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The Joy Luck Club

781 Words4 Pages

“Composer is the basis of morality”. This quote by Arthur Schopenhauer, on the coexistence of morality and control is explored throughout Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club. Examining, the unique experiences of Chinese Americans, she writes of the stories of three women and their daughters. More specifically, Tan uses their conscious morals to develop the personalities of both negative and positive characters. Freud’s Id, Ego and Superego are present in extremes in the novel. Finally, In Amy Tan’s work, The Joy Luck Club, she explores Freud’s psychoanalytic personality theory to develop the different levels of personality in her characters.
To begin, Amy Tan adopts the ID characteristics in Ying-Ying’s first husband. Operating on his own …show more content…

While, the Ego in Freud's studies is not as evolved as the Superego, Tan displays the important balance between the levels of consciousness. In Rose Hsu Jordan’s narrative she plays the role of the super ego then devolves to the ego. Moreover, in her marriage Rose plays the superego. Ignoring her own needs, Rose does what is best for others. As followed, in her marriage her relationship becomes distressed, she does everything for the man she loves but is unable to find contentment. Rose’s Superego and misery coincide; her selflessness brings her only isolations and self loathing. In order to fix her marriage Rose embodies the Ego, she no longer is a bystander in her failing marriage. Calling for her rights to be met, she speaks her mind. For example, Rose thinks of what she wants and asserts her needs to her cheating husband. In the rain, during the climax of her story, Rose exclaims, “You're not taking my house, you're not taking my daughter, you're not taking any part of me, because you don't know who I am. I died sixty years ago. I ate opium and I died for my daughter's sake. Now get out of my house” (Tan). The author, consciously shows Rose’s selfish side as a positive. This setting in particular also adds to the change in Rose. More specifically, the rain represents the washing of the the Superego for the better. Therefore, Tan’s example of the positive effects of the Ego is shown in Rose’s

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