Joy Luck Club Analysis Essay

Literary Analysis of The Joy Luck Club

In The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan states, “My father has asked me to be the fourth corner at the Joy Luck Club. I am to replace my mother, whose seat at the mah jong table has been empty since she died two months ago” (Tan 19). The Joy Luck Club’s setting is in present day San Francisco and flashes back to China. Writing this novel Tan experiences many emotions. The reader receives various emotions while reading this book from examples given by the author. The novel is narrated by four different women and their daughters; Suyuan, Jing-mei, An-mei, Rose, Lindo, Waverly, Ying-ying, and Lena. In the novel, The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan states various uses of themes, symbols, motifs, and point of view to clarify

For example, when Tan states “I didn’t have instant love for my future husband the way you see on television today” (Tan 52). Throughout this story of the novel The Jong family already planned their daughter Waverly’s future by saying who she was marrying later on in life. Through various parts of the book control over one’s destiny is expressed in almost every section. At a young age Jing-mei always listens to her mother, but one day she came to the conclusion it no longer remains important to her to continue to play. Later on Jing-mei receives a piano for her thirteenth birthday. When her parents give her the gift she thought its a sign of forgiveness for her not continuing with chess. Sacrifice for love throughout the novel was shown not as many times, but still relates to control over one’s destiny. When Rose realizes that Ted’s bad choices lead to being a bad husband. She talks to her friends Waverly and Lena about the problem and they tell her “You were depressed. You were manipulated into thinking you were nothing next to him. And now you think you’re nothing without him” (Tan 189). Rose thought of herself a worthless wife while being married to Ted. On another note, sacrifices for love interchanges between love lives and mother’s and