The cost did not matter as long as Suyin is safe and not being

ridiculed like how she did at her former school. The principal there had the audacity to call Suyin

a con lai which means mixed animal in Vietnamese (page 90 paragraph 3).

In The Scarlett Letter, the close connection between Hester Prynne and her daughter,

Pearl is unfathomable. They both also share a special mother-daughter relationship. Even though

Pearl is a constant reminder to Hester of the sin that she had done, she still loves her daughter

nevertheless. Pearl being born was indeed a huge blessing to Hester. Hence, she named her

Pearl which symbolically means something that is of utmost importance and precious like a

treasure. This statement is indeed evident in the first paragraph of chapter 6 line 12 to 14.

Moreover, Hester is extremely devoted to her daughter. When the governor tried to separate Pearl

from her, Hester pleaded in the most touching manner as she said, “Ye shall not take her! I will

die first!’ (page 122 last line). In other words, she begged the governor to not take away Pearl

because she is just so dear to her.

We can study the differences of this particular element through the upbringing of a child.

In Joss and Gold, Chester’s parents raised him in such a way that everything he did was right.

After his sister’s death, his parents loved him so intensely till everything he thought or did was

good to their eyes. To them, Chester never did anything wrong (page 63 paragraph 2 and 3). On

the other hand, in The Scarlett Letter, Hester knows when to be stern to her daughter. After

countless time of asking the same question, Hester told Pearl that she wears the letter for "the

sake of the gold thread". However, Pearl was not satisfied with the answer and continued to bug

her mother. Hester then told Pearl to stopped asking if not she lock her in a dark closet.

In the context of gender issues, it is obvious that some of the female characters in both

novels are succumbed to certain rules and expectations that the society has set for them. In Joss

and Gold, Auntie told Li-Ann that women need to have children right after they get married (page

29 paragraph 10 line 1). In The Scarlett Letter, however, women who lived in a Puritan society
were expected to fear God and punishments. Only then will they be deemed as a good woman.

If they were to against what was written in the Scripture and legal rules, women will be regarded

as a disgrace to the society. On page 55 paragraph 2, a woman in the crowd shouted during

Hester’s sentence that a lady such as Hester Prynne has brought shame to everyone in the

community. She disobeyed the law, in both the Bible and the statutes. Therefore, she deserves

to die instead living the rest of her life as an adulteress. Wearing the scarlett letter on her chest

cannot make up for the sin she had done.