电影《喜福会》影评
——从主观幸福感来体验的跨文化差异
我思故我在
有一只鸭子,它一直觉得自己不幸福,因为它不甘心自己是鸭子,因此一直伸长脖子想作天鹅,没想到后来它真的成了天鹅。电影《喜福会》讲述的是四位华人移民妇女和她们在美国长大的儿女各自之间的故事。每个母亲都被她成长中的社会视为鸭子,不值一爱地被轻贱,但她们不甘于这被轻贱的命运,于是她们为自己的命运孤注一掷奋力一搏,离开了中国来到美国。她们正像伸长脖子的鸭子,寻找着幸福感,想要留给女儿天鹅的羽毛。当然最终也给了她们女儿尊贵的身份与地位,但是她们在新的地方,幸福感的追寻之路因两代人两种文化的差异显得并不是那么顺利。
不同的语言交流
《喜福会》中母亲们在美国居住多年之后依旧用汉语来表达她们重要的情感。然而她们的女儿虽会说一些汉语都在美国长大,在美国接受教育,说的是一口流利的美式英语,这就导致了母女之间的冲突: 她们因为母亲们“结结巴巴”的英语,总是认为母亲们“脑子不灵活”“没有见识”, 她们的话不值得认真地听,显得不耐烦;而母亲们用蹩脚汉式英语无法向女儿表达自己真正爱她们的情感。不同的语言,在两代人之间的一个无法逾越的鸿沟,阻碍了母女之间的相互了解,彼此疏远。语言文化的差异是影响她们幸福感主要阻碍因素。
不同的权力距离
不同的权力距离导致了不同的家庭观念。中国是权力距离相对较大的国家,家长权威是绝对的、不容冒犯的,子女孝顺父母听从训导是天经地义的。管自己的孩子那是家长的权利,子女服从家长那是孩子的“义务”。而美国是权力距离相对较小的国家,他们崇尚自由、平等和民主,具有很强的独立意识。深受美国文化影响的女儿们,认为母亲的家长制是侵权性的,绝对不能容忍。于是他们反抗,“我从不相信,我能成为任何我想成为的人,我只可能是我自己。”母亲认
为理所当然的管理权和子女平等、自由想挣脱束缚的独立意识发生冲突,父母一味的理所当然,而孩子却是反抗、忤逆。不同的家庭观念,让母亲始终不解自己有何错,而因孩子感到不幸福,自己的幸福感度也不高。
集体主义与个人主义
在中国, 人与人之间的联系十分紧密, 非常重视集体主义,一个人的好坏,会影响整个“家族”。所以母亲龚琳达将女儿超人的象棋天赋当成向他人炫耀的资本,希望通过女儿体现自身存在的价值。深受美国个人主义的女儿薇弗莱,强调自我和独立意识, 深信“我就是我自己”,不喜欢母亲的干涉,因为母亲的炫耀而尴尬。母女冲突白热化了: “为什么你非要拿我出风头? 如果你自己想出风头, 那么你为啥不学下棋?”因为价值文化观念的不同,影响了母亲和女儿的幸福观,而造成了她们间关系的不和谐。
文化差异融合的幸福感
令人欣慰的是, 不管两代人、两种文化之间的隔阂和冲突曾经多么严重, 最终还是会达到和解。片尾,日渐老弱的母亲不再试图把自己的意愿强加于已长大成人的女儿,而是在精神上给了女儿们支持。 而经历了事业、婚姻和家庭等种种生活磨砺成熟后的女儿也逐渐理解了母亲的良苦用心。在母爱的感召下,开始认同母亲,找回了迷失的自我和婚姻中的权利,树立积极的人生态度。母亲和女儿用爱了解彼此、重新调整自己文化视角,让彼此之间的关系和谐融洽以及收获母女情亲间的幸福感。
《喜福会》中的母女两代人主观幸福感体验一定程度上反映代表了两个社会和两种文化的冲突和差异。主人公主观幸福感的体验折射出的文化差异,从冲突到调整,最终达到了和谐的状态。
第二篇:论《喜福会》中东西方文化的冲突与融合
东北林业大学
硕士学位论文
论《喜福会》中东西方文化的冲突与融合
姓名:王宇
申请学位级别:硕士
专业:英语语言文学
指导教师:王新春
20070601
摘要
美国华裔女作家谭恩美,以其为数不多的几部作品享誉美国文坛。她的处女作《喜福会》讲述了中国母亲和美国化的女儿之间的冲突,以讲故事的形式将自身经历,移民母亲和子女的矛盾冲突呈现给读者。小说主题表现丰富,除了母女冲突,还侧重f两代人之间的理解与沟通。她创作的最终目的也是借两代人之间的冲突与融合来阐明东西方两种文化也必将从冲突走向融合。
谭恩美在《喜福会》中,就是通过寻求黄神人与白种人,东方文化与西方文化的差异柬表现中国文化的文化理念与价值观,
为t-:流文化的“他者”,体现她自己对中国文化难以割舍的情结。作她利用自己特殊的身份,利用母亲的故事,以不同文化背景F的母女冲突、婚姻作为出发点,着眼于全球视野下的文化碰撞与融合,探讨了中西文化的差异与沟通。
本文从多角度讨论谭恩美在作品中反映的“冲突”及“融合”的主题,深入分析产生“冲突”及“融合”的原因,并探讨了在东西方文化中“家”的概念。母女两代共同的“家”,代表了他们共属的母性文化一一中国传统文化。
第一部分主要介绍谭恩美的生平以及她的作品《喜福会》,并分析了她独特的写作技巧。
第二部分从华裔美国文学出发,论述了华裔美国文学的发展历程、现状,并着重提出了女性作家在其中的卓越贡献。
第三部分分别从母女两代人及文化的角度具体分析了小说中所反映的“冲突”这一主题。并且结合跨文化交际理论阐述了产生冲突的原因。第四部分从两个角度分析了小说的另一主题“融合”~两代母女最终实现互相第五部分探讨了在不同文化下,“家”的概念。并结合小说中“家”对于母女两代理解,走向融合;他们所代表的不同语言及文化也终于彼此融合。母女间的最终融合,也反映了在男性社会中,女性地位日益增强。人的意义,女儿从“逃家”,到“归家”,指出“家”在小说中所代表的文化意义。
第六部分通过上述的论述得出结论:在小说中,母女两代人从误解、冲突到沟通和理解,不仅折射着东西方文化互相碰撞、沟通和交融的历史,也预示着在全球化时期,不㈦的国家、民族和文化相互共存应采取的态度~一理解、沟通与信任。
关键词喜福会;冲突:融合;母女关系:家
Abstract
AmyTan。afamousChinese
ChineseAmericanLuckwriter,hasbecomeoneoftherepresentativesofaAmericanliterature.卯坩JoyCIub,Tan’Sdebutnovel,iS
daughters.111enarrativeaboutthethemesareconflictsbetweenChinesemothers
conflicts,betweenandAmericanizedmajorthetheimmigrantsandAmericanizedsecondgeneration.Shepaysgreatattentiontotheunderstandingandcommunicationbetweentwogenerations.
砌PJoyLuckClubstimulatesethnicappreciationwhileallowingreaderstoobjectifytheirownsituations,makingconnectionsbetweentheirownlivesandtheculturallydistantlivesinTan’Scharacters.As‘'theother'’inthe
reconciliation
generationsmainstream.伽ldiscussedtheconflictsandtwobetweentwocultures,startingfromdescriptionofconflictsbetweenandtheirmarriages.
majorthemesof“conflict'’and“reconciliation”
reconciliation.andcompleteswithThethesiscomprehensivelydiscussesthein77醒JoyLuck(1,曲.exploresthereasonsforconflictand
theconceptof“family”inEasterncultureandWesternCulture.Inthenovel,thecommonfamilyofmothersanddaughtersistheirmotherculture---Chinesetraditionalculture.
PartOneintroduces
uniquewritingskill.AmyTan’Slifestory,herdebutnovel砌PJoyLuckClub.andher
PartTwomainlyfoCBSeS
situationonthedevelopmentofChineseAmericanliterature,itspresentandthecontributionoffemalewriters.
PartThreeanalyzesthemaintopicof‘'conflict'’inthenovelfromtwopointsofview-一generationsandcultures.andexplainsthat、vitllthetheoryofInterculturalCommunication.
PartFourresearchesanothertopicofthenovel一‘"reconciliation'’.Two
differentgenerationsofculturesmothersanddaughtersachievemutual
finallymarchforreconciliation.
PartFiveunderstanding,twolanguagesandstudies“family"as
conclusionasourceforculturaldevelopment,anditsculturalconnotation.PartSixcomestothe
daughterrelationshipby
mothersthatthenovelmakesanattempttoanalyzethemother-presentingtheconflicts,communicationandintegrationbetweenandtheirdaughtersand
andculturesbetweentWOcultures,whichreflectstheaUitudesthatdifferentshouldtakeintheageofglobalizationunderstanding,nations,races
communicationandtrust.
Keywords
familyTheJoyLuckClub;conflict;reconciliation;mother-daughterrelation;
.1I.
独创性声明
本人声明所呈交的学位论文是本人在导师指导下进行的研究工作及取得的研究成果。据我所知,除了文中特别加以标注和致谢的地方外,论文中不包含其他人已经发表或撰写过的研究成果,也不包含为获得壅韭盎些盘堂或其他教育机构的学位或证书而使用过的材料。与我一同工作的同志对本研究所做的任何贡献均己在论文中作了明确的说明并表示谢意。
学位论文作者签名:1.罾签字日期:。驴7年6月“日
学位论文版权使用授权书
本学位论文作者完全了解盔些盎些盘堂有关保留、使用学位论文的规定,有权保留并向国家有关部门或机构送交论文的复印件和磁盘,允许论文被查阅和借阅。本人授权峦韭盎些盘堂可以将学位论文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据库进行检索,可以采用影印、缩印或扫描等复制手段保存、汇编学位论文。
(保密的学位论文在解密后适用本授权书)
学位论文作者签名:导师签名:乡耘寿签字日期:山司年6月p6日签字日期:也刀年6、再“日学位论文作者毕业后去向:
工作单位:存、龙1姝业天荨
通讯地址:1}、靶抓芷六等瓠目绣芽f屯电话:雪夕I,口牛,_,邮编2/r神4。
1Introduction
Bornin1952inOakland,California,AmyRuthTanisthesecondgenerationofaChineseimmigrantfamily.BeingraisedandeducatedinthedominantWesternculture,youngAmy
putfoundherselfalwaysatoddswithherparents’expectations.Asshe
parent圳wanted
collegecareerusonceit,“砌叫(hertohaveAmericancircumstancesandChinesecharacter.’’。TanbeganhersoonatLinfieldCollegebuttransferredtoSanJoseStateUniversitywhereshe
inlinguistics.In1975,receivedherB,A.degreeinEnglishandlinguistics
shemarriedLouisDematteiandherM.A.degreeandaftermarriageshecontinuedhereducationattheUniversityofCaliforniaatSanta
aCruzandatBerkley.However,decidingtodosomethingotherthanacontinuingtobe
shestudent,Tandroppedherdoctoralprogramwithoutgeaingdegree.Beforebartendertoabecameafull一timewriter,Tanhadavarietyofjobs.everythingfroma
counselorfordevelopmentallydisabledehildren.
‘"Likethemshewritesaboutthelimitedidentity
culturalchasms
linguisticgapsofthehyphenatedAmerican.aboutthebetweenimmigrantparentsandtheirAmerican-bornoffspringandathebetweengenerationsand:nat&abouttheneedtodiscoverusableandrecognizablepast.ButshedoesnotwriteexclusivelyabouttheAsianexperience。nor捃herstylespecificallyandwhollyAsiandespiteitsfrequentallusionstotraditionalChinesefolkgenresandits
Herfirstborrowingsfromthetalkstorytradition.“novel弛eJoyLuckClub(1989)isabelovedinternationalbest-sellingnovelwhichexplorestherelationshipsofChinesewomenandtheirChinese-AmericandaughtersintheUnitedStates.Publishedin1989,11lcJoyLuckClubwasenthusiasticallyreceivedby
oncriticsandthepublic.It
alsonominatedlandedtheNew场地17ruesbest-sellerlistforninemonths.ItwasasaandthenselectedfinalistfortheNationalBookAwardandtheNationalBookCriticsCircleAward,Inaddition,itreceivedtheBayAreaBookReviewersAwardforFictionandtheCommonwealthClubGoldAward.TheBookhasbeentranslatedinto25languagesincludingChinese,andhasbeen
Tan’smadeintoamajormotionpicture.novelshavedrawnherwidereadershipthroughouttheUnitedStatesandtheworldandalsodrawnherextensivecriticalat£ention,mostofwhichwerehighlycomplimentary.Thereceptionofherworkssuggeststhatherworksresonatesamongreadersofallbackgrounds.Shewritesaboutrelationshipsand
concernsfamilialbondsandselfandidentity,whicharetheuniversalandcommonlyrecognizedthemes.
