Conflicts play a crucial role in novels. Without conflict, novels would

be uninteresting and very dull. Conflicts are seen in many different forms,

as internal conflicts, when a character must deal with private problems, and

external conflicts, when a character must deal with problems originating from an external source, like another person or society in general. Some common conflicts seen in other novels are person versus society, as in The Scarlet Letter when Hester is forced to face her mistake of adultery due to the

obsession of the unforgiving town. An example of an internal conflict is

present within Animal Dreams, when Cody must decide where she belongs and must also deal with the pain of her lost baby. These types of conflicts and

more are visible within the novel entitled The Joy Luck Club written by Amy

Tan. Three prominent conflicts seen in The Joy Luck Club are between Waverly and Lindo, Lindo and Suyuan, and between June and Waverly.

The first prominent conflict within this novel deals with Waverly and her

mother Lindo. Waverly feels as though her mother is attempting to ruin her

life by causing her to "see black where there once was w

and Suyuan. These two women are supposedly best friends, yet their constant bickering and competition, which their children deem as "normal", seems to negate this fact. June, Suyuan's daughter, seems to know the truth: "Auntie Lin and my mother were both best friends and arch enemies who spent a lifetime comparing their children" (Tan 27). Waverly also agrees with June's observation of their mothers' friendship, simply stated as such: "They were very close, which meant they were ceaselessly tormenting each other with boasts and secrets" (Tan 194). Lindo and Suyuan spent most of their time comparing their cooking and their children, both believing that they were superior to the other. Suyuan and Lindo both believe that their own cooking skills greatly exceed the other's. Lindo seems to be the best cook of the two of them, considering that she "learned to cook so well that [she] could smell if the meat stuffing was too salty before [she] even tasted it" (Tan

looking at a recipe. My instructions are in my fingers. I know what secret

to Waverly is for Suyuan to discover some sort of hidden talent within her.

Waverly confronts her mother about the verbal abuse she has endured. Waverly realizes that her mother is only "an old woman... getting a little crabby as she waited patiently for her daughter to invite her in" (Tan 204). Waverly finally tells her mother about her life, especially about Rich, and they begin to get along better. Both must sacrifice a little pride to make the

legs, how thick and dark [their] hair" (Tan 27). As the children grow, they

as if I do not deserve to be happy. I would see flaws in people that I

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1720
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)