Project 3, Week 15, The Joy Luck Club

Project 3: Choose a reading selection. Explore the relationship between elements of the selection. 

How does setting influence character development – China vs San Francisco, California, US.

In the book, The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tran, there are four mothers, who were born and raised in China. All four woman immigrated to San Francisco, California, and had children of their own. Their children were born and raised in San Francisco, which was very different from China. Each mother had at least one daughter. The mothers wanted a different life for their children, a better one, but at the same time tried to instill their cultural values. Many years later, the mothers realized that although they wanted a better life for their children in America, it was very different from what they wanted and expected.

The author Amy Tran used many different literary devices throughout the book. The four literary devices that are used to tell the story of their current and past lives are flashback, characterization, paradox, and simile.

Flashback is used as a literary device in the following quote; “My mother, she suffered. She lost her face and tried to hide it. She found only greater misery and finally could not hide that. There is nothing more to understand. That was China… They had no choice. They could not speak up. They could not run away. That was their fate. But now they can do something else. Now they no longer have to swallow their own tears…” (241) The mother is flashing back to her childhood, tells a memory of her mother and how she could not have a voice for herself, she had to keep her feelings to herself, which lead to her misery and killing herself with an overdose of opioids.

“My daughter did not look pleases when I told her this, that she did not look Chinese. She had a sour American look on her face. Oh, maybe ten years ago, she would have clapped her hands – hurray!- as if it were good news. But now she wants to be Chinese, it is so fashionable. And I know it is too late. All those years I tried to teach her!” (253) This quote is using characterization as a literary device as the mother tried to explain to her daughter even though, she is Chinese, when she goes to visit China, they will know that she is a foreigner. She also explains her frustration about all of the years she tired to teach her daughter about her Chinese culture, she did not want to have anything to do with it or learn and now that she is an adult she wants to know and also her mother can teach her, it’s too late to learn everything.  

An example of a paradox from the story is “.. Chinese New Year, my mother gave me my “life’s importance,” a jade pendant on a gold chain. …..I stuffed the necklace in my lacquer box and forgot about it. ….I wonder what it means, because my mother died three months ago…. Shes the only person I could have asked, to tell me about life’s importance to help me understand my grief. I now wear that pendant every day” (197) This quote shows that although the jade pendant was suppose to show life’s importance but it did not mean anything until her mother was gone and now she wants to know what her life’s importance is.

The following quote is an example of simile, used as a literary device in the story. “She lies down on a psychiatrist couch, squeezing the tears out about this shame…..I know this, because I was raised the Chinese way. I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow other people’s misery, to eat my own bitterness. And even though I taught my daughter the opposite, still she came out the same way!” (215) The mother expresses her frustration about her daughter being able to tell a psychiatrist about her failures but does not tell her mother. She also gives a perfect example about how she was raised the “Chinese way” and she tried to teach her daughter the opposite. Although, she wanted differently for her daughter, still turned out the same way. The mother blames herself because her daughter watched her desire nothing and learned it from her.

The following are quotes from the last few chapters when the mothers realize that although they wanted a better life for their children and they tried to find a balance and teach them the Chinese and American cultures, it could not be done and they feel like they failed and now it is too late.

 “It’s my fault she is this way. I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two things did not mix?” (254)

“…but I couldn’t teach her about Chinese character. How to obey parents and listen to your mother’s mind. How not to show your own thoughts, to put your feelings behind your face so you can take advantage of hidden opportunities.” (254)

I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the difference from the Chinese and American cultures and how hard it is to find a balance and teach children a different culture when they are surrounded by another and the children can not see the benefits of knowing both. The children also want to be like the other children and families they see which a part of assimilation, wanting to be like others and not being different because they might stand out.

Cited Work

Tran, Amy, et at “The Joy Luck Club”, Penguin Books, 2006