Tanhassaidthatherintentioninwritingisnotto‘"providehistorical
createaworkinformation,buttoofart.”CriticshavesaidthatherworksarenotnecessarilyChineseinnature.butareinsteadstorieswithuniversalthemes(generationalconflicts,warofthesexes,etc.)that
have
an
addeddimensionofbeingtoldthroughnarratorsthat
are
constantlysearchingfor
a
balancebetweentheirChineseheritageandAmericanlifestyle.
DifferentfromotherChineseAmericanfemalewriters,AmyTancannotgetridofherChinesecomplex.Infact.thishasalSObecome
Tan’Suniqueness.Likeotherwriters,herworks
reflecttheconflictsoftwocultures,twoworlds,twogenerationsandtwocountries.TheconflictsbetweentwoculturestheyexploreSino—American
are
whatmostChinese
American
writerspayattentiontowhen
relationship.While
a
Tanhasmadegreatcontributiontothespread
a
ofChineseculturewithherworks。shehassetmodelas
culturalcommunicator.
are
劢e
JoyLuckClubisthestoryofeightChinesewomen.Four
are
motherswhosuffered
differenthardshipthatforcedthemtolcaveChina;andfourownstrugglesintheireverydaylives.Eachchapterisevents.Thefirstmaincharacteristheisaskedto
a
thedaughterswhofacetheir
vignetteofeachwoman’sviewpointof
daughter
Jing—mei
Woo,whosemotherpassedaway,She
are
jointhe‘'Joy
LuckClub”andplayMahJongwithheradoptiveaunts.Allplots
IinkedtogetherbythenarrativeofJing—mei
Woo.whose
motherhadfounded
a
women’Ssocial
clubinChinatomakeitsmemberstellabouttheirpastexperiencesnotonlytoempowerthemselves,butalsotopasswisdom
on
totheirdaughters,whoarealluncertainabouttheir
maritalrelationships.ThestoriesarereminiscentofMaxineHangKingston’Sportrayalofmother-daughterconflictsin
that
these
daughters。too,aretryingtoestablishtheiridentitiesin
are
themainstreamofAmericanlifewithoutalienatingtheirmotherswhoChinesetraditionalculture.
thepurveyorsof
In“SugarSisterhood:SituatingtheAmyTanPhenomenon”,Sau—ling
popularityofAmyTan’SworksbeforeTan:‘‘the
aSa
Wanganalyzesthe
culturalphenomenonandcomparesitwithotherauthors
fortunesof
for
once-popular,nowoverlookedculturalinterpretersinChinese
as
Americanliteraryhistory,suchmediation
LinYutang,andJadeSnowWang,suggestthatcultural
of
theOrient
the‘mainstream’readershiprequirescontinualrepackagingto
remaininsyncwith
changingtimesandresultantshifts加ideologicalneeds.“
circumscribedby
a
Suchconflictsandchallengesarespecificethnicculture?????-??theareuniversaI
in
nature
Chinese.American
culture
ofnorthern
Califomia一.they
and
significance.Themothersin
thenovelare
foreign.born
AmericanswithAmerican.born
daughters.Tan’SnovelsstimulateethnicappreciationbetweentWOgenerationsandtwocultures
Although
studyofAmy
a
lotofresearchhasbeendone
on
AmyTan
and砌P
JoyLuckClub.mostof
a
themareabout“identityissues”.Theauthorofthisthesiswantsto
give
morecomprehensive
Tan’S
favorite
themes-…the
between
relationbetweenChinese—bommothersandcultures,complete
American—bornbetweenthem.
daughters,and
two
the‘‘family’’philosophy
.2.
:!!!呈竺!12尘竺:!塑:堡垒尘坠!!坠些堡
2TheDevelopmentofChineseAmericanLiterature2.1TheHistoryofChineseAmericanLiterature
In1982,ElaineKim’Sstudy,AsianAmericanLiterature:AnIntroductiontotheWritingsandSocialContext,essentiallybroughtanentirebodyoflittleknownliteratureintothe
gainrecognitionasaAmericanliteraryconsciousness,andhelpedAsianAmericanliterature
significantbody
一.andveryofwritingwithbotha‘*newtradition”ofliteraryKimdefinedcreationandadiscernible~literatureasfluid…一canon.’’5InherworLAsianAmerican‘"publishedcreativewritingsinEnglishbyAmericansofChinese,Japanese,Korean,and
asFilipinodescent.”AlthoughthatdefinitionlostitscurrencyimmigrantsfromCambodia.
Vietnam,India,Pakistan,and
StatesotherAsiancountriesbegantomaketheirhomesintheUnitedandtowriteabouttheirexperiences.onecrucialelementofKim’sdefinitionstillholdstrue.
Thehistoryof
menlefttheirAsianAmericansgoesback'tothenineteentheenau3,whenthousandsoffamiliesandhomesinChina,Japan,Korea,andthePhilippinestoseektheir
asfortunesintheUnitedStates,acountrythattheChinesereferredtogumsanor‘'theGold
therailroad,Mountain”,Seekingopportunity,possibilityandwealth。thesemenfoundworkon
ingold-and-silverminingtowns,andinlumbercampsinthewestoftheUnitedStates,industriouslysettingaboutmakinglivesforthemselvesandforthepicturebridesfromChinaandJapanwhoeventuallytraveledtotheUnitedStatestomarrythementheyhadnevermet.Theearliestofficialimmigrantarrivalsseemto
firstto
thehavebeenmenfromGuangdongProvinceinChina.Perhapsbecausetheywerearrive,theChinesefirstformedthelargestAsianinstitutionalizedimmigrant
majoritygroup,andtheybecameAsianstoexperiencediscriminationwhentheChineseExclusionActof1882waspassedbyCongress,barfingtheofChinesefromenteringtheUnitedStates.Notuntil1943WasexclusionlegallyendedwiththepassageoftheMagnusonAct,whichallowed105ChineseimmigrantstoentertheUnitedStateslegallyeachyearandgaveChinesetheprivilegeofearningcitizenshipthroughnaturalization.TheoldergenerationportrayedinAmyTan’Snovelsrepresentsthat
entry.一groupofnewChineseimmigrants…一especiallythewomenwhohadlongbeendenied
????whoenteredtheUnitedStatesafterthewarintheyearsimmediatelyfollowingtheMagnusonAct.
2.2ThePresentSituationofChineseAmerieanLiteratureOwingtothedifficultconditionsthattheChineseimmigrantsencountered,manyconsideredthemselveshuaqiao(overseasChinese)who
.3.intendedtoreturntoChina.andthis
!!坚呈::窒!g竺:坠:!三!!!:兰垒呈::尘!:!!!:竺!:呈
inevitablyinfluencedtheemergenceofChineseAiD_ericanliterature,AsElaineKimdiscussesattheWritingsandtheirSociallengthinAsianAmericanLiterature:AnIntroductionto
aismainlylimitedtoContext,earlyChineseAmericanliteraryproduction
andtestimoniesbymalewriters.ofteninfewautobiographiesChinese.ManyofthefirstChineseAmerican
anarrativesinEnglishwerewrittenbystudents.LeeYanPhou’SWhen,WasBoyin("hma
American(1887),hasrecentlyreceived
oneextensivecriticalattentionasaproto—Asianautobiography,andwasofthefirsttobewritteninEnglish.SomeofthefirstChinese
Americanfemalewriting,asAmyLinghasmadeclearinBetweenWorlds:WomenWriters0j1ChineseAncestry,wasbyupper-classfemaleimmigrants,includingHelenaKuo.Mai-maiSzeandLinTai.yi.whowereChine鼬ornandwesternized,andwhooftencamefromdiplomaticbackgrounds.Inlightofthisfact,itisunsurprisingthatsubsequentChineseAmericanwritingcontinuedtOshowaheightenedawarenessofracismtowardsAsians.
OwingtothegenderimbalanceofearlyChinese
specificfeatureofaAmericanimmigration,onegender-seriesofnarrativeswrittenbyChineseimmigrantsistheirfocusuponbachelorsociety.Forexample,LouisChu’SEataBowlofTea(1961),ChinYangLee’SFlowerDrumsong(1957)、andLinYutang!SChinatownFamily(1948),
ThecontemporaryChineseAmericanwritersfocusedonracesandculturalidentityallthe
aJltime.AnotablefeatureofmorecontemporaryChineseAmericanwomen’Swritingis
emphasisuponmother-daughterrelationship,whichCanbeseeninthenovelsandmemoirsofMaxineHongKingston(TheWomanWarrior(1976),TripmasterMonkey(1989)),thenovelsofAmyTan(TheJoyLuckClub(1989),TheKitchenGod'sWife(199I),TheHundredSecretSenses(1995)。TheBonesetter§Daughter但001))。FaeMyenneNg’SBone(1993),andGish
textsinJen(TypicalAmerican(1992)),andMomaintheProm括edLand(199∥),These
particularhavebeensuccessful,perhapsbecausetIleyhavekeyedinto
attentionfurfeministsinthelatetwentiethcentury.apopularareaof
2.3TheCauseoftheDevelopmentofChineseAmericanLiteratureThehistoricalprocessoftheformationoftheUSAtellsthatthecultureinthiscountryhadforalongtimeexperiencedtheprocessofthe“meltingpot”,especiallyafteralltheyears
asoftheminorityresistingthedominantculture,suchblackcultureandJewishcultureagainst
whiteculture,feministmovementagainstmaledominance,siblingliteratureforitsdeservedattention.
However,withtheexpansionofthedominantAmericancultureacrossthewholeworld,theminoritybegantorealizethatthemetaphor‘‘meltingpot'’ishardlyrepresentativefortheirhopetowardsthedevelopmentoftheirculture.Oncebeingdumpedintotheseemingly
tothemargin,voidgenerous‘‘meltingpot'’,theminorityculturewilleitherbeignoredandleft
.4.
!!!:呈:::!:£尘望!!!!!!!:彗垒尘::尘竺坠:些坚
ofanychanceforsay,OrbemeltedintothepotandassimilatedtOlosetheirownethnictradition.Thuswiththeactiveendeavorofalltheminorityrepresentatives,therechangeswithinthecultureoftheUSA,especiallyintheendofthe1970s
arose
rapid
andin
the1980s.It
seemedthat,suddenly,conceptionof‘'multiculturalism'’becamethetopicwithintheliterary,
economicandpoliticalfields.Nomatterhowmuchtheexpectationhasbeenrealized,theconceptionmore
or
lessexpressesthehopefortotallyequalCO—existenceofdiversecultures.
Multiculturalism,asthebackground,offeredpreciouschancesforpromptgrowingand
strengtheningoftheminorityculture,whichhadlongfor
been
excluded
and
ignored.They
asked
as
recognitionandevaluationtheydeserved
andshowed
a
theiruniqueglamourasmuch
the
socialopportunityprovided.Thus.therecameChinese
timefortheexpressionandrevelationof
American
writers.
W汕the
subJectof
promotionofmulticulturalismandactivemovementfordifferentidentities.the
cultureandliteraryworksaboutassimilationand
fromliterarycritics,and
even
immigrantexperience,immigrant
acculturationhavegainedincreasing
concern
socialistsand
historians.ChineseliteraturealSOenteredtheclassroomoftheAmericanuniversities.Even
somebooks
or
essays
about
howtoteachAsian
Americanworks(for
example.Kingston’s
andconcem
WomanWarriorlhavebeen
tolifeexperience,Chinese
ignored.111eemphasisof
Americanliteratureconsequentlymoves
theinterest
welcomedbyeveryChineseAmerican
atitsverybeginning.
American
literatureto
somedegreesatisfies
ofthewesternreaders.Such
popularity,thou曲not
writer,willhelpthedevelopmentofChinese
Americanliterature
2.4TheAwakeningSenseofResponsibilityofChineseAmerican
Writers
ThoughtheChinese
Senseor
immigrantshadchanged
to
beboth
involuntary
and
voluntary,theleftunrealized
ofresponsibilitytowardsChineseculturehasnotbeen
diminished,though
hiddeninsomeperiods.
Chinese
Americanbegan
tOdoubtthe
strengths
or
weaknessesofChinesetraditionwhen
they,mostly,activelytriedtoassimilateandbecome
Americanized.especially
use
whenthey
confrontedcomplicatedculturalclashes.Afternumerousdoubtsuponthenecessityto
preservethetradition,mature
immigrants
wouldeventuallychoosetOmake
oftheir
special
status
betweenthetwoworlds,tomediatetheclashestheirethnicidentitywouldleadthemtofindthesuddenlybecomethe
and
maintain
balance.The
regainedfavorof
reasons
forallthedoubtstheyfelt.whichwill
advantages
to
tOhelp
theminthenewworld.Theconclusiontheymadewill
resumetheirresponsibility
beingChinese
activateChineseAmericancultureandwinbackthe
Americans.
ToviewAsianAmericanliterature鹊awhole,itis
.5.
dignity
of
nothardtofindspecificinter-.intra-.
:!坠呈:兰!!£尘:尘!!!!!!:琶垒尘::!:竺坠::::尘錾
andCROSS—culturalconflictspermeatingtheworksthroughwhichthespecificationsofChineseculturearede’monstrated.Theseconflictsincludesocial-culturalconflicts,generationalconflicts,languageconflicts,raceconflictsandgenderconflicts..6.
