Joy Luck Club - Generational Dichotomy of Culture
Joy Luck Club - Generational Dichotomy of Culture
In a mixed race society, misunderstanding amongst different ethnicities occurs frequently. In her novel The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan asks what happens when different generations of the same heritage misunderstand each other. Tan focuses on the stifling relationships between mothers and daughters from seemingly separate centuries. The driving wedge proves to be cultural. Tan questions the role of culture in individuality and whether one can choose to ignore her history. After reading this novel, one gains a new respect for history and ancestry. Using academic literary techniques such as symbolism and characterization, Tan presents a complimentary view on heavily culture-based societies.
Tan presents the generations as squaring off across polar universities. The mother generation came from a society of political and societal upheaval. The dictatorial Chinese power is turned upside down by Japanese insurgents. The mothers live solely for surviving with a modicum of dignity. They escape from a dangerous political regime-"America was where all my mother's hopes lay...after losing everything in China" (141), only to lose a definitive piece of their culture. The country is a melting pot of heritages, diluting each society to a dull broth. The daughters are of the selfish generation today. They view their Chinese history as a barrier, a road block to their dreams. All they see is the disappointment of their mothers. As Rose Hsu Jordan says, "After seeing my mother's disappointed face once again, something inside me began to die" (144). The daughters find solace from this disappointment in the secular culture. From the mothers' perspective, the daughters' behavior is cutting. Lindo Jong says, "I am ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she is not proud of me" (291). Both of these opinions push the generations to act. The mothers cling to their culture, the daughters shove it away. Tan portrays the mothers as embroiled to combat the secularized mellowness of American culture and the daughters as cult believers in American vanity. The purpose of the novel is to define how much culture can direct the actions of an individual.
Tan analyzes character and personality in culture. The determination given derives from both political and geographical roots. For the Chinese culture in the novel, "Once you are born Chinese, you cannot help but feel and think Chinese" (306). Tan distinguishes between a...