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The Joy Luck Club, based on the thread of the main character June’s life experience, is composed of sixteen intricate interlocking stories about the lives of eight Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters. In the novel, all the mothers have experienced the disastrous upheaval in pre-liberation China. Tough they have lived in the United States for a very long time, to a large extent, they are still greatly influenced by the remnants of Chinese cultural beliefs and they are a carrier of Chinese heritage. Their daughters, however, exposed to the American culture from birth and accustomed to the westerners’ independent way of thinking, couldn’t understand their mothers’ heart and even view them as the fossils of feudal society. On one hand, mothers make every effort to train their daughters to be perfect so as to avoid being looked down upon in the melting pot. On the other hand, their daughters, however, imbued with deep-rooted American moral standards and acting principles, are not willing to be interfered and controlled by anyone. Therefore, a number of problems have arisen in the unique American Context, such as arguments about different teaching methods, family concepts, views on love and dining manners. 源'自:优尔]'论-文'网"]www.youerw.com
However, as time goes by, after undergoing a series of conflicts, the two generations begin to understand each other and live in harmony due to their combined efforts of understanding and love. More importantly, it represents that contradiction or disputes in our lives between generations or different cultures can possibly be well reconciled.
2. Literature Review
2.1 Previous Research on This Topic
The Joy Luck Club written by Amy Tan is considered to be one of the prominent representative works of Chinese American literature, which has aroused great interest both at home and abroad among the scholars, readers as well as the critics. Specifically, they probe into the study from the following perspective:
Firstly, some scholars think the novel endeavors an attempt to unveil the mysteries of Chinese culture through the miserable life experiences of the four immigrant mothers. Through the description of the acceptance of the two cultures between the two generations, most studies center on the orientalism embodied in this novel. Edward Said has pointed out, “Orientalism is a way of thinking which is based on the distinction between ontology and epistemology of the‘east’and‘west’” (Zhou Chaobo & Zhang Yuejia, 2013:231) Zhangjun once said that the whole process from the misunderstandings to the compatibility in The Joy Luck Club was the best proof of the eradication of the oriental ideology. (Zhang Jun, 2013:100)
Secondly, the images of the women in the novel are distinctive and all of them have striking personalities, which leave great impressions on all the researchers. After going through a series of incredible tragedies, the four immigrant mothers begin to rebel against the feudal society in search of a new life. Thus, a vast majority of scholars focus their studies from the perspective of feminism awakening and the concept of the gender equality reflected in this novel. “Unwilling to yield to the unfair fate, the mothers in The Joy Luck Club try to struggle with the life and achieve their own value, which indicates the awakening of the feminisim.” (Sun Gang, 2010:141)