Happiness Bounded by Duty in "The Joy Luck Club"
Happiness Bounded by Duty in "The Joy Luck Club"
Allan K. Chalmers once said that, "The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." For many, life is a journey where one struggles to learn how to compromise or balance their love for themselves and others in order to gain happiness. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan focuses on the basic notion of love and family; it ties together the relationships found within all the lives of the characters. All these relationships are bound by love. Although the plot and connotations behind each story may seem completely different, every person seems to take love for granted in one way or another. Through their ignoring, un-acknowledgement, or rejection of love, the characters don't realize love's importance in their lives and must learn to open their lives to it.
A person’s love or at least dedication to a relationship is an important factor in The Joy Luck Club because it provides self-respect. Out of respect for oneself, one also has the capability to grow and love others. Lindo Jong’s story provides readers with this value. To keep everything inside and having one’s emotions bottled up and hidden away deducts from their ability to give and to experience love in its fullest. Lindo hides her true self through her duties and mannerisms required of her as a good wife upheld by tradition. Through this, Lindo suppresses her true identity and her ability to love. Eventually, though, Lindo is able to open herself up to love and be herself through keeping the promise she made to herself. As she leaves her home to live with the family of her future husband, Lindo reveals to readers, “I would always remember my parents’ wishes [to honor my family], but I would never forget myself”(53). It is in this promise that Lindo swears not to let anything change her. Lindo’s story teaches readers that in order to be able to love, one must first be true to themselves.
Additionally, Ying-Ying St. Clair stands as another example. In her story, Ying-Ying reveals that, "All these years I kept my true nature hidden, running along like a small shadow so nobody could catch me" (71). Ying-Ying’s efforts to conceal her identity is a parallel example to that of Lindo’s occupying herself with her duties in marriage...