Motifs In Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club

Research shows that up to 70% of people who have gone through something traumatic, have shown positive psychological growth in their lives (Gregoire). Life after trauma can be hard to regain due to the instability we experience throughout that hard time in our lives. But having a strong, and satisfying relationship or relationships can help to bring people to peace in a slightly more uncomplicated way. This example of dealing with grief is brought to attention in Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club. Due to the turbulent times in Shanghai, China, and then coming together in San Francisco, California, these four women and their daughters rely on each other to get through it all. Each conflict the characters go through, relates back to how they

An-mei was a member of the Joy Luck club with a mother who was widowed and disowned by her family when she remarried as a man’s fourth wife. Similarly, Daisy influenced this character as her mother was a young widow, who was raped by a very rich and powerful man and later became the very wealthy and powerful man’s mistress. In Amy’s other written works, some of the characters were also based on her mother’s life. However, this was not the only way Daisy influenced Amy’s

Joy luck only exist among these mothers is because they 've all went through certain tough experience to finally get to where they are today, where they finally have happiness. Unlike June Woo and the other daughters, they were born in America, they did not need to go through what their mothers have went through. Maybe the word joy luck does not exist in the exact form to these daughters but joy luck does certainly exists in a similar form to them. This is because these daughter grew up with the American culture dominating over their Chinese heritage. As a daughter to an Chinese mother that migrated to America, I understand this tale very well. I on the other hand grew up with the Chinese heritage dominating over America 's culture due to me growing up in Chinatown and went to a Chinese dominated elementary school.

For instance, her famous novel ‘The Joy Luck Club’ depicts the Chinese mother and her American daughter relationship where they go through various circumstances trying to understand each other including the evolvement that comes in their relationships as the daughters know more about their mother’s life stories. Secondly, Tan considers the theme of identity in terms of Chinese immigrants and their life experiences as an immigrant in the United States. She reveals how the children born to the immigrants strive in an environment which is a mixture of American and Chinese influence. Moreover, Tan is found to have explored identity issues through her fictive creations and tackled the issue of authorial identity (Becnel, 2010). Similarly, romantic love is another subject included in the literary artworks of Amy Tan which considers the relationships and romance an important aspect of human’s life.

In literature, the technique of symbolism is used to convey an idea about a subject, person, or place. In the works of Amy Tan and Julia Alvarez, symbolism is influential throughout their stories. The story of ¡Yo! is a great example of how well Julia establishes the symbols of a haunting folklore to a real-life terror. Although the story of ¡Yo! takes place in the United States, it tells the story of a family that escapes from The Dominican Republic during the time of a terrifying wave of dictatorship. The symbol throughout the text is El Cuco. A bogeyman known well amongst Latin parents and children. He used a tool for parents to get their children to behave. The consequences for the children, if not well behaved, are being taken away by El Cuco and never to be seen again. For Yo’s mother, there are a few things being held over her head. Her anxiety and the fear of what will happen if the D.R. police were to find her and her family. Like her children, Yo’s mother can be represented just like the children told the tale of El Cuco. Consumed by the fear of Rafael’s dictatorship, she believes that if not well behaved, she, along with her family—will be taken away and punished for not following the rules. Also living in the United States, she must concern herself with Child Protective Services (CPS), an organization known for taking children from their parents, if neglect/abuse is heavily suspected. Not as harsh as Rafael and his police force, but for a parent like Yo’s

To begin with, both Tan and Crutcher utilize characterization to pursue the shared theme, that a strong sense of self is crucial when under the pressure of the expectation of others. In “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, Amy feels propelled to conform because she feels judged for not being “normal”. Tan states, “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas” (2). Also, it’s obvious Amy was self-conscious about the Chinese style of cooking and in this sentence she’s self-conscious because she says, “For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, and a slim new American nose”(1). In the first quote, she was over thinking and doubting that Robert would not like “our shabby Chinese Christmas” though in the end she was correct about Robert

“Being rich doesn't always mean having money. It means being happy with the amount that you have.” In the play, A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter Lee Younger Jr, a man who may not be happy until he has this check he's been waiting for in his hands. A man whose family has never been financially stable and wants the best for everyone. Younger has goals, he wants to open a bar and be a businessman. He has a family that does not completely support him and he struggles with accepting their wants and needs. Throughout the play, he learns that money may not always buy someone's happiness. He often struggles with the idea of not having what he needs to provide the right things for his family, which makes him extremely hot headed

His struggle in school illustrates how influential family beliefs are to one's identity and perception. Additionally, in the novel "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, family is a reoccurring thematic element, especially between mother and daughter figures. Waverly, a central daughter, says "I . . . looked in the mirror. . . . I was strong.

Her use of flashbacks tells the different stories of each family, and eventually connects them all near the end. She uses metaphors to express the connection between both the girl and her mother. The similes Tan used are included to compare the differences between the mother and daughter she refers to. Tan has a theme of the importance of family in all her books, but The Joy Luck Club focuses on the most important relationship there is, the one shared between a girl and her mother, and it can overcome even the most different of

In Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club, the different stories show how the different characters develop and progress. Rose Hsu Jordan begins “Half and Half” as someone who clearly lacks of conviction as she allows everyone but her to make decisions. Throughout “Without Wood”, however, Rose Hsu Jordan begins to learn, with the help of her mother, how to speak up.

The theme in the story is to try something new. You never know what you might like. The girls tried something new by switching places and doing what they wouldn’t usually do. The theme was first shown in the beginning of the book when the author talks about how Payton and Emma don 't have the same schedule and they have to deal with separation for the first time.

Leonardo Da Vinci once stated, “The greatest deception men suffer from is their own opinions.” For eras on end, stereotypes and misconceptions have stood as obstacles preventing individuals from sharing experiences, perspectives, and ideas with one another. Amy Tan further exhibits an individual’s tendency to form preconceived opinions in her novel The Joy Luck Club. The pairing of Chinese mothers and daughters throughout Tan’s novel proposes that deception has a drastic effect on a woman’s life and the manner in which she is perceived. To begin, the strained relationship between Suyuan and Jing-Mei Woo signifies the misinterpretations that frequently occurred between mother-daughter pairs during the novel.

All the themes of the novel link together, as family and friends resolve Taylors story arc by giving her a place to belong. Ultimately, the themes of the novel are used in such a way that allows readers to gain a better understanding of the characters. The themes of the novel are themes of the major characters worlds, essentially giving readers a look inside the characters head. Melanie Marchetta applied language techniques to furthermore emphasise the themes of the story. Overall, the authors use of themes created a fictional world full of complex and realistic

“Communication is the key to a successful relationship, attentiveness, and consistency. Without it, there is no relationship,” (Bleau). The Joy Luck Club is a novel written by Amy Tan. Set in the twentieth century, this novel depicts the life of four Chinese immigrant women escaping their past and their American-grown daughters. The novel reveals the mothers’ hardship-filled past and motivations alongside with the daughters’ inner conflicts and struggles.

Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club is an amazing representation of what Chinese immigrants and their families face. The broad spectrum of the mothers’ and daughters’ stories all connect back to a couple of constantly recurring patterns. These patterns are used to show that how the mothers and daughters were so differently raised affected their relationships with each other, for better and for worse. To begin with, the ever-present pattern of disconnect between the two groups of women is used to show how drastically differently they were raised.