:!::些!:!!兰!呈:!!壁::彗型!::::型坚:
3ConflictofTw0GenerationsandTw0Cultures
3.1TheCauseofConflictbetweenTwoGenerations
ReviewerCarolynSeeclaimsitiSimaginationandcontributedtothesilenced
a
devotionaltourde
force.seized
the
Western
world’S
canon
offeministliterature.Itgivesvoicetopreviously
Chinesewomen,someofwhomwerevictimsofpatriarchalfamiliesandfeudal
marriages.CriticAmyLingcharacterizes
Tan’S
fiction
as‘"an
echoandresponseandinparts
a
a
continuationandexpansion’’7ofherpredecessor’Snovel.Structuredasnarrativesabouteight
seriesofpersonal
JoyLuckClub
women一?four
pairsofmothers
and
daughters—The
chroniclesthelivesofitsprotagonists
andRaces
theconnectionsbetweenthemultiplecultures
a
throughwhichthewomenmustnegotiatetheirlives.TheClubofthetitleis
investmentgroupformedbyfourChineseimmigrantwomeninthelate1940s.
mah-jong
and
The
JoyLuckClubintroduceslife—definingepisodes
andtheir
fromthelivesoffourChinese
the
immigrantmothers
American-borndaughters.TanUSeS
mahjongclub
tostructure
thedevelopmentofmother-daughterpairs.Onecritichassuggestedthattheintroductionofmultiple
narratives
about
two
generationsof
ChineseAmericanwomen
is
inherently
a
challengingtostereotypicalreadingsthattreatChinesewomenasfungiblebecausetheysharedefining
Chinese‘‘essence”,andMelanieMcAlisterargues,alongthe
saIne
lines,that“the
novel'scomplexrepresentationrangeamong
of
Chinese
subjectivities
requires
careful
attentiontO
the.full
of
temperaments,clnssvariations,and
mothers.’’8
differencesinpersonalhistory,particularly
thefour
uses
Tan
Suyuan
thefour-playermahjong
clubtostructurethefour
mother-daughter
relationships:
WooandJiIlg-meiJuneWoo;An-mei
and
HsuandRoseHsuJordan;LindoJong
and
WaverlyJong;andYing—yingSt.Clair
Lena
St.Clair.The
storiesofthesepairsare
interwoveninfourisat
a
majorsegments
whereeachwomannarrateshowshehasbecome
a
whatshe
asan
particularpointinherlife.Eachofthefourmajorsections,startingwith
vignette
introduction,includesfoursupervision
chapters.Thedaughtersgrowupundertheirmothers’incessant
andinterventionagainsttheircompleteculturelassimilation.
IntheJoyLuckClub,Tan’Scontributiontotheproblemof
narratingAsianAmericanmother-daughter
on
subject
formationliesinherelaborationofanestablishedform,the
plot,in
whichthe
immigrantmother’S
desireforAmericabecomesfocusedherAmerican—born
daughter.
3.2TheConflict
“Tan
between
TwoG}enerations
found
an
untappedaudience
for
stories
of
ChineseAmericanmothersand
.7.
!!些坚!!!::塑!型::娑!!::型坚:
daughters.”9
Inthenovel。theAmerican—bomdaughtersknowverylittleabouttheirmothers.
AlltheirlivestheyhavetriedhardtoassimilmeintomainstreamAmerica.whichChineseareatbestavoided,atworstshameful.Byignoringtheirmothers’efforttoinculcateChinesetraditionintothem,the
danghters
havefrustratedthehopesofthemothersthattheirdaughterswould
maintaintheirChinesecharactersunder
Americancircumstances.Thepricethedaughterspay
sense∥unease
wisdom
intheidentities
never
fortheirseeminglysuccessfulassimilationis“theirnaggingthattheyhavelaboriouslycreatedgiveupthehopeofimpalingsomethingthatconsequenceis
a
for
themselves.’’…Ontheotherhand,themothers
characterand
to
theirChinese
by
theirdaughters。
contr01.The
isoftenperceived
theirchildren
asmanipulation
and
completebreakdownofcommunicationbetweenthemothers
and
daughters.
Thedisparitybetweenparents’hopesandchildren’sfailuresbringstension.
Theduckis
a
a
symbolofthemother’sunrealisticambitionsforherdaughterwhoismerely
see
duckbutwhomthemotherwantsto
Theoldwomanremembered
a
as
a
swan.
swanshehadboughtmanyyearsagoinShanghaifo,a
foolishsum.砌妇bird,boastedthe
hopes《becomingagoose.and
Suyuanchildtobe
marketvendor,was
oncea
duckthatstretcheditsneckin
eat.“
now
look.,~ItiS
too
beautifulto
Woo
a
hasenormousfaiththateverythingispossibleinAmericaandexpectedher
prodigy.First,she
a
wanted
concea
Jing—meitobeanotherShirleyTemple,andwhenthat
seemedunlikely,thenatleastpianist.Itistouchingyetridiculous.Thedaughters
are
exasperatedbytheirmother’simpossibledemand,resentfuloftheirmother’sinstructions
theirlivesandsometimes
on
ashamed
a
oftheirstubborn,superstitiousolddays.Inthefirst
prologue,theswanbecomeswantstosharewithherAmerican
symbolofthemother’spastlifeinChina,allexperienceshe
thewomanfromChinaarrivedintheUnitedStates,leavingherwithonly
one
daughter.When
swan
officialsconfiscatedthe
featherandthememoryof
an
thebeautifulbird.Shewantstotellherdaughterabouttheisstillwaitingforthedaywhenshe
“over
bird,though
old
womannow.she
cantell
herstoryin“perfectAmericanEnglish”.Shesays,
therenobodywilllookdown
on
her,because1willmakeherspeak
hasachievedthis
on,pcryectAmerican
motherherself.who
English’’“However,becausethe
hasnotmasteredEnglish,cannot
daughter
dream,the
speakwith
herowndaughter.Ironically,themother’sdream
forher
daughter,which
ismarkedbytheirphysicalremovalfromthemotherland,resultsinthedaughter.The
alienationofmother
and
daughterreadilyandentirelyadaptstothecustomsand
languageofthenewland,whilethemotherstillholdsontothoseoftheold.It’sjustlikeLindoJongsays.‘Ywantedmychildrentohavethebestcombination:AmericancircumstancesandChinesecharacter,howcouMIknowthesetwothingsdo
‘‘Tolive
a
not
m打?’’13
will
goodlifeintheUSA'’,recallsthemotherhopesthatthedaughter
speak
excellentEnglish
and
live
an
Americanized
lifeofmiddleclass.Thedaughtersarethusraised
.8.
!!型坠!!!兰!呈:!些::錾型!圣:型些譬
andshapedintheAmericaneducationalsystemandinthesocietymarkedbyConsequently,theynaturallyresisttheChinesenormswiththeir
American
values.
American
thought,carriedby
theirEnglishlanguage,thoughsometimestheyhavetoretuNltoChinesestrengthwhentheyfailtogetpsychological
balancewith
theirAmericanideas.
‘‘ForChineseAmericanwomen,speakingEnglishthem
to
a
affirmstheirpublicidentityandgives
a
legitimateculturalvoiceto
their
claimfo,a
a
space伽thissocietyEnglishgivesthem
to
meansthey
assert
independence
and
tool
fightagainstsexism
and
racism
a
that
encounter.’’14
Theabilitytospeakexcellent
AmericanEnglish.and
thustosharedominant
languagegenerallyusedwithinthecommunity,equipsthedaughterswithnecessaryconfidence
so
as
tosucceed
asCaucasianmiddleclasspeople-??????-thisis
notonly
theAmericandreamof
once
generationsofnative
Americans,butalsothedreamheldbythemotherswhohad
American
traveled
with
a
swanand
a
naive
a
dream,as
intheprelude,andtheirgenerationsafteraswell.
Ironically,itissuch
For
one
dream
thatwidensthegenerationgapbetweenthemothers
and
daughters.
thing,the
daughters,who
acceptthedominantwhiteconceptionofnon—standard
ale
English???-????thoughEnglishwithdifferentdialects
notconcealtheir
acceptedasEnglishvariationsnow,can
impatiencewhentheirmothersspeakbroken
English.Their
contemptuous
languageattitudetowardstheawkwardEnglishspokenbytheirpowerlessmothersandtheirdifficultyinunderstandingChinesehavebothforcedtheirmothersinYingyingSt.Clairsaid,‘‘ForalltheseyearsIkeptmymouthclosed
silencemost
so
ofthetime.
selfish
desireswould
notfallOUt.And
sitsby
because1remainedswimmingpool
quietfor
SO
longnowmydaughterdoesnothearme.She
big,
herfancy
andhearsonlyher勋砂Walkman,hercordlessphone,her
andnolighterfluid.’’1’
mademe
importanthusbandaskingherwhytheyhavecharcoal
AsJing—meilaments,‘‘Thesekinds
two
ofexplanationsfeelmymotherandIspoke
different
languages,whichwecfid.Italkedtoherin
motherandI
never
English,sheansweredbackin
one
Chinese”’6
and‘"Myreallyunderstood
another.geetranslatedeach
otherimeanings
and
Iseemedtohearlessthanwhatwagsaid,whilemymotherheard
more.’’1’Thecomprehensiondiscrepancy
is
so
startlinglysadthat
our
concemaboutthe
mother-daughter
andalso
cultural
relationshipnaturallyextendstothesurvivalconditionforChineseAmerican
otherminorityethnicity.‘‘Th/sabsence
transcends
thesimplelinguisticdichotomies
or
misunderstandings;bothmothersanddaughtersarenegotiatingtheir
socialpositionsandcontestingtheiridentitiesasChineseAmericanwomenin
that
can
relationalandthelanguages
enhance
or
undermine
theirpower,legitimacy,andvoice.”15
oreven
Jing-meidoesnothertragicpastdaughtersin
understand
fullyknowshermother
because
shedoesn’tknow
andthe
painshestillfeelsfromthememoryofit.BecauseSuyuanlost
two
Chinaandherentire
family
waskilledinthewar,sheleavesthisplacebehindher
andplacesallofherhopesin
Americaandherfamilythere.Shewantsthevery
.9.
bestfor
her
!!:尘呈:!!圣:!!:坚篓::些型!圣!型些:
daughterJing-mei.EvenhernameSuyuanmeaning‘’long-cherishedwish”。speaksofthishopeforJing—meimeaning“thepureessential,bestdaughterJing—meithatshefirst,Jing—meiisexcited
was
can
qualityyoungersister'’.Suyuantellsher
to
beanythingshe
wants
be,andthatshehasgreattalent.At
and
dreamsaboutwhatshewillbecome:“/nallmyimaginations.1
soon
filled
withasensethat1would
become
never
perfect.Myfeel
mother
andfather
yor
wouldadore
me.1wouldbebeyondapproach.1would
theneedtosulk
anything.’’‘9After
failingtoexcelateachtasksetbeforeher,Jing—meibeginstofeelmoreandmoreresentfultowardshermother.Sheuptothese,shefeelslike
atatalentshow,she
sees
hermother’shopes
as
expectations,andwhenshedoesnotlive
a
a
loser.Finally,whenJing-meiperforms
pianofilledwithmistakes
believesthathermotheriscompletelyashamedanddisappointedwithher,
reason
What
Jing—meididnotrealizewasthatthereal
whyhermotherwasupsetwasnot
care
becauseshehadnotliveduptoherexpectations。butbecauseJing-meididnothavingthebestforherself.ShedidnothavehighhopesShefailedbecauseshedidnottry
or
about
passion
to
be
successfulatanything.
and
shedidnotcare.ThisisstrongoppositiontoSuyuan’s
highhopesthatoriginatedfromthestrongloveshehasforherdaughter
Mothers
are
estrangedfromtheirdaughters,anddaughtersbecomeemotionallycrippled
by
theirmothers.In“RiceHusband,”forexample,LenaSt.Clmrcomplainsthathermotherhas“themysteriousabilityto
see
things
before
theyhappen…she
sees
onlybadthings"about
a
our
family.She
takes
a
never
didanythingtostop
them.’“Once
whenLenais
younggirl,hermother
one
lookatLena’sricebowl
andcommentsthat‘'yourfuture
once
husbandhas
pockmark
joveveryriceyounotfinish…l
see
know
a
pockmark
man。Mean
manjbadmanj“。This
curse
remarkleadsyoungLenatoArnold,aneighborhoodbully,asherfuturehusbandand
himbyleavingmorericeinherbowl.Manyyearslater,whenLenareadsinthepaperaboutArnold’sdeathduetocomplicationsfrommeasles,sheisconvincedthatsheisresponsibleforhisdeath.Thus,whenLenafindsherselfinnothingother
a
dysfunctionmarriagewithHarold.shedoes
than
feelresentment,believingthatHaroldisherretributionandpunishment
and
for
heradolescenthatred
ofArnold.“Wedeserve
whatweget。”22Lenathinks.
to
ThemothersinTan’snovelsexpecttheirdaughterstoobeytheireldersobedience,observation
andimimtion.astheydidinChina.Theirelders
learnby
didnotexplain.
