Mothers and Daughters’ Relationship

Mothers and Daughters’

Relationship and Chinese Culture in Joy Luck Club

 

This term I have read the novel Joy Luck Club, and I think the book presents the true value of Chinese culture. The auther Amy Tan (Chinese: 譚恩美; pinyin: Tán Enmei) (born February 19, 1952) is an American writer of Chinese descent whose works explore mother and daughter relationships.

Certainly I didn’t understand this entire book. Anyway, I surely think I have caught some part of its meaning.Most I want to talk is the way of life. Love is the first thing that I tough and feel in this story. Everything related to that white swan feather, hope, care, good intentions can be understood as the special forms of love from mother to daughters, from parents to kids. And in the name of love, mothers arranged way of life for their daughters. Shall I say because they had Chinese cultural background? But none of those four daughters understood their mothers’ love until they happened to meet big troubles, or rather frustration in their own life, especially Rose and Lena. Shall we say living the personal way or the arranged way is better? Objectively speaking, it is difficult to judge.

 In our Chinese culture, we cherish and praise the children who are verydutiful to their parents. An Mei said that her mother put her own flesh in a soup to save her mother’s life. No matter how poor or rich we are, we must respect the elder and dutiful. Chinese people regard the child as the center of a family. Parents will do everything they can to educate, support their children. A child’s future can determine whether this family will be happpy or not. Jing Ming and Lin do hopes their daughters have special talent and force June to practice piano even though June is not willing to play. Children’s glory is also parent’s glory. Lindo liked to show off by telling others her daoghter is a chess genious. Chinese parents hope the children can follow the way they have arranged for them. Four mothers in this film all wanted to arrange the way for their daughter. Chinese people also think the children should be obedient as a Chinese daughter.

But is that to say we don’t need to listen to them, don’t learn from them, or even hurt them? When old Yingying wept alone in her empty room, it occurred to me that it was unfair when a mother gave her best love to her daughter but got back sadness. And in the reality, conflicts between parents and kids such as the one Lindo and Waverly used to have are always in existence.

 It was strange that all of the main characters are women, mothers and daughters. Mothers suffered a lot in the old times in China. When they moved to America and accepted American culture, they must have changed a lot in their minds. Therefore they wanted to affect their daughters and give spirits to them. They just wanted to educate daughters in a different way, not like theirs. But fate seemed to be the God. Every time they tried to arrange the living way for their daughters, but there came the failure. Daughters, maybe because of American born, refused, and desired a personal way. But Mothers are inculpable. Whether you choose to insist or to obey, do remember the “white swan feather”, which carries the most sincere love in the world.

When June carried the message that their mother had passed away to meet her elder sisters in China, two different cultures mixed together, and two completely different ways of life began to impact in their life. Also, June carried the hope, in my opinion, the hope of her mother, Suyuan. It seemed that finally those daughters understood their mothers, mothers’ love, mothers’ hope, and spirits.