The Joy Luck Club
The book is organized into four sections, two devoted to the mothers and two devoted to the daughters, with the exception of June. The first section, logically, is about the mothers' childhoods in China, the period of time during which their personalities were molded, giving the reader a better sense of their "true" selves, since later in the book the daughters view their mothers in a different and unflattering light. Tan does this so the reader can see the stories behind both sides and so as not to judge either side unfairly. This section, titled Feathers From a Thousand Li Away, is aptly named, since it describes the heritage of the mothers in China, a legacy that they wished to bestow on their daughters, as the little story in the beginning signifies. For many years, the mothers did not tell their daughters their stories until they were sure that their wayward offspring would listen, and by then, it is almost too late to make them understand their heritage that their mother!s left behind, long ago, when they left China. The second and third sections are about the daughters' lives, and the vignettes in each section trace their personality growth and development. Through the eyes of the daughters, we can also see the continua
ll felt pressure to belong, to fit in with my schoolmates, the majority of whom are Caucasian. Besides that, I have also felt that I didn't quite belong around my classmates, as Tan's characters had, and that's partly why so many of my friends are Chinese (the "Chinese clique") and Asian--we look similar and come from similar backgrounds. Our parents are constantly demanding more from us when our best isn't enough for them, they're strict, and basically, "in a crowd of Caucasians, Chinese people are already like family." (from The Joy Luck Club) Personally, I feel like I belong more in a group of mixed races than I do in a group that is all Caucasian. It's a subconscious feeling, but it's there. I don't know if this is true for other Asians, however. I grew up feeling rather out of place among my non-Asian peers because my heritage and even my culture were different from theirs, and we couldn't really relate. This assimilation problem isn't as severe as it may sound (after all! The fourth and final section wraps up the book with the mothers' stories of what happened after their childhood. The title, Queen Mother of the Western Skies, signifies that the mothers were the Queen Mothers of the daughters, and that they were the mystical wise ones whom their daughters should have heeded. Here, the mothers conclude their stories and the daughters finally realized the pain, heartaches, and happiness of their forbears, and that they should have revered their mothers from the beginning as the traditional Chinese would have revered the Queen Mother. As the story in the beginning of the section suggests, the mothers watch as their daughters grow, feeling the desire to protect them, to teach them "how to lose your innocence but not your hope. How to laugh forever." To the mothers, the daughters are themselves reborn, a chance for the mothers to give them a better life than they had had in China. born, American-raised Chinese-American. This book describes with vivid illustrations of the gap between parent and child. The psychological aspect is this gap between the parent and child that results from the issues of time and culture. It deals on the relationship of the parent and the child. It goes through very accurately how each side reacts and deals with their situation. Overall, the main theme is the psychological aspect, and it is the gap between parent and child. f mystery and longing; June imagines China as a mystical place, and both she and her mother yearn to see the twins one day, a day that comes too late for June's mother. B.The Joy Luck Club is an interesting novel and an inspirational and emotional story of four Chinese mothers and their daughters. It's a story about the friendship of four women who bonded together in San Francisco after experiencing many trials in China, a result of the ongoing war there. This book includes many stories that could stand alone, but Amy Tan puts these life portrayals together to make an enjoyable, easy to read novel, one that keeps the reader captivated from start to finish. The other four women, who were their daughters, showed the differences in the way the mothers and children were raised. The daughters, who grew up with American and Chinese culture intertwined, were very rebellious and gave their mothers many problems. This story incorporates birth, death, unwilling marriage, divorce, friendship, war, jealousy, and love. Amy Tan writes a
Some common words found in the essay are:
Luck Club, Amy Tan, Lindo Jong, Club June, St Clair, Thousand Li, St Clair's, American-raised Chinese-American, , Queen Mother, luck club, joy luck, joy luck club, love granted, amy tan, parent child, true nature, lindo jong, gap parent child, gap parent, taking love granted, mothers daughters, taking love, rose hsu jordan, amy tan writes,
Approximate Word count = 2298
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