Becausethemothersinternalizevaluesinnate
and
knowledge,theyseemtoassumethatknowledgeis
andthat
itispresentintheirdaughtersandonlyhaveto
be
broughtout
or
activated。In
TheJoyLuckCl“6,Anmei,seesinhermother“Hereishow,cametolovemymotherHow,
sawinhermyowntrue
nature.What
wasbeneathmyskin.inside
so
mybones.”23To
her,
connectiontohermotherherown
or
filialrespectisdeepthatitisinherbones.Therefore,shehopes
daughterhasthesamefeelingtoherasshehastohermothert
ButinAmerica,the
mothers’warnings,instructions,and
.10.
examples
arenotsupportedbythe
:!::堡竺尘:至:呈:::些!:::竺!!圣:!:!!:錾:
context
ofAmericanculture.and
SO
theirdaughtersdo
not
understand.Theyhate
and
misinterprettheirmothers’alienChineseways
and
beliefs.Similarlgthemothersdonot
as
understandwhytheydonothavethekindofrelationshipswiththeirdaughterstheirmothersinChina,TheJoyLuckmothersregardthemselves
111e
as
areso
theyhadwith
closetotheirownmothersthatthey
continuationsoftheirmothers,likestairs.
relationshipsbetweenthemothersand
are
daughtersbetween
are
alltenseandproblematic.
motheristheandmother
Mothers
thebridge
between
the
daughters
andthe
daughters’homeland.The
theAmerican
Americandaughter’SChinese
isthe
one
heritage.Thecrisisdaughter
betweenthe
American
daughterandherChineseheritage.ThereaSonforthe
conflictsbetweenthemothers
anddaughters
iSthe
daughters’aSsimilation.Living
in
a
society
inwhichmultipleformsofracismexist,Chinesecolonial
American
a
youngsterscannothelp
becoming
to
subjects.Educated
in
American
schools,itisdifficultforthese
colonialsubjects
rebelagainstsuperiority
and
theirowninferiority.Asnaturalresult,theytrytheirbesttO
become“Americanized'’,atthesame
andthuskeep
a
timecastingofftheirChineseheritage.Whentheyfind
theirmotherscannotassimilateintothe
American
culture,theyfeel
ashamedand
humiliated,
distanceandalienationfromthem.
TheJoyLuckmothersarepainfullyawareoftheirdaughters’distancefromthem.Suyuan.
forexample.isexaSperatedwhenJing—meimentionstheirph)7sicalresemblance:“Youdon}
even
knowlitterpercentofme!Howcanyoubeme?’’“AnduponJing-mei’Sconfessionofher
ignorance
aboutherlatemother’Slifeexperience,theothermothersare
see
frightened
as
bytheir
realizationthat:inJing-mei,theyallthetruths
theirown
daughters,just
as
ignorant,justdaughters
unmindfulof
andhopesthey
havebroughtto
America.They
are
see
whogrowimpatient
whentheirmotherstalkinChinese,whothinktheyfracturedEnglish.111ey
sce
stupidwhentheyexplainthingsin
thatjoyand
luckdonotmeanthesametotheir
nota
daughters,thatto
see
theseclosed
American-bornminds,‘'joyluck'’is
willbear
grandchildren
word,and
itdoesnotexist.They
hope
daughterswho
born
without
anyconnecting
passed
from
generationtogeneration.
Atthesametime,thetheirstories,toneitherdesire
daughters
finditloathsometo
beidentified
withtheirmothersand
speaktheChineselanguage,and
tokeeptheoldways
andcustoms.They
have
nor
interesttoknowtheirmothers’stories,whichmothershavebroughtfrom
ChinatoAmerica
andare
unabletotellin
perfect
English.Thus,inrefusing
toreachacrossthe
culturalandlinguisticdivisionandlisteningtothe“storiesfromthemotherline.”the
cut
daughters
a
themselvesfromthelegacyoftheirmothers
a
and
themotherlineofwhichtheyare
part.A
fifteen—year-oldsophomoreat
SanFrancisco
highschool,Jing—meihas“vigorouslydenied
that(she)hadanyChinesewhatsoeverbelow伪er)skin";shehasbecome
such
a
Americanized
as
to
degree
that
allher
Caucasian
friendsagreethatsheis‘'about
.ff.
as
Chinese
theywere.’’25
:!!:!!呈!!!兰:!!:!::竺!::;::!!兰:呈!!些!彗
AndthatisalsowhyLindosaysofherdaughter
are
Waverly
withregret,“Onlyherskinandhair
Chinese
Inside…-she
isallAmerican—made.’“oLivinginasocietythathasalonghistory
ofoppressingChineseAmericans,Waverlyandtheotherdaughterscannothelpbutabsorb
certainstereotypicalandracistviewsoftheChinese,which,regrettably,alienatethemfromtheirmothers,allembodimentofwhatis
Chinese.Waverly,for
instance,feelsverydispleased
no
withherphysicalresemblancetohermother,whoinherandherCaucasianfriends’eyesis
morethana“backwardoldChinesewoman.’“7AndwhenSuyuanclaimsthatJing.meiisChinesebyblood.thedaughtercannothelpimaginingherselfqueerhabits.
,sawreplicating
asa
monsterwithhermother’S
myselftransforming
like
a
a
werewolf,疗mutant
tag
ofDNAsuddenlytriggered,
itselfinsidiously
into
syndrome,aclusteroftelltaleChinesebehaviors,allthose
thingsmymothercOdtoembarrass
a
me…一haggling
fact
withsomeowners.peckinghermouthwiththatlemonyellowandpalepink
are
toothpickinpublic,beingcolor-blindtothe
not
goodcombinationsforwinterclothes.28
Such
mothershas
pulledthe
the
daughters
away
fromtheirmothersandmadeperfect
Trees”.Yingying
says
identification
impossible.In
chapter‘‘WaitingBetweenthe
plaintivelythatshehasalltheyears“watched(Lena)gISthoughshore’’29Herallusiontothe
ocean,as
E.D.Huntleycorrectlyreads,isnotjustafigureofspeechbut
all
essentialtruthabout
theculturalseparationbetweenherandLenainandtheirAmerican—born
particular,andbetweentheimmigrantmothers
daughtersin
general.
Mostoftheconflictsmothersand
daughters
face
liein
themisunderstanding
and
negligenceconcerningeachother’Sfeelingsandbeliefs.
3.3TheCauseofConflietbetweenTw0Cultures
3.3.1TheConflictbetweenTwolanguages
Theroleofinformation.Itislanguage.Aswe
a
languageinsocietyissignificant
asa
vehicleforme
exchangeof
impossibletoliveinanotherculturecomfortablywithoutspeakingthe
not
know,languageisjustaboutknowingthewords,asanyonewhospeaks
see
a
foreigntonguerealizes.It’Saboutculture,andunderstandinghowotherpeople
Inthisnovel。theimmigrantmothersstruggletospeak
theworld.
as
a
andmaster
English
new
language.TheexperienceofmovingoutofChineseintoEnglishispainfulandemotionallydebilitating.Sincethe
can
AmericanizedAmerican
daughters,theywerebom
and
educatedinAmerica.They
speak
fluentperfect
a
English.Buttheycannotunderstandtheirmothers’language
verywell,whichis
mixtureofEnglishandChinese.Observingheraunties,Junethinks,“The
JoyLuckauntiesbegintomakesmallm阮notreallyl括teningtoeachothertheirspecial
language.haIfinbroken
Theyspeakin
English,halfin
.12.
theirownChinesediniecc?如
:!::些!!!!::呈:!:些:!!:!些!兰:型些些!
When
LindoJongisspeakingto
WaverlywithgreatprideaboutTaiyuan,thecapitalcity
ofShanxi,herhometown,butWaverlythinkshermotheristalkingaboutTaiwan:
‘'Ai.n’shecriedloudly.‘"IamAnd
notfrom
Taiwan.”
justlikethat,thefragileconnectionwewerestartingtobuildsnapped.
‘‘,wasborninChina.inTaiyuan,”Shesaid.“Taiwan妇notChina.”
‘‘Well,Ionlythoughtyousaid。Taiwan’becauseitsoundsthesame,”Iargued,irritated
that
shewasupsetbysuch
all
unintentionalmistake.
saidin
a
‘'Soundiscompletelydifferent#Country括completelydifferentP’she
ifyou
are
huff.
“Peoplethereonlydreamthat缸China,becauseChinainyourmind.””Fortheoverseas
Chineseyou
cannever
letgoof
Chinesemother,wherevershegoes,shealways
or
considersherself嬲adescendantofthedragonthescionsofHuangDi
and
YahDi.They
liveinChinatown.TaiyuanistheplacetheChinesemotherhasbeenlongingforallherlife.Shefeelsthe
SO
sadwhenshehearsherdaughterrefersit
as
Taiwan.Chinesepeople’Sloyalty
to
motherlandisdeeplyrootedintheChinesetraditionalmainstream.IntraditionalChinese
society,thefamilyandtheand
a
countrysharethesamestructure.Afamilyis
or
a
minimizedcountry
countryis
or
a
maximized
family.Familymembers
that
languagehas
citizens
shouldkeeployaltothehea
wherevershe
This
hegoes.Thetieisespeciallystrong.
perfectlyshows
example
been
a
greatgapbetweenmotherand
SO
daughter.ForLindo,itishardtobelievethatherdaughterTaiwan
couldbe
ignorant
as
toconfuse
a
and
Taiyuan.Andfor
Waverly,sheCan’t
understandwhyhermotherisin
passion
OVersuchaninadvertent,minorslip.
3.3.2High-contextandLow-contextAnalysis
AllofTan’SworksexploretheclashbetweenChineseculturewayofcultureculture.
Ahigh—contextcultureisinformation,SOlistenershares
a
andAmerican
culture.One
understandingthedifferenceistolookatcommunicationinthesecultures.ChineseCanbeclassified笛ahigh-contextcultureandAmericanculture嬲alow-context
cultureinwhichtheindividualhasinternalized
meaningand
or
that
littleisexplicitlystatedinwritten
spokenmessages.Inconversation。the
Call
thesameknowledgeandassumptions,thelistener
piecetogetherthe
speaker’smeaning.
Alow。contextcultureis
one
inwhichinformationand
a
meaningsareexplicitlystatedinthe
message
or
communication.Individualsin
or
low-context
cultureexpect
explanations
when
not
statements
situations
are
unclear,astheyoftenare.Informationandmeaningare
oran
internalizedbytheindividualbutarederivedfromcontext。e.g.,fromthesituation
In
a
event.
high-contextculture,theindividualacquiresculturalinformationandmeaningfrom
.13.
!!!:些!:::尘呈:!:罂!:::竺!些!:些望:
obediencetoauthority,throughobservationandimitation.Toacquireknowledgeinthiswayandtointernalizeit,childrenmustbecarefullytrained.High-contextculturesarehighlystableandslowtochange,formey
are
rootedinthepast.
orare
Insuchcultures,theindividualmustknowwhatismeantatthecovert
level;theindividualunderstandwithoutregardsthelistener
issupposedtoknowandtoreactproperly.Others
or
unexpressedexpected
to
explanation
as
specificdetails.Explanations
are
insulting,asifthespeaker
notknowledgeableorsocializedenoughtounderstand.Tomembersofa
a
low—contextculture,speakersin
tothepoint.
high—contextseemtotalkaround
a
subjectand
never
toget
Thebondsamongpeople
are
verystrongin
a
high—contextculture.Peopleinauthority
are
personallyandliterallyresponsiblefortheactionsofsubordinates,whetheringovernment,inbusiness.orinthefamily.In
are
a
high-contextculture,theforms(conventionalwaysofbehaving)
notobservethe
important;theindividualwhodoesformsisperceivednegatively;the
negative
judgmentsfor
an
individual’s
badbehavior,becausetheyexpectthatthestrongfamily
cause
tradition.whichisbased
In
a
on
ancestors,will
thechildultimatelytobehaveproperly.
low—contextculture,asEdwardtHall
explains.“Mostoftheinformation
mustbein
thetransmittedmessageinordertomakeupand
fo,whatismissinginthecontext仿othinternal
are
extern洲.”“In
a
low—contextculturechangeisrapidandeasy;bondsbetweenpeople
changed
or
looser;actionis
undertakeneasilyandcanbe
stopped
once
initiated.
a
Thecommunicationproblemsthatarisewhenandtheotherisfrom
a
one
speakerisfromhJ【gh—contextculture
low.contextculture
never
can
be
seen
intheconversationsofJuneand
Suyuan,“My
motherandI
reallyunderstood
one
another.Wetranslatedeachother≥
meaningsandIseemedtohearlessthanwhatwassaidwhilemymotherheardmore.”33Junelooksformeaninginwhatisstated
and
doesnotunderstandthathermotheromitsimportant
informationbecausesheassumesherdaughterotherhand,looksformeaninginwhathasthatsurpriseherdaughter.
Tan’s
use
knows
it
andcan
inferit;hermother,onthe
comesupwithmeanings
been
statedexplicitly
and
oftalkstoryisalso
anexample
ofthedifferencebetweenhigh?contextculture
andlow—contextculture.Inthetalkstorythenarrator
expectsthelistenertograspthepoint,whichisnotstated.Thosemothersliketellingstoriestotheirdaughters,inwhich
theyhidetheirimplications.
