The Joy Luck Club cuture gap between mothers and dauthers

A detailed Summary of The Joy Luck Club cuture gap between mothers and dauthers

There are numerous conditions in human life that mold people into who they presently are. A person's identity and way of thinking are influenced greatly due to their family's surroundings, and relationships they are involved in. In the novel, The Joy Luck Club, the characters are generic, in the sense that, although they are from different families, the problems and emotions experienced are similar. The daughters are in an on-going search to discover themselves, who they are and what they represent. With their precious mother-daughter bonds, four immigrants are bewildered at American culture as they

struggle to instill in their daughters remnants of their Chinese heritage.

Throughout the course of the novel, the mystery of the mother-daughter

relationship is revealed to the reader by various means. First, such a strong connection can only be the product of an essential, timeless, emotion called love: "She loved you very much, more than her own life" (Tan 29). Unfortunately, in Chinese culture, mothers rarely say "I love you" and find little to no time at all to provide for their daughter's emotional needs. Such attitudes occasionally lead the children to sense that "My mother did not treat

The children feel that their mothers nag constantly when moral issues are concerned, for example, in the case of a divorce. An-mei prefers that her daughter talks and works out her personal problems with her husband. If Rose's husband leaves her, then ultimately she must resort to a divorce. Regardless of what the circumstances are, mothers are diligently looking out for the well being of their daughters: "...she'd do anything to warn me, to help me avoid some unknown danger" (Tan 108). The mothers of the novel try their best to provide for their daughters, but this is taken for granted at times. Lindo explains at one point that "inside I am ashamed. I am ashamed she is

...but I couldn't teach her about Chinese character. How to obey parents and listen to your mother's mind... Why easy things are not worth

be free. "I think about two faces. I think about my intentions. Which one is American? Which one is Chinese? Which one is better? If you show one, you must always sacrifice the other" (Tan 304).

didn't love me. She just had a hard time showing her love for me" (Tan 45). As well, the link is also nourished in other ways, such as the swift protection of a mother's young: "She grabbed my hand back so fast that I knew at that instant how sorry she was that she had not protected me better" (Tan 111).

the American culture is frowned upon and is stereotyped as having "morbid thoughts"(Tan 105).

There are other ways in which the mystery of the mother-daughter relationship isuncovered. Because of a mother's enduring love, they often put up high expectations that are often hard to meet. As well, in the case of Waverly and June, a mother's love is expressed in the novel by proudly showing off: "From the time we were babies, our mothers compared th

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Approximate Word count = 1202
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English