The differentiation between appearance and reality has always been an underestimated struggle when it comes to human experience. Our understanding of many mental, social and physical phenomena depends precisely on the appearances presented to us. Unfortunately, situations presenting misleading appearances are common, promoting uncertainty and confusion in discerning appearance from reality. In fact, more often than not, we stick to the reality of our presumptions, rather than that of the facts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Because of the universality of this struggle, its implications offer an interesting thematic purpose in various literary works. An example of this is what many consider William Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, King Lear, which describes a ruler's gradual submission to madness, brought on by the deception and betrayal of his sons. Another work that uses this theme is Amy Tan's contemporary novel, The Joy Luck Club, which tells of four Chinese-American daughters struggling to accept aspects of their Chinese heritage, much to the frustration of their immigrant mothers. Taken together, these literary pieces have notable commonalities in the development of appearance versus reality as a theme, as both present conflicts born of imperfect perceptions between character and character, contain subplots complementary to the main plot that in turn emphasize the theme, and successfully illustrate the meaning and impact of the distinction between reality and appearance. Reading the two pieces with attention to thematic conflict, it is interesting that both Shakespeare and Tan choose to present a misjudgment of reality as a source of character conflict, while remaining distinct by approaching the causes of distorted realities in different ways. In the case of King Lear, as the trigger for his downfall, the first scene consists of an immediate conflict resulting from Lear's inaccurate perception of reality. Deluded by the praise and adoration of his daughters Regan and Goneril, Lear is immediately blinded by anger and humiliation, as a result of Cordelia's involuntary challenge to his bloated arrogance. In addition to disowning Cordelia, Lear distorts his own reality by clinging to the professed love of his remaining daughters. In the third act, Lear states, “The storm in my mind / blots out from my senses every other feeling / except what beats there: filial ingratitude” (III.iv.13-15). This quote demonstrates Lear's awareness of the overwhelming error of his presumptions and how his confusing appearance with reality furthers both the internal conflict he struggles with throughout the play and the external conflicts caused by his daughters. Similarly, The Joy Luck The AV Club poses a conflict born of misinterpretation, albeit for reasons unrelated to those of King Lear. A clear communication gap is established by generational and cultural differences between each daughter and her mother. As such, both parties form inaccurate perceptions of parent and child; maternal love combined with traditional values ​​mostly results in slightly oppressive constraint and closed-mindedness. An example of this is evident in the passage “The Rules of the Game,” in which Waverly Jong recounts her childhood and reveals the clashes between her and her mother Lindo. Although Lindo is extremely proud of her daughter's talent as a chess prodigy, she develops a tyrannical influence as she constantly gloats and helicopters her daughter, which hinders Waverly's enjoyment of the sport. At the end of the chapter, Waverly reveals:“In my head I saw a chessboard with sixty-four black and white squares. In front of me was my opponent, two angry black slits. He had a triumphant smile. «The strongest wind cannot be seen," he said" (Tan __). Describing her mother, this suggestion of Lindo's role as an antagonist through Waverly's eyes, shows how Lindo's pride and caring translate into negative traits, further alienating her from her daughter and causing conflict between the two. Overall, both King Lear and The Joy Luck Club exemplify the ability of conceits to arouse character conflicts, both internal and external. On the contrary, the causes of these misinterpretations of reality are peculiar to every literary work; in King Lear, Lear's recklessness and pride are the culprits of what can be interpreted as unintentional self-sabotage, while cultural and generational divides are the main culprits in The Joy Luck Club. Another unique parallel between the plays by Shakespeare and Tan, is their effective use of subplots in each piece, in an attempt to complement the main plot and emphasize the theme of appearance over reality. King Lear describes Gloucester's tragedy alongside Lear's, as the two venture into the same basic plot. Gloucester is equally naive and a victim of hypocrisy, and his blind trust in Edmund becomes ironic once he loses his sight and learns the reality of things. Gloucester's revelations, summed up by the lines: “I stumbled when I saw. Often it is seen, / Our means secure us and our mere defects / Prove our conveniences” (IV.i.22-23), describe how he “stumbled” in not recognizing the truth and, as such, had to pay disastrous consequences for his ignorance. Similarly, Lear's refusal to accept a truth that contradicted his pride allowed his mind to be driven to the brink of madness. Both characters give in to their confirmation bias; Gloucester's self-admission