The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan Amy Tan

The Joy Luck Club 喜福会 Amy Tan谭恩美

Amy Tan

Amy Tan (born February 19, 1952) is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships and the Chinese-American experience. Her bestknown work is The Joy Luck Club, which has been translated into 35 languages. In 1993, the book was adapted into a commercially successful film.

About the novel: The Joy Luck Club (1989) an immediate and sensational success; translated into 35 languages, including Chinese; staying more than 40 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list; received the Commonwealth Gold Award and the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award.

Suyuan Woo， Jing-Mei "June" Woo Lindo Jong， Waverly Jong Ying-Ying “Betty” St. Clair， Lena St. Clair An-Mei Hsu， Rose Hsu Jordan

I chose to share this novel with you because the characters are mothers and they are Chinese. Their stories are from China’s past, but the struggles and feelings they had can be felt by everyone. What is unique about these mothers is that they had and raised their children in another country, far from China, in America. The stories told from the eyes and minds of

their American-born daughters are tales of what it means to American, with parents, especially mothers, who have had very different beginnings, but who have much to tell them, to share with them, so they can help them and so they will remember. All parents have wisdom; wisdom acquired from their parents and from their parents’ parents. They want to share it; they want it remembered, for many reasons.

It is their family’s unique story. It binds generations and increases understanding and wisdom. But each new generation, characteristically, rejects, often in subtle ways, the advice of their parents, especially in some parts of American culture. At the time these Chinese-American children were growing up, it was considered fashionable to challenge the wisdom of the past, your right to do so.

Questions 1. Why did the mothers in the novel form the Joy Luck Club? 2. What does the goose’s feather symbolize? 3. What is culture shock? Can you give some examples about this? Or have you seen any other movies or stories about culture shock?

Culture shock can be described as the feeling of confusion and disorientation that one experiences when faced with a large number of new and unfamiliar people and situations. Can you imagine what kind of culture shock would you experience if you go abroad?

You don't know, you don't know the power you have over me. One word from you, one look, and I'm four years old again, crying myself to sleep, because nothing I do can ever, ever please you. 　 ——Waverly