Joy Luck Club Metaphors

Throughout the novel, Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is a very cultured and well rounded book. I

do think the parables and titles of each four sections foreshadow what will happen in the section.

In the first section “Feathers from a Thousand Li Away”, the tale told is about a Chinese woman

who migrated to America. However, before she came she bought a swan to bring with her to

America. The person she bought the swan from told her, “this swan was born a duck and in an

attempt to become a goose the duck stretched its neck so far that it became a swan.” When the

woman is en route to America she dreams of raising a daughter that will exceed all hopes in this

new opportunity filled country. Also, she believes her daughter will have a better chance

There's something about storytelling and

analogies that capture people's attention more than plain dialogue would. There is definitely an

Asian aesthetic that is captured with the different titles and stories behind each section. Also, the

use of the story of the Moon Lady creates a great spin to the story. Many writers use the

“double” trick to show how characters may see themselves in a different light.When the old

woman tells the story of how she thought she fell in the water as a child, it sheds light on how

these mythic stories can get really deep and connect to people. I think that was a great way to

display culture and a use of a literary device in the novel. Actually, the story of the Moon Lady

kind of crept me out but I could see how they could connect to these mythic stories that get

passed down from generation to generation. I don't really feel as if this is a connection between

Asian and American culture. I only say this because I don't feel as if Americans think of

mythical stories when they're going through certain situations or even tell their children these

stories. Although, sometimes as Americans we pass down certain stories that may be a stretch