In
Tan’s
laterworks,we
can
often
see
themisunderstandingsandconflictsthatarecaused
a
bythedifferencesbetween
a
high?contextcultureand
a
low—contextculture.
a
Infact,thedifferencesofgrowingupin
a
familyfrom
high-contextcultureandlivingin
low-contextcultureappearinotherChinese
American
writers.ThenarratorofMaxineHong
sees
Kingston’sTheWomanWarriorisunabletodecidewhetherfiguresshe
.f4.
arerealpersons
or
:!:型呈:!!圣:呈:!:些!:錾堡!至!型些:
ghosts,whetherstoriessheistoldisshetoldthestories,andwhether
are
trueorfictional,whatthemeaningofthosestories.whyeventreallyhappensorisimagined.
an
3.4TheConflictbetweenTwoCultures
Tan
writesaboutfamilyissues,sheextends
family
conflictstoculturalones.Thelost
motherrepresentsthelostmotherlandforallthedaughters.MothersrepresentChina,and
daughtersrepresentallChinese
immigrants.111edisappearance
ofmisunderstandingbetween
relationship.Tanputsher
mothersanddaughtersindicatetheimprovementofownexperienceinthecontextofallChinesemeaningswitIldeepercultural
Sino—American
Americans.∞her
novelshavemoresymbolic
connotation.
3.4.1InevitableCulturalConflict
Allof
Tan’S
worksmoveback
and
the
forth
across
thedivisionbetweenthetwo
or
more
generations,the
transportedprone
twocontinentsand
two
cultures.InreadingTan,we
findourselves
across
thePacificOceanfromtheupwardlymobile,design—conscious,divorce
worldofthedaughtersin
andAmericanized
and
AmericatotheworldofChinawhichseems
common
Publishers’Weekly
morefantastic
dreamlikethanreal.Sheincorporatesthehistoricaleventsinto
people’Slives,whichmakestheseeventsmoretruetolife.Areviewin
mentions“thepleasureofTaniseductiveprose”andtheFortunanotesthat“whatmost
commendsthenovel(TheJoyLuckClub)arethefragmentsofactualChinesehistory,SO
exoticallyretrievedthatthereaderhurriesthroughthemodernnarrativeinordertolearnmoreaboutthepast.’“Inherfournovels,we
cansensetheWife
and
crueltyofwars,Anti—JapanesewarsinBonesetteriDaughter,theHeavenly
砀F
JoyLuckClub,TheKitchenGod's
The
Kingdom
Movement
a
inThe
HundredSecretSenses.JustbecauseoftheseWarS,these
characterssuffer
lotfromthedeathoftheirbelovedones,theseparationfromtheirrelatives,
andthedeparturefromtheirnovels.
homeland.War
hasbecometheindispensableelementinTan’S
Moreover,thereis
conflict
a
tremendous
continuityofthemes
betweenthebicultural,bilingualimmigrantand
AmyTan’Snovels…一the
thoroughlyAmericanizedsecond
among
as
generation,andthethemeofdeath
andlife.Thesethemesunfoldthestoriesmovefrom
daughterstOmothers,fromCalifomiatoChina,fromthepresenttothepast
tothepreviouslife.
and
fromthislife
Thedescriptionoftheconflicts
betweenmothersand
daughtersexpressestheclash
between
and
Chineseculture
represents
daughter
Americanculture.MotherrepresentsChinesetraditionalcultureAmericanculture.Thetwoculturesalwaysclashintheprocessof
and
tothe
mother-daughtercommunication.Themotherstelltheirhistoryfromtheirchildhood
currentsituationinthe
USA,whereasthe
daughters’stories
.15.
mainlydealwiththeirpresentlives.
:三!:!:竺!!!圣!!!::::!!!!:!!!!圣!耋:!些呈:
Tan’snovelsarefullofChinesehistoricaleventsandorientalflavor.Readinghernovels,isherpastandpresentlife,
Clothingalsosignifiesculturalconfusionsandcollisions,andtosignalconcealment,subterfuge,orthe
legends.We
Callsense
a
strong
justlikelisteningto
a
ChineseAmericantalkingabout
performanceof
a
feigned
who
or
manufacturedidentity,Characters
who
are
unabletointegratetheirtwocultures
or
are
experiencingsomeformofculturaldislocation
tendtoberecognizableinthenovelbythewaytheydress.SuyuanStates
with
no
Woo
arrivesintheUnitedthat
are
luggage
saveone
trunk
full
offancysilk
dresses
completely
inappropriatetohernewlife,andshemustresorttowearinghand—medown
one
ofonlytwomuch—too—large
Western
dresses.AphotographofYing—yingSt.Clairtakenwhenshewas
releasedfromAngelIslandImmigrationStationshows
anAsian
womanwearing
a
traditional
ankle?lengthChinesedress,oddlypairedwith
a
Westernizedjacket
constructedwithpadded
shoulders,widelapels.andlargeclothbuaons.TheelementsofYing-ying’scostumeclash。
eastagainstwest.providingavisualrepresentationoftheconflictinYing—ying’sownmind
whensherealizesthatherhusband
hasgivenher
anAmericanname
and
a
newbirthdate.
a
Morecomplex
are
the
instances
inwhichacharacterdressestoperformfalseidentity.
one
TravelingwithhermothertoliveinTientsinwithhermother’sprotector,An—meiisstartledmorningtofindhermotherdressedelaboratelyin
Western
clothing.An-mei,too,ishastily
bundledintowesterngarb?-一一?-amuch—too—largeruffledwhitedressthatresemblesnothingshe
has
a
ever
worn.Shelaterfinds
outthat
Wu
Tsing,whoownsthehousewheretheywilllive.has
hadmadehimrich’’”,andguesseseventually
taste
forimportedluxuries“becauseforeigners
thathermothermustweartheWesternclothestomakebeabletokeephereconomicsecurity.
“Culturessurvivebecauseculturesexistbecausenumber
Wu
Tsinghappy;by
so
doing,shewill
ofancestors
andtheir
influence
on
thepresentgeneration,"
ona
ofmemory
narratedthroughstory.Culturalsurvival括dependent
relations.and
a
of
factors…history,memory,ancestral
and
a
community
of
shared
values.’’”Itisthroughmemorymotherstrytoregain
narration。reinterpretationofpastinChinesethatthe
balancebetweenselfprideandoutsideprejudice.The
through
conflictbetweenthewholebook.
thepast(mother/east)andtheS_tarting
present(daughter/west)is
begin
running
from
storytelling,themothers
rewrite‘"stories
to“healpast
experiences
of
lossand
separation’’“and
ofoppressionandvictimizationintoparables
ofse胙
affirmation
transformed
andindividualempowerment.’’33from
a
Gradually,maternal
andsubjectivity
silenceininto
all
thenovelisinstrument
even
medium
ofself-inscription
of
intersubjectivityanddialogue.asthemothers
utterthehushedinnatesenseand
move
fromenmitytocommunicationwiththedaughters。“/ninvitingthe
daughters’interjections.the
discoverhowtheywill
砌iftfrom
interiormonologueto
dialogue
enablesthemothersto
.16.
!!:!!!!竺!!!::呈:!!堡::::竺!!圣:!型::!呈
mediate
:,,-
betweenpastandthepresentfo,theirdaughter.’o’
theirChineseidentitythatthemainstreamsociety
theirmothersand
Thoughtheyhaverealizedthecommunicationdisharmonybetween
themselves,the
daughters
call
hardly
erase
labelsthem.TheysucceedinsomedegreetochangetheirinsideintowhiteAmericansthroughtheEnglish
language一---so
as
tomaltyEnglish—speakingAmericans
and
workin
an
English
environment,whiletheirtheypossess.As
appearanceandtheirunderstanding
realizes,‘"Bicultural
one
ofChineserevealtheotherface
Tan
later
identitycannotbereducedto
twoneutral
that
pristine,andequallinguisticdomains
simplypicksandchoosestoparticipatein
with口讲personalrelational,social,andpoliticalconsequences.’枷Theirpendentproblems
arousedintheparticipationintheEnglishworldandtheirobviousfailureintheChineseworld,aftertheir
inexperienced
attempt,leavetheminpassivity.
traditionalChinesemythsareappliedby
Chineseclassicssettings
andtransmutes
using
American
are
and
often
slangylanguages.Inthe
novel,mainstream
traditions
are
American’Sconcerns
transformedto
some
of
foregroundedandoldChinese
supporting
role.This
complex
superstitiousand
social
playthethe
bitter
conflict
wouldalso
explain
controversiesbetweenthe
maincultures.
IntheUSA,Chineseimmigrantsinparticular
have
alwaysbeenlookedupon
as
notonly
beingthe
otherbutalsoexotic
andinassimilable.OnemightsaythatChinesewomenwere
doublymarginalized.First,aswomentheyweresuppressedbytheirownculture,andsecond,
as
first
or
second
generation
immigrantstheyendured
suppressionby
American
majority
in
culture.Theheterogeneousconstitutionoftheindividualandsocialnovels.
subjectisexposed
Tan’S
Motherand
is
a
daughter
represent
twoopposites,ChinesecultureandAmerican
exhausted
culture.One
dystopiaoftragedies,sufferings,war,poverty,oppression,and
a
possibilities,
whereastheotheris
utopia
of
happiness,justice,hope,gender
and
equality,andendless
noare
opportunities.Themothersareconstructed嬲representativeChinesewomen.whohave
verylittleintheUnitedStates,whilethedaughters
naltle
controloftheirlivesatallinChinapresentedasmodemtheyareall
AmericanwomenwhoCan
are
theirlivesmostofthetime.IntheUSA,
immigrants.who
alwayshauntedwi也asenseofloss.
Thedaughterstransformation
daughters.She
seelntotally
Americanizedat
somepoint
intheirlives,‘'swallowingmore
Coca—Colathansorrow.’,4l
TandepictstheStates,and
mothers’frustrations
and
problemsintheirculturalwiththeir
intheUnited
USeS
intheirdomestic
to
conflicts
American—born
whereeach
the
four-playermahjongclubstructurethefourmother-daughter
relationships.Thestoryofthesepairsareinterwoveninfour
majorsegments
womennarrateshowshehasbecomewhatsheisataparticular
a
point
inherlife.Eachofthe
fourmajorsections,startingwith
vignette船an
.17.
introduction,includesfourchapters.The
i!!:些!!!圣!呈::些些!些!圣!型!:錾
andpreventionagainsttheir
daughtersgrowupundertheirmother’Sincessantsupervisioncompleteculturalassimilation.
Tan’sworksreflecttheconflictsoftwocultures,twoworlds,twogenerationsandtwocountries.Theconflictsbetween
two
cultures
are
whatmostChineseAmericanwriterspay
greatattentiontowhentheyexploreSino—American
relationship.WhileTanhas
a
madegreat
as
a
contributiontothespreadofChineseculturewithherWOrksshehassetcommunicator.‘'Amidagreeablypicturesqueandlively
model
culturaldeeper
family
scenes,Taninserts
a
message砂describing
differences
changes伽theChineseAmericanexperienceandunderscoringthe
betweennewimmigran括’views
ofAmericanlife
and
oftheirforebears."m
a
LikemostofAmericanwritersofrecent
interestinissuesthat
are
immigrantancestry,AmyTanhas
natural
centraltothelives
ofhyphenatedAmericans.“Likethemshewrites
aboutthelimitedidentity
ofthehyphenatedAmerican,abouttheculturalchasms
between
immigrantparentsandtheirAmerican—bornoffspring
a
andthelinguisticgaps"between
generationsandfinallyabouttheneedtodiscover
usableandrecognizablepast.Butshe
doesnotwriteexclusivelyabouttheAsianexperience,norisherstyle
Asian
specificallyandwholly
despifeitsfrequent
allusionstotraditional
ChinesefoIkgenres
andits
borrowings"from
thetalkstorytradition.’…Inherwork.Tanraisesquestionsabouttherelationshipbetweenethnicity,difference,gendeLmanyaspects
andidentity.She
writesabouttheDiasporaculture
problems
as
wellasthe
within
ofbiculturalism:culturaldislocation;theand
challenges
immigrantfamilies;theconflictbetweenassimilationkindsofwritingin
andparochialism.Tan
mixesnumerous
hernovels:thebiography,theautobiography,the
memoir;history,
mythology,thefolktale,andthetalkstory。
3.4.2MaterialCulture
Contactsandcommunicationbetweenculturesbeginatthemateriallevelandgraduallyinfluencethesocialandideologicalculture
Level1
Level2SocialCulture
Level3
IdeologicalCulture
MaterialCulture
Aculture,regardlessofitstypeandstageofdevelopment。consistsofthreelevels.Atthe
outsetisthemateriallevel;atthecoreis
theideologicallevel;inthemiddleisthecombination
ofthetwo:thesocialculture.
When
peopleofdifferentculturalbackgroundscometOcontact
andcommunicate,the
ale
first
thingtheynoticearethematerialdifferencesbecausethesedifferencesveryobvious.
Atthebeginningofthenovel,Jing?meiis36yearsold,andhersuddenlydiedof
a
mother,Suyuan,has
cerebralaneurysm.Jing—mei’SfatheraskshertogototheJoyLuckClubin
one
hermother’splace.tohonorhermemory.SheagreestoaRend
ofthemeetings.She
describeshermother’soldfriendAuntieAn-mei’Shouse.‘¨havenotbeentotheHsus≥house
.18.
