THE JOY LUCK CLUB

I recently read Amy Tan's novel named The Joy Luck Club. This novel spoke to me and moved me in certain instances due to its structure of coinciding stories of maternal relationships. The story is written from the perspectives of four mothers and four daughters. In this story, the Chinese-immigrant mothers strive to understand their American daughters despite the many differences between them.

Jing-Mei Woo is the central character who begins the series of interwoven stories when she takes the place of her recently deceased mother, Suyuan, at the mahjong table at a meeting of the "Joy Luck Club." This club was a weekly gathering for the families to bond and connect. At the beginning of the novel, Jing-Mei is given the task of finding the two daughters of her mother's first husband that she left on the side of the road decades ago for survival. Switching to other lenses, the other mothers, such as An-mei Hsu discuss their childhoods in China and the struggles that they have endured. For instance, mother Lindo Jong escapes an unhappy arranged marriage without dishonoring her family after much struggle. On the other hand, the daughters, such as Waverly Jong, the chess prodigy, Rose Hsu, and Lena St-Clair, struggle with their marriages and seek acceptance form their traditional mothers.

To me, the most memorable character was Lindo Jong because she cleverly escaped her arranged marriage while keeping her family and her husband's family in honor. The late Suyuan Woo and Jing-Mei are also quite memorable because Suyuan survived a difficult journey during a time of war and left her most valued young twin-daughters on the side of road for hope of their survival. Jing-Mei not only suffered the loss of her mother but also met her step-sisters for the first time towards the end of the novel. Though they had never met before, she instantly felt a connection with them that significantly changed their lives.

Through ingenious plot and character development, I related to the characters' stories on a personal level. Since my parents both grew up in Taiwan and my grandparents in China, they often discuss the struggles that they have endured and how they have persevered and overcome those struggles. I was captivated by the many unexpected plot twists and dramatic character interactions. Moreover, at times, I struggle to understand the challenges that my parents have faced and need to reconcile my American self with their Chinese/Taiwanese perspectives. The stories of these women reflect some of the struggles that immigrants face with their American children.

Reading this brilliant story motivated me to connect with my mom more and understand her life before coming to America better. The young women in this novel reconcile with their mothers and always seek to appease their tradition mothers. When Waverly shouts at her mother Lindo to quit watching over her every move in chess practice, her mother stops encouraging her and cleaning her trophies. Their relationship deteriorates as Waverly quits her life as a chess prodigy and the two cease to communicate with another as much as before. Similarly, Jing-Mei's mother always expected the best from her and believed in her to accomplish anything because she has come all the way to America to make her daughter's successful life possible. Through the conflicts between Waverly and Lindo and Suyuan and Jing-Mei, I learned that I must cherish every experience with my mom and be grateful for everything that I have learned and gained from her. Ultimately, The Joy Luck Club has moved me to strengthen my relationship from my own mother for all the love and resources that she provides for me.