Tashnima Sikder

AP English Literature
The Joy Luck Club

The Joy Luck Club is a compilation of many stories focusing primarily on 4 different

Chinese women who struggled through the socio-economic issues facing 1940s China, the

cultural standards and expectations of being a Chinese woman, and the struggles they faced with

their American born daughters. This book portrays key issues such as tragedy, honor, familial

obligations, assimilation, and hope.

Suyuan Woo has always pushed her daughter hoping to bring out the “prodigy” out of her

child and though it may have seemed harsh to Jing-mei, it was Suyuan’s way of expressing her

deep faith in her daughter’s abilities and love. For example, when Suyuan offered the piano for

Jing-mei’s 30th birthday, Jing-mei realized it as “a sign of forgiveness” and Suyuan told her,”You

could been genius if you want to…You just not trying.” Clearly, Suyuan still had her genuine

faith in her daughter that she could do whatever she put her mind to even after that one terrible

piano recital at the talent show. Jing-mei felt that her mother wanted to show her off when she

pushed her to take parts into different activities. She especially felt that way when her mother’s

best friend Lindo Jong bragged about her daughter Waverly’s continuous achievements as a

young prodigal chess player and her mother told her, “Of course you can be prodigy too…

[Waverly] is only best tricky.” Suyuan just wanted Jing-mei to make something of herself and

not feel inferior to anyone. Jing-mei had obviously taken this the wrong way and put her will into

a negative aspect promising herself she would remain true to herself. Jing-mei believed her

mother did not understand the point of the American dream, to have freedom to do what one

pleases regardless of whether performed well or not. She believed her mother’s goals of
obedience and perfection to be Chinese but only after her mother’s death did she realize her

mother understood very well what the American dream is. After all, a mother knows best.

In the chapter “Half and Half” Rose starts off the story telling that Ted and her want to

divorce each other and that her mother tells her to save it. Rose does not realize though her

mother tells her “because you must. . . . This is not hope. Not reason. This is your fate . . . what

you must do.” she intentionally means it for Rose to actually save her spirit, to take control of her

life. After the death of her brother Bing, Rose did not wish to bear the burden of taking the

consequences of having certain responsibilities so she tended to hear everyone else’s decisions

but hers. Rose’s mother said “[she] was without wood. Born without wood so that I listened to

too many people.” The reason why Rose may have been confused was because of her lack in the

skill of making her own decisions. An-mei told Rose she was like a “young tree” and that it was

important for her to “listen to [her] mother standing next to [her]…the only way to grow strong

and straight…bend to listen to other people…you will be like a weed…running along the ground

until someone pulls [her] out and throws [her] away.” This quote symbolizes Rose’s marriage to

Ted and how he wanted to divorce her and throw her way but An-mei fights Rose-mei telling her

she can do what she puts her mind to. But when Rose realizes the only way to save face, save her

spirit and represent all the past women of her generation, she must divorce Ted, stand up to him,

which An-mei somewhat failed to realize. An-mei only wanted the best for her daughter and

wanted her to stand strong like she did back in China for her and her mother.

In the chapter “Rules of the Game” Waverly learns to become a master at Chess studying

from books and learning from Lau Po but feels invaded by her mother and feels she’s taking

credit for what Waverly see’s as her own personal strength. Waverly said, “[her] mother had a

habit of standing over [her] while [she] plotted out [her] games…she thought of herself as my
protective ally.” Waverly did not appreciate her mother shadowing her, she felt uncomfortable;

she feels insecure about her mother. The mother stands behind Waverly because of her pride in

her daughter. Lindo wishes to be part of Waverly’s success every step of the way not only as a

support but a reminder to herself that the way her mother has taught her Chinese wisdom, she

wishes to show Waverly. Waverly, having American culture implemented in her so much, failed

to realize her mother’s way of showing love and invisible support by other means, in this case,

Lindo’s constant bragging of her daughter and showing her daughter around to other people.

Waverly seemed worried she would blend too much in China but when her mother told her

otherwise, she seemed upset because it was new in style to be Chinese-American. It also upsets

the mother deep inside that the hope of bringing up a girl in America with more opportunities but

implement Chinese character did not occur; she especially felt that way when Waverly told her

she was going to marry for the second time. Lindo wished her daughter had become more

Chinese than just “her skin and her hair…inside– she is all American-made.” Clearly, the mother

feels guilty for not knowing that American culture and Chinese culture do not mix. Waverly

wanted her own identity, her identity was American. None the less, Lindo took pride in her

daughter for what she accomplished and loved her no matter what relationship issues she went

through.

Ying-Ying, having gone through much sorrow when she lived in China, like the other Joy

Luck Club members, unwittingly erected a wall between her and her loved ones. This may have

prevented her daughter Lena to understand how strong Ying-Ying is and how much she has

endured– that she is a “tiger lady.” Ying-Ying, a very superstitious mother, actually had

predictions of many future events. Lena was impatient (when she grew up, for she used to

believe in superstitions from before) with her mother’s superstitious beliefs but actually
underestimated her mother’s insights; the intersections of superstition and deep wisdom. From

the childhood fear of having no control over her life, led her to want to take control but remains

convinced that she lives in a world that exceed human control which cause her to passively

accept the imbalance and lack of fulfillment in her marriage as her fate, rather than trying to

speak up for herself. She allows Harold to define “equality” in their marriage but he bases the

definition of equality by money, therefore their marriage bases off of money as well. Ying-Ying

uses Harold’s wobbly table as an example of her daughter’s marriage for when it fell down Lena

said, “I knew it would happen” and Ying-Ying replied, “Then why you don’t stop it?” Clearly,

telling Lena that if she knows something ahead of time, take a stand and fix it. Ying-Ying

conveys her intention to pass her tiger spirit, her chi, onto Lena who has none. Lena’s mother

accepted her Americanism but did not want to die without teaching Lena what it means to be her

mother’s daughter. Ying-Ying knows her daughter will resist so she will have to fight to

“penetrate [her] daughter’s tough skin and cut her tiger spirit loose…because this is the way a

mother loves her daughter.” In order to see her daughter’s happiness through, she must first

break the wall the does not allow Lena to realize her fatalism; she does not want her daughter to

suffer the same way she did back in China, remaining passively silent. Ying-Ying wants Lena to

be like her but wants Lena to be “a step above” her in wisdom and in happiness.

In The Joy Luck Club it portrays the unending love of the four Chinese mothers and their

daughters as well as their attempt to instill an understanding of their heritage yet save them from

the pain they suffered growing up back in China. The daughters, though, failed to see their

mothers’ guidance as good, not knowing or understanding their way of raising them only later

realizing everything when they started to grow up. “A mother is best. A mother knows what is

inside you.”