!!:型竺:!!尘竺:墼堡型!些竺:至
inmanyyears.butthelivingroomisexactlythesameandUncleGeorgemovedtOtheSunsetdistrictboughtnew
as
Irememberit.WhenAuntieAn—mei
pom
Chinatown
twenty-five
yearsago,they
furniture.It's
allthere,stilllookingmostlynew
a
underyellow
plastic.Thesame
turquoisecouchshapedinheavymaple.AlampBank
semicircle
ofknobbytweed
Thecolonialendtablesmadeout
of
offake
crackedporcelain.Onlythescroll-lengthcalendarfree
from
the
ofCanton.changeseveryyear’”
TheabovepassagedescribesthelivingenvironmentofAuntieAn-mei,animmigrantChinese.FromJing-mei’Sperspective,everythinginherauntie’Shousehasbeenkeptinwayfordecades.Sheviewsthesefromalways
all
one
opaqueanddistantplaceanditshowsthatsheiS
an
outsiderwho
Can’t
appreciatethiswayoflifeata11.
3。4.3IndividualismVs.Collectivism
Hofstede’SresearchindicatesthatindividualismiS
a
culturalpattemwhichiSfoundinmost
toacultural
northernandwesternregiOIlSofEuropeandNorthAmerica.Collectivismrefers
pattemcommoninAsia,theMiddleEast.CentralandSouthAmerica,andthepacificislands.
Inthisnovel,theinfluenceoftraditionalChineseideologies
andpresence
ofcontemporary
American
culturecoexist
andare
equally
strong.Wheneverthemothers
tryto
express
to
any
or
wishes
or
getcommandoftheirdaughters,the
In
daughtersrelentlessly
counter
themresist.
collectivism—orientedculture,familyisvalued
astheprototypeofallthesocial
organizations
and,accordingly,Chinesepeople
start
acquiringtheiridentitiesfromthefamily.
Chineseembracetheideathatthe
family
as
makesits
members.Inthis
kindoffamily,afamily
member’S
primarymotivationforactionisthoughttobringhonor
or
and
or
creditforhisorher
parents.He
sheisnot
thoughtof
acting
on
his
or
herown
Call
behalf
forownpurpose.On
or
theotherhand,individualism-orientedculture,personhasaccomplishedbyhimselfinto
a
or
takecreditonlyforwhathe
she
hersel£Theyget
no
credit
whatsoeverfor
poor
having
beenbom
theirownlevelthey
rich
family.They
pridethemselvesin
havingbeenbom
and,through
to
sacrificeandhard
work,having
climbedthedifficultladderof
SUCCESS
whatever
the
have
achievedallbythemselves.TheyupholdtheIn
conceptthatindividualsmake
from
a
family.
valueof
The
JoyLuckClub,themothersemigrate
to
traditionalChinese
societythat
emphasizescollectivism
America,which
attaches
greatimportance
to
the
individualism.Theirroleschange.forformerlytheyrepresentauthority,buthavingimmigratedintothistotallynewsociety,theyareansurcof
themselves.Theirdaughters
no
longeridentify
withhermother
or
intemalizetheirauthorityinthesamewayasinChina.Sothefamilyties
betweenthe
mother
anddaughter
ineachofthesefour
or
Chinese.Americanfamilies
theChinese
iS
no
longer
whatdeterminestheChinese
daughters’obligations
mothers’authority.Family
causes
isnotsomethingtobeproudofasinChina,butrathersomethingthat
embarrassment
on
.19.
:!型坚!!:::呈:::竺::!::些!::型坚:
onesideortheother,andoftenbethsides.
3.4.4PrivacyVs.Harmony
RichSchieldsisWaverlyJong’sFianc6,whoisanAmericancolleagueworkedasatax—accountantinareputedfinn.ThoughWaverlyisanintelligentadult,shestillfearshermother’s
indirectlyblameshermotherfordisapproval.ForLindohasdislikedherfirsthusband,Waverly
thefailureofherfirstmarriage.Nowsheisworriedthathermother’sdisapprovalwouldpoisonthissecondmarriageaswell.WaverlymakesmanyplansaboutwaystobreakthenewstoLindo.HerfriendissoastonishedtodiscoverthatWaverlyissonel~OUSaboutthis
somatter.Fromherpointofview,Waverlyissuchacapablewoman,sowhydoesshebecome
aweakinfrontofhermother.Inhereyes.Waverlyeven“cantelltheIRStopissuprope.butcan}
standuptoownmother,”and“tellhertostopruiningyour
Richasks,“Howlongdoesittaketolife.TellhertoshutUP.’’45Justassay?Mom,Dad.I'mgettingmarried’“6
Waverly’sworries.InAmerica,peoplelearntoexpressBothofthemcannotunderstand
theirindividualdesiresandmakechoiceswhentheyareveryyoung.Theyactindependentlyandareresponsiblefortheirownactions.TheirreactionisverycommonforAmericans。asmarriageisaverypersonalaffair.InAmerica,privacyisnotonlyseenasaverypositive
findequallycondition。butitisalsoviewedasarequirementwhichallhumanswould
necessary,desirableandsatisfying.Buttheword‘"privacy"’hasstronglynegativeconnotationinChinese,suggestinglonelinessorisolationfromthegroup.
Tosomeextent.itisdesirabletraitforChinesetothinkforothersinordertoachieveharmoniousrelationship.Toavoidconflicts,peopletendtosubordinatetheirownneedstoother’s,toshowrespectorlove.Especially,intraditionalChinesesociety,wifeissubordinatetoherhusband,Personaldesiresarebestsubjugated
atothewillofthemaleheadinthefamily.RosewaseducatedinAmericaandbroughtupinChineseimmigrantfamily.Shejuxtaposed
one’stheChinesewaywiththe
notAmericanway.Theformerconsistedofnotexpressingdesires.speaking印,not
seriousflawmakingchoices.Thelatterconsistedofexercisingchoicesandspeakingupforoneself.ShechoseChinesewasaway,becauseshefound‘‘itwasonlylaterIdiscoveredtherewiththeAmericanversion.Thereweretoomanychoices,soitwaseasytogetconfusedandpickthewrongthing.That'showIfeltaboutmysituationwithTed.’“7
InRose’sstory,we
miserablecanseeitistheincompatiblevaluesthatleadthiscoupletotheareend.TheAmericandaughtersfacingtheproblemof‘‘choosingbetweentheworlds.”Compared晰th
demandsfrom
culturalChinesemothers.theyoungergenerationsliveinthedilemma.Theyoftenaresplitbytwodifferentcultures.Unliketheirmothers,suchwomenfaceconflictingtwoopposingcultures.WhileAmerican—bomdaughtersarefamiliarwiththen啪cesofChineselife,theirdilemmasfrequentlystemfromhavingtovacillate.20.
:呈!:些!!!::呈::些尘:堡!圣:竺:錾:
betweenc?Chineseness'’and‘"Americanness.’’TheirChinesemo血ers,incontrast,alelessplaguedbythecomplexitiesofbeingChinese,American,andwomen..21.
!!:!!:::!:篓!!!!!!:!!!!!!望!::!:竺!!兰:三:!!:錾:
4ReconciliationofT’】.,0GenerationsandTw0Cultures4.1ReconciliationofJoyLuckMothersandTheirDaughters
Despitetheintenseconflictsbetweenthemothersanddaughters,Tanisquiteoptimisticaboutthedaughters’reconnectiontothemotherlineandfurthertotheChineseheritage.Inthenovelthemother-daughterconflictsalldevelopinto
Thestoriesareasatisfyingreconciliation.aarrangedintoaquiteorganizedform.EachstoryistoldinwayofthefirstpersonsingularexceptJing—mei
her
inaWoo’smother,whodiedearly,leavingherstorytobetoldbygenerallineleadingthestoriesofTheJoyLuck(_Tubbackandfonhfromthemothers’pastexperiencestodaughter,andwhosestoryservesasarunscompletenet.Thewholenovel
thedaughters’modemlives.Tan
useusesflashbacksinthenoveltoexplorethemothers’differenthardships.Throughherofflashbacksandthedevelopmentofstrong—willedcharactersshe
bringsintoperspectiveafterexperiencingherowndevastatingtragedies,amotherwillgotogreatstrengthstoteachher
devastatinglifetragedies.
Itisachildrenthevaluesthatwillprotectthemfromtheirowndrawn-outprocessinvolving,firstofall,themothers’effortstoreachacrossthelinguisticandculturalgulf'tobreaktheexternallyimposedandself-imposedsilenceabouttheirpast.andtospeakinordertobeheardbythedaughters.Themothersmustbreaktheirsilencetobreakdownthestereotypesthattheextemalsocietyhasimposeduponthemandthe
isthepreconditionforprejudicesthattheirassimilateddaughtersholdagainstthem.This
mother-daughterreconciliation
becausetheiridentityasaandthereconciliationisextremelyimportantforthedaughtersChineseAmerican“/sacquiredthroughconnectionto,andknowledgeof.hermotherandthemotherlineofwhichsheisapart.’“8
aEvenLena,oneofthedaughters,hasgot
silencethathasalmostbiuersensethatitistheweightofmaternalstrangledherloveforhermother:“Ialwaysthoughtitmattered,to
canknowwhat捃theworstpossiblethingthat
nottobedrawnbythemagichappentoyou.toknowhowyoucanavoidit.toof历Punspeakable.’御Lindo.mindful
joy,insistsofWaverly’signoranceofherstoriesofstruggleandthatherdaughter“mustunderstand仿er)real
waycircumstances.how(she)married,how(she)lostmer)Chineseface.why(Waverlyis}the
(sheis).’’50Andforthesamepurpose.thethreeauntiesurgeJing-meitotellherlatemother’s..?-andbothbyimplicationandbyextension.theirown…一historytoherhalf-sistersinChina.
Oncebothmothersanddaughterstakeactivestepstoreconnectwitheachother,thereisnoquestionaboutthedaughters’re—identificationwiththeirChineseheritage
racialandrecoveryoftheiridentity.ThispointisbestillustratedinJing—mei’snarratives.Liketheotherdaughters,.22.
:!:::型竺:::!!些呈::圣筌::錾型!圣!!:!些錾
Jing?meihasdistancedherselffromhermother,firstlyemotionallyandthen…一ascircumstancesandherfinances
mei’smotherhas
turningpointinpermit…-physicallyandgeographically.Yetunlikethem.Jing—servejustpassedawayduetoillness.ThedeathofhermotherismeanttoasaJing-mei’slife,orrather,apointofdepartureforJing?mei’squestforunderstandingofhermotherandherselfintermsofracialidentityaswellasgender.
seenInthefirststorywiththesametitleasthenovel。‘‘TheJoyLuckClub”,Jing—meiis
sittinginhermother’splaceatthemalljongtableandbecomingamemberoftheJoyLuckcfub.whichshehasalwaysregardedasalien.Herreluctantcontactwiththismaternalworld,fortunately,bringstoherconsciousnessthematernalanxietyovermother-daughteralienationandtheruptureinthe
onmotherline.TheJoyLuckClHbauntiesexpectJing-meitomeetherhalf-sistersinChinaherlatemother’sbehalfandthuscreateanopportunityforhertogaina
first-handknowledgeofherChineseheritage.Bytheendofthenovel,in‘APairofTickets”,Jing?meiisalreadyinChinaandrealizesthatshehas‘"neverreallyknownwhatitmeanstobeChinese.””UponenteringdowntownGuangzhou.Jing?meiseemstoexperiencesurpriseanddisbeliefcausedbytheincompatibilitybetweenOrientalistdescriptionsofChinawhatsheandhears.DowntownseesGnangzhoulookslike‘.amirrorAmericancity”from
everywhere.’’’。Shealsoadistance.“withhighrisesandconstructiongoing
family’seconomic
richF’53onrecordswhatoneAiyisaysaboutherconditions:“YouAmericansaren}thehasonlywhoknowshowtogetistakenabackbvitsAndwhenshereachesthehotelshebooked。she
magnificenceandcannothelpexclaiming:“Th/s妇communistChina?”whichsherepeatsupon
adiscoveringinherhotelroomsmallrefrigeratorfullofwell—knownWesterndrinks.Although
judged
earsJing—meicannotridherselfofherdeep—seatedEurocentrism-~everythinginChinaisbyheraccordingtotheAmericanstandard??—??-shehascometotrustherowneyesand
ratherthanwhatshehasbeentaughtbyAmericanOrientalism.Meanwhile,Jing-mei
Chinafromalsohasabetterideaofhermother’spastlifeinthestoriestoldbyherfather.Shelearns
theprofoundloveSuyuanhadforabouttheincredibletragediesthathermother
herendured,aboutandherhalf-sisters,andaboutSuyuan’s一-ashernameindicates一.“long-cher括hedwish’’tofindandreunifPwithherlostdaughters.””Jing-meibeginstofeelthemostacutepainoflosinghermother:“,layawakethinkingaboutmymotheristor?A,real拓inghowmuch,haveneverknownabouther,grievingthatmysistersandIhasbothlosther’’55Herpainfulrealizationofloss,paradoxically,signalshernewandfirmbondwithhermother.BythetimeJing—meidoesreunitewithhermother’slong?lost
deadmotherinherheartasnowshe
dramaticdaughters,shehascompletelyrevivedheraknowshermotherbeRer.Inthisway,TanenactswithhandJing?mei’semotional
isatthisandpsychologicalreconnectionwiththemotherline.Andasensesignificantly,itpointthatJing-meiacquires
seeofwholenessassoaChineseAmericanwoman:‘'AndglowIalsowhatpart
.23.ofmeisChinese,Itisobvious.Itismy
!!:::型篓:!::!!兰!塑竺!!:::!!::型些:
Jam咖It捃inourbloodAfteralltheseyears,itcanfinallybeletgo.””
IntravelingtoChinatomeethertwinhalf-sisters一一??thenow—grownbabiesforwhomSuyuanhadsearchedforalmostfonymother’sstory
as
years…?Jing—meibringsclosureandresolutiontoher
is
an
well
as
toherown.ForJing—mei,thejoumeyepiphanyand
a
discoverystory
as
ofself:finallyawareofhermother’smeaning,sheisabletogivevoicetowell
a
as
Suyuan’s
tothestorythattheyshare
asmotheranddaughter.TheJoyLuckaunties,whosegiftof
on
generouscheckhassentJing-meiherpilgrimagetoChina,arewellawareofthe
totellherhalf-sisters
significanceoftheabout
journey
forherandforthemselves.Theybegher
a
Suyuan…一how
a
shewasabletocreate
success
full
andrewarding
lifeforherselfinAmerica。
to
howsheraisedmake
familyandgainedinherownway.TheauntiesencourageJing—mei
Suyuancome
aliveforherotherdaughtersthroughnarrative,throughdescriptionsofher
once
hopesanddreams,throughrecreationsofstoriesthatsherevealtheirowndreamsthatintimetheirownandrecountthestoriestheirmothershavetold.
In
a
told
Jing—mei.Their
words
daughters
will,likeJing—mei,alsoremember
GuangzhouhotelearlyinthevisittoChina,Jing—meiasksherfathertorecounttoher
therestofthestoryofthe
twin
babygirls,thestorythatSuyuanhadnot
had
theopportunityto
finishtellingher.Duringthatlatenightconversation,Jing—meialsolearnsthatherChinese
name…一the
namethathermothergaveherwhenshewasbom.the
name
thatshe
once
repudiatedinfavorofthemorepresent,losses
American
sounding
June…一representshermother’spastand
essence
andhopes.Jing—meimeans‘'younger
Suyuan.herAmericandaughter
sisterwhoissupposedtobetheof
theothers.’’“Forenable
wouldbethereplacementchildwhowould
Suyuantobearthelossofthetwins.IngoingtoChina,then,tomeetheroldersisters.
Jing?meireconcilesSuyuan’stwolives,twocultures,twocountries;shereconcilesherselfwith
hermother;andshegivestheauntiesthehopethatthey,too,willbereconciledwiththe
daughters.
Jing—mei
.
Woo
finallytravelstoChinatomeether
a
twin
sisters,fulfillinghermother’s
dreamaswellasbringingepiphanyand
a
resolutiontoherownstory.‘'ForJing-mei,the
aware
journey括an
discovery
as
ofself:finally
well
as
ofhermotherimeaning,she括abletogive
as
voice.toSuyuan"sstory
tothe
storythattheyshare
motheranddaughter’’58Tan
findsresolutionoftheconflictsbetweenself-images,ofbeingChinese
or
two
nationalities,worlds,andgenerations.Conflictsof
Americanareeventuallyreconciled.Havingmethersisters,
even
Jing—meirealizesthatdeepdown,somepartofherisinfactChinese,andthat
maynotthinkshelookslikehersisters
or
thoughshe
that
hersisterslooklikehermother,thethreeofthe
sisterstogetherresembleSuyuan;thesisterswillhelpJing—meitocometoknow
partsofhermotherthatshe
scene
never
understood
before,andthus
helphertotellSuyuan’sstory.Inthislast
a
ofthe
book,Jing—meisuccessfully
creates
bridge
between
two
countries,two
.24.
!坚::::呈!!竺:!:::!圣呈呈:::::!:::竺!!圣:呈:!些:譬
generations,andtwocultures.
It’snotuntillaterinherlife,afterSuyuan’sdeaththatJing-meirealizesjusthowmuchhermotherlovedherandhowproudshewasofher.AfterSuyuan’sdeath,andafterJing—meilearnsmoreofthedetailsabouthermother’spast,Jing?mei’seyesopentothe900dintentionshermotheralwayshadforherinallofthewaysthatsheacted.Sherealizesthathermotherwasproudofhereventhoughshewasnotagreatgeniusatanything.AfterWaverlyhumiliated
thattheworkshehaddoneforherfirmwasnotgoodJing-meiatthedinnertablebystating
enough.SuyuanattemptedtodisplayherprideinJing—meibygivingherthe
alwayswore,which
lifehadvaluejadependentshesymbolizedherlife’simportance.ShewantedJing?meitoknowthatherandthatshejustneededtodevelopandusehertalentsinordertodiscoverthis.Afterhermother’sdeath,Jing-meibeginswearingthisnecklaceeveryday.Shealsothinksbacktoherjobanddecides,‘']wasverygoodatwhatIdid,succeedingatsomethingsmalllikethat"09BecauseJing.meidoesnotmakemanyofthesediscoveriesuntilafterhermother’sdeath,shefearsthatshedidnotappreciateherenoughduringher
died,,askedmyselfalotlife:“Right雌ermymothergrieveofthings,thingsthatcouldn}bean6qⅣered,toforcemyselfto
myselflmore.Itseemedas西1wantedtosustainmygrief.toassurehadcareddeeplyenough.
lovedherButnowIaskthequestionsmostlybecause1wanttoknowthe
daughtermoreanswers.'“Suyuanthanherownlife,butJing—meididnotrealizethisuntilherquestionswereansweredandshebegantounderstandhermother’sintentioninlife,andwhereherhopesoriginatesfrom.Jing—meitakeshermother’sturninthe
opportunitytomahjongtable,whichletsherhavetheknowhermotherbetterfromotherJoyLuckmothers.Thenattheendofthenovel,Jingrneifindshermotherinhertwohalf-sisters.Mother’sdeathseemstobecomethewayofgettingridofdifferencesandmisunderstandingsbetweenmothersanddaughters.
Jing-meiWooisarepresentativeoftheyoungergeneration,theAmerican-borndaughterswhofeellargelyoutoftouchwiththeirChineseidentities
Jing?meiandwiththeirChinesemothers.Asacknowledgesthis.shealsoshowsadeepsympathywitlltheoldergeneration.She
distressattheunderstandstheirfearsabouttheirdaughters,theirthoughtthattheirhopesand
dreamsmaynotsurvivetheminthesemodemAmericanwomenforwhomsomanyoftheoldvaluesnolongerhavemeaning.However,evenwhileJing-meiperceivesthemother-daughter
servesgapfrom
bridgebothsides,thisdoubleperceptionultimatelynottoaccentuatethegap.buttoit.Throughout
thatshethenovel,Jing—meiprovidestheconnectingvoicebetweenthegenerations.Shetellsboththestoryofhermother,whofreedomneverfoughthardtogiveherdaughtersthehad.Thus,attheendofthebook,Jing-meicomestorepresentafigure
ofhopeforbothgenerationsthattheymightunderstandeachotherbetterthantheyhadthought
aintheirownculture,thattheymightsharein
TheJoyLuckmothersdialogueoflove.havegivenbirthtodaughters,and
.25..investedinthemallofthehopes
:圣:::!::尘篓:!!:!!兰!竺:!:呈!:呈:;!!!!兰:呈:!些竺:
anddreamsthathavepropelledtheoldergenerationdaughtersthebestthattheNewWbrldtheirhomeland.Andyet,thedaughtersdisciplinarians,domineering
Call
acrossallocean
toAmerica.Togivethose
offer’themothershavesacrificedtheiryouthand
intheirmothersnotnurturingangels,onlystem
see
and
possessivewomenwhorefusetorelinquishanymaternal
controlalthoughthedaughtersareadultswi血theirownhomes.Significantly,thesectioninwhichdaughtersandmothersachievethebeginningsofreconciliationisofthe
called“QueenMother
as
Western
no
Skies.”Thetitlehasenormoussignificance.suggesting
or
itdoesthatthe
daughters
as
longerviewtheirmothersasgorgons
harpies
or
devouringgoddessesbutrather
thatmostexaltedoftheGreatMother’spersonas,thequeenofheaven.AuntieAn—meicries
toJune.“Yourmother缸inyourbones.’’61
The
on
unbreakablebondbetweentheJoyLuck
mothersandtheirdaughters,theirdifferenceswith
thesamenessin
space。historybackground
and
languagealong
the
theirbonesdefinestheChinese
American
identity,especially
daughtersborninAmerica.
4.2ReeonciliationofJoyLuck
MothersandTheirMothers
InthestorytoldbyJing—mei,shetakesthememoriesofherownchildhoodexperiences,includingstoriesshehasheardabouthermotherSuyuan’searlylifeinChina.Thesestorieshelptoexplainwhysheteachesherdaughterthevaluesofoptimismthewarreachesthetown,Suyuanloseseverythingsheowns
anddetermination.When
triesto
on
save
andherlifeby
fleeingfromChina.Sheisforcedtoleavehertwotwinbabiesbehindhopingtheymighthaveherein1949were
so
a
thesideoftheroadin
chance
living
a
goodlife.Jing—meirecallsthathermother‘‘hadcome
never
afterlosingeverythinginChina…butshe
lookedbackwithregret.They
Call
many
waysforthingstogetbetter.’’62AsSuyuan’spastisrevealed.shenothelp
butrealizeherdetermination,optimismestablish
a
and
strongwillassheperseveresagainsttheoddsto
on
betterlife
inAmerica.Suyuantriestopass
hervirtuesof
determination,
mother
sees
optimismandperseverancetoher
American-borndaughter,Jing—mei.Jing—mei’s
on
American
movie
stars’performing
aspire
thetelevisionset
and
believesthatwithhardworkand
theconstantprotestsofher
practiceher
daughtercan
tothesanlestardom.Despite
daughter,Suyuanforceshertopracticethepiano.ThoughforJing-meithismayseemlike
pointlesstorture,hermotheronlyintendsforthistohelpheroptimistic
daughter
and
learnhowtobe
to
and
determined
regardlessofwhatchallengesshemayfacein
never
life.Whenlearning
playthepiano,Jing—mei’smotherexpectshertobecome
a
genius
toldherinbroken
English.“OnlyaskyoubeyourbesLForyoursake.’“Byencouraginghertobeherbest.Suyuan
wants
toteachher
daughter
tobethebestshe
can
be
and
never
have
toregretnot
trying.Suyuan’s
miserable,but
intentionwaslikethatofmostmothers.nottomakeherdaughter’slifehelpher.By
teachingher
daughter
to
thevaluesof
determinationand
..26..
!坠!:竺!!!竺錾!:!!::呈:!:罂:!::竺!!圣!!:!竺篁:
一.—:::::。
inherlife,Suyuanintendsto
perseverancethathavehelpedSuyuantoovercomechallenges
thatresultfromgivingupand
protectherdaughterfromthetragedyanddisappointmentsettlingforlessthanthebestsheLindohas
can
be.ThecharacterLindoJongalsorevealshertragicpast.
beenbetrothedtothesonofawealthy
mail.anarrangement
tokeep
shewasnotveryfondof
lives
Shegoesthroughwiththemarriageinunhappinessunlessshedevisesshametoher
and‘"sacrificedlife
a
parents’promise’一.and
plan
toreleaseher
fromthemarriagewithoutbringing
demonstratesherwillingnesstoherinnerstrengthtocontinue
family.By
revealingLindo’sunhappyyouth,Tan
and
sacrificeherownleading
an
happiness
tokeepherfamily’shonor
so
unhappylifefor
long
jlist
toavoidbreakinga
to
promise.Lindopasses
herdaughter
onas
thisshe
invisiblestrength
sheacquiresthroughherexperienceWaverly
encourageshertopracticechessonly
a
and
to‘'riseaboveher
circumstances.”’Though
becoming
poorand
a
child。Waverly
daresnotletthese“circumstance”preventherfrom
national
chess
champion
atageofnine.Lindoencourages
a
Waverly
toriseaboveherownunfortunate
“circumstances”everIas
her
child.After
being
forcedtorise
aa
above
thetragic
circumstancesof
to
unhappy
marriagebyusingherinnerstrength,as
on
mother,Lindofeelsobligated
try
to
passthesevirtues
to
her
daughterbyteachingher
valuablelessonthroughexperienceas
any
othermotherwoulddotoprotectherchildfrom
a
tragiclifeofunhappiness.Thegreatest
tragedyofAn—mei’slifeispictured:thedeathofheryoungestson,Bing.Herdaughterrecallstheeventsofthistragicdayspends
a
as
well
as
hermother’srefusaltogiveuphope.When
and
thefamily
dayatthebeach,youngBingmanagesto
wander
fromhidsibling
getstooclose
tothewaterwhereheissuckedup
by
waves,nevertoresurface.Theeffortsof
family’s
toletgo
membersto
ofthe
son’s
findhim
amongthewavesproved
call
fruitless;however,An-reelisreluctant
slightestbody
so
possibilityhecouldbealive.Evenlatef,sheis
have
a
persistentinsearchingforher
thathe
properburialceremony.Therescuerscalledoffthesearchfor
thatwhattheseAmericanscouldn}do,
Bingafter
a
fewhours,“buther力ith…convincedher
shecouldShe
couldfindBing.’”The
are
unfortunatedeathofhersonrevealsAn—mei’sstrong
faithandhopewhenthingsinTheJoyLuckClub.
againsther,thatthistragedycouldstill
have
a
positivecharacter
Regardlessoftheidentityofthenarrator,eachofJoyLuck’sstoriesdemonstratestheimpactofthepastindividual’sculturalconsequencesof
on
the
present,reinforcing
thenotionthat
personalhistory
shapes
an
identityandattitudesaboutthe
world.The
mothers’livesthe
case
arethe
difficultchildhoods,war,poverty,starvation,and…-in
a
ofYing?ying
St.Clairalonehad
privileged
upbringing…-a
single
traumaticchildhoodexperience.
not
Moreover,threeofthemothersweremarriedintheirteens,twoofthemtomenwhodid
appreciatethem
andone
to
a
goodmarlwhowas
or
killed
inthewar;and
one
hadchildrenfrom
herfirstmarriage.Forgood
forevil,in
avarietyofways,personalhistoriesbecomethe.27.
!!::::!:!l:!!!呈!!::呈:!::鐾!:些::!!呈:!:!尘錾:
foundationthepast
on
whichthemothersbuildtheirnewlivesinAmerica.Ineachstory,theimpactof
on
thepresentisclearlydemonstrated.Eachmother’sChinesepastinfluencesher
on
Americanpresent;eachdaughterfeelstheimpactofherownchildhood
heradultlife:and
eachmother’spastaffectsherdaughter’spresent.Tocomplicatetheequation,eachmotherhasbeeninfluencedbyherownmother’slife.Thepaststretchesbackgenerationaftergeneration,
and….ironically…一moves
forward
as
wellintothe
unseen
future.
4.3ReconciliationofLanguages
Languageinthebookstandstogetherwith
outstandingas
a
thoughtandculture,hutitappearsparticularly
threadthroughtheseisolatedstories。anditobviouslybringsoutthenecessity
forfurtherconsiderationupontheelementsunderlyingit.
Languageis
so
prominent
a
mediumthatitcarriesthedebating,comending,balancing
andmediatingbetweenthemothersanddaughtersformsofmonologue,dialogue,languageconstructsculture,rightthroughtheconversionoftime
throughout
a
the
book.Through
different
and
web—workwithdifferent
race,sex
andspace.
a
Languageinthebookhasexperienced
self-presentation。and
backto
journey
in
the
fromdisharmony,misunderstanding,
thediscussion
beginning,and
then
ending
with
experimentalmutualacceptance.Languageisoftenmarkedwith“ShesaidinChinese’’toremind
us
ofthearticulationbythemothers.However,Chinesephonetics,Pinyin。notesthefeltbythedaughtersin
difficultyunderstandingChinese.Inheressay
MotherTongue(1991),
AmyTancelebratesusing‘'a//theEnglishesIgrewupwith’。7despitetheimperfectioninher
mother’sEnglish.Bygivingexamplesofhermother’svividChineseexpressionwith
no
English(Englishby
literaltranslationof
English
counterpart),Tansaysthathermother’sversionof
thebeautyandwisdominher
observationand
Englishgivesherbicuhuralinsightandstrength,madshemotherjs
sees
language,“Herlanguage,asIhear{l’isvivid.direcf,知llof
cannever
imagery.’’68‘Vwantedtocapturewhatlanguageabilitytestspassion。herimagery,therhythms
reveal:herintenther
pure
ofherspeechandthenature
us
ofherthoughts”.Withthe
narrationandmostlymonologuetoprovidebetweenthemothersand
withfullpresentationofthechasmformation
daughters,theclimaxoflinguisticempathyofshared“Mama”
forthefutureofChineseAmericans.
rebelledagainst
appearsnaturalforthewholebookandmeaningful
InheranotheressayThelanguageofDiscretion(1990)。vehemently
viewingculturaldescriptionsasdichotomouscategories,‘'/tkdangerousbusiness.thissorting
out
oflanguageand
behavio,:Which
woman
is
oneis
English?Which缸Chinese?Reject
in
themall!””
EachChinese
American
and
grantedsubjectivity
as
with
narratingherownstories
differentmetaphors
allegory,so
tofill
intheoutlineofseparateChinese
American
imageswithvividmeaningsand
colors
andbecome
characterswithfleshyfeatures.Their
..28..
!!::!!尘!!筌呈!篓!::2:!:墼:!!:!!!!::!:!!:!雾
voices,fullofmisery
andbitternessandalsostrengthandperseverance,joinin
a
strong
ChineseAmericanarticulationforidentityaffirmation.
4.4ReconciliationofTwOCultures
h1840.AlexisdeTocquevilleraisedthetermindividualisminthe
1841.individualismwasredefinedconfidenceinself,orrelianceupon
as
Americansociety.In
perceived
as
thedrivingforceoftheAmericansociety,strong
ownexertion
one’S
andresources,and
the
sourceofallpublicvirtueandthusthemechanismthroughwhich
promise.In
a
Americawill
fulfillits
the
1885reportitWasheldbytheSanFranciscoBoardof
Supervisors,that
Chinese
race
is“onethatcannotreadilythrowo∥its
habitsandcustoms”.Fromtheabove,
CyrusR.K.Patellanalyzes:“In
otherwords,unlikeblacksandIndians,the
itis
a
Chinesehave
a
culturethatputsthematoddswithsimplybepulverized.”70
The
Americanindividualism,and
culturethat
cannot
American-bornchildreneducatedundertheprincipleofindividualism
are
are
unwillingto
listencarefullytowhattheirmotherssayinginChinese,the
as
language
oftheminority,let
alonetoaccepttheChineseculturalsymbols,suchchi,twelveChinese
thefive
elements(WuXing),yengshui.
Chinesebeliefs
horoscopes,balancebetween
and
Y/n
andYang,etc.These
havecomeoutofBuddhism
TaoisminthelonghistoryofChineseculturaldevelopment.
Themothersputgreatemphasisuponthedivinearrangementoftheirfatehave
a
andatthesame
time
resolutebeliefinhumanabilitytochangebadthingsintogood
ones.
Yingyingissensitivetothearrangementofthefurnitureathomethat
and
Lenaonlyconsidered
an
eccentricbehaviorofher
mother’S.When
Yingying
murmured
inChineseatthedeath
ofherbabyinhospiml.sheblamedherselffornot
efficiently
are
stoppingthe
accident,…Chinese
or
culturepermitspeople
toavoid
malignanceifthey
equippedwitllcertainfaith
to
protectionmorefor
asa
accordingtotherules.Herwords
sounded
incomprehensible
thedaughterand
even
herhusband.However,itistheChinese
belief
thathelpedYingying
become
strongagain
‘。tiger”tooffer‘"chf’toLena,SOastogivesomestrcng出totideher
over
themarriage
difficulty,though
and
LenadidnotrealizethatitWasfromhermotherthatsheregainedcourage
wisdomtoconfrontthecrueltyof
Americanculture.Similarly'Waverly’S
help-…the
failureinclass-
playingresultssomewhatfromthelackofhermother’Sequipsherwithinvisiblesuength.
Infact,themothers,thesilenced
powerful“、vind”which
and
marginalizedwomen,hadalso
on
acceptedAmerican
hadtolearn
culture
English
to
someextent.Atthebeginningoftheirsettlement
getin
thenew
land,they
and
contactwith
thenatives.Religionistheeasiestwayforthemtoknowpeople
and
themembersofJoyLuckClubcametoknoweachotherinchurch,forsometimes。they
wouldseekhelpfrom
ChristianGodat
emergency.
.29.
!!::呈:!:!茎:!:::!兰::!:!!!竺:!!:竺!!兰:呈!!!:錾:
Stimulatedbydeeplovetowardherson,AnmeiHsuactedwithstrangeresolutionandbraveryinanattempttofindherdrownedson,whichamazedRoseinherconfessionofherownnegligence.CarryingtheBibleinthemorning,AnmeiHsuprayedwithzealouspietyandfaithinthehopeofsavinghersonmiraculouslywiththehelpofbothwesternGodandChinesefaith.However,allherendeavorwasuseless.ShejudgedwesternGodinapracticalway…?sinceGoddidnothavethepowertOsaveherson,shelefttheBibleintactafterwards.InChineseculture.thegodswillheartherequestoftheworshipperifheorsheprayswithenoughpietyandtheywillsatisfyhis/herdemandthereafter.Forthemothers,theywouldemploywesternreligioninemergencyandmakeculturalconcessionwhenitisnecessary.
Withthecombinedinfluenceofreligion,publicattitude,educationandpoliticalstatusofdifferentclassesandethnicgroupsinsociety,themother-daughterrelationshipgoesfarbeyondgenerationalgapandcontainsculturalconflicts,andisexpectedtomovefromconfrontationtoreconciliationandcommunicationonthebaseofmutualunderstandingandcomprehension.4.5EmpowermentofMothersandDaughtersasWomenThedaughters’reconnectiontothemotherlinenotonlyplaysallessentialroleinhelpingtheassimilateddaughtersembracetheirracialandculturalidentityasawhole,butalsoconstitutesanimportantmodeofresistanceandempowerment??-?-?--fordaughtersandmothersalike一一?—?inthefaceofthedevouringpatriarchy.Manyfeministshavenoticedthatthemother-daughterbondcanempowerboththemotheranddaughter.E.AnnKaplanstates,“Motherhooddoesnotimplyareaffirmationofthephallusbutratherasubversivemoment.’’”Inherargument,KaplanmakesuseofKristeva’sideathatingivingbirth,“thewomenentersintocontactwithhermother,"shebecomes,sheisherOwnmother;thevarethesamecontinuitydifferentiatingitsel厂“andinthisprocess,woman‘"actualizesl}lehomosexual缸cetofmotherhood,throughwhichawomanissimultaneouslyclosertoherinstinctualmemory,morenugatoryofthesocialsymbolicbond’’”Kristeva’Sideaindicatesthecontinuitybetweenmotheranddaughter,anditimpliesthatmotherhoodortheroleofmotherisnotofferingmaleheirsto,therefore,thecontinuityforapatriarchalfamily.Itemphasizesthatthefunctionofmotherhoodistoteachawoman/daughtermorenugatoryaboutthesocialandsymbolicbondthatisimposeduponbothmotheranddaughterbypatriarchalfamilysystem.
Tocopewithmaledominancegenerallyandthemenwhohavecausedthemmuchsufferingspecifically,thedaughtersreclaimthemother-daughterbondanddependontheirmothersforafeministlessonofstrengthandagencybecausealmostallthemothershaveoncelivedtraumaticlivesinfeudalChina.Theywereoncethevictimsofthetraditionalrulesandhavebeensilentandsubmissive.Theyhavefocusedtheirenergiesonfulfillingtheirobligationasdaughter,wifeandmother,buttheirownvalueshaveneverbeenrecognized.Thenthrough.30.
!!:::!!!:篓!!!尘!些呈::::耋!!錾!!!!兰:!:!墼堡:
theirowncourageandwisdom,theysuccessfullyrebelledagainstthefeudalistrulesand
constraintsandimmigratedtotheUnitedStates.
4.5.1TraumaticExperiencesoftheMothersinFeudaIChina
IntraditionalChinesefeudalsociety,awomanisidentifiedthrough
traditionalrelationship.Shemustinhabit
a
herrole
in
a
identitythathasbeencodifiedbytheseverely
patriarchalculture,inwhichthestandardforjudging
womenwaswhether
or
nottheywere
passiveandsilent
as
daughters,wivesand
mothers.
LindoJongistheprotagonistofTheJoyLuckClub.Inlightofthesocietyshegrewupin.
shehadtriedtobe‘‘agoodgirl”.TobeLindo
once
an
obedient
daughter,tokeepherparents’promise,
to
sacrificedherlife.Attheageoftwo,Lindowas
spoiledboy
one
betrothed
theHuangfamily’s
son-…Tyan-yu.ayam@began
irritatedby
yearyoungerthanLondo.Afterthat,Lindosaid,“myown
treatingmeas簪I
belongedtosomebodyelse.”“Insteadoffeelinghurtand
the
family’s
mistreatment
Lindo,the
obedient
dau曲ter,tried
to
seek
all
understandingofanysympathyforhershedidn}loveme,Shewouldsomethingthatwas
no
mother.“Mymother西甜nottreatmethiswaybecause
say
this
bitingbackhertongue,5Dshewouldn}wish
for
a
longerhers.”。AsLindounderstoodit,hermotherrejection
wasbut
defensivemaskforherownvulnerability
andlove.When
sheutteredthoseconventionalwords,
hermotherwasactuallyforcingherselftoswallowandlearntolikethetasteofbitterpills