of his stupidity underlines that of Lear, providing a thematic development, as well as establishing the symbol of blindness and foreshadowing Lear's imminent turning point in the play. A different implementation of the subplot is illustrated in The Joy Luck Club, particularly its unconventional use of intertwining subplots to convey the recurring theme of appearance versus reality. By jumping between setting and character in each chapter, as the stories describe each narrator's distinct lives, they contribute to the underlying conflicts and themes of the novel as a whole. This is first demonstrated early in the book, when June establishes the central connection between mother-daughter pairs, recognizing mothers' prevailing fear. He states: “And then it comes to me. They're scared. In me they see their daughters as equally ignorant” (Tan __). This understanding marks June's inclusion of the subsequent 15 stories that The Joy Luck Club ties together and lays the foundation for June's "connecting voice," which is able to transcend the various conflicts that emerge from both women's presumptuous beliefs mothers and daughters. June's revelation presents her as the bridge between the two groups, unlike the other characters at the beginning of the novel, who are unable to discern the contrasting and different realities of their counterparts. It is important to recognize that the convergent point of these literary works is their use of subplot to reinforce the theme of appearance versus reality. However, unlike King Lear, the relationship between each of the subplots in The Joy Luck Club is their goal to further the reader's understanding of each character, as well as draw comparisons between their realities and perceptions. Its use of 16 stories is different from ReLear, whose main purpose in the subplot is to emphasize the main plot, hence their heavy entanglement. At the same time, the King Lear subplot plays an important role in accentuating other literary devices throughout the play, such as symbolism and foreshadowing. As with most literary plots, the characters in King Lear and The Joy Luck Club reach conclusive resolutions to conflicts by the end of the work. their travels. In particular, both stories convey the role and impact of recognizing reality rather than appearances. King Lear communicates this twice, when Lear and Gloucester come to terms with reality and are immediately tormented by remorse. Gloucester, who ultimately dies from the happiness of having been with Edgar before his death, was tormented solely by his supposed inability to receive forgiveness. Likewise, Lear's first words in recognizing Cordelia in act four reveal his remorse. He states, “If you have poison for me, I will drink it. / I know you don't love me, for your sisters / You have done me, as I remember, wrong. / You have some reason; they have not” (IV.vii.71-74). By insisting that his death would be justified, Lear shows extreme shame at having caused Cordelia suffering and recognizes her right to wish him harm. His forgiveness ultimately pulls Lear from the brink of madness, and the final act gives readers a glimpse of the wisdom Lear is capable of exercising, when he submits to prison with Cordelia instead of continuing to fight. writing achievements The Joy Luck Club does not show readers the ability of mothers and daughters to hurt each other, but rather their ability to forgive. As the daughters' lives progress, it becomes important to understand others to see the reality. June, who was previously established in the novel as the bridge between the conflicting mothers and daughters, recalls an argument between her nine-year-old self and her mother Suyuan. Provoked by her mother's crushing iron fist in her pursuit of June's greatness, June refused to continue her dedication to the piano and screamed that she wished she were dead, like the children Suyuan had lost in China. This “unspeakable betrayal” (Tan __) is never mentioned again, and as June grows up, she looks back on her failures with shame, realizing that her mother was not her enemy, but rather her greatest supporter. At age 30, June receives a piano as a gift from her mother and states, “I saw the offering as a sign of forgiveness, a huge burden removed” (Tan __). The piano is interpreted as a symbol of understanding between June and Suyuan; in hindsight, they are able to understand each other better, see the reality of each other's actions, and overcome the struggles and barriers that separate them. While King Lear deals with a father's heartbreaking realization of reality through spoken truth, The Joy Luck Club uses the power of actions to show clarity to its characters. Although the recognition of reality marks the end of the tragedy of King Lear, Tan's novel connects it to the beginning of a new beginning. Despite these differences, both pieces resort to the use of parent-child bonds to emphasize the impact of distinguishing appearances from reality. The message that parent-child relationships are defined by more than just blood is tied to the characters' coming to terms with reality, which brings them closer together and demonstrates an irrevocable connection. Please note: this is just an example. Get a card customization now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Discerning appearance from reality is something that is done daily, whether it's scrolling through the latest Instagram feed or watching a magician make a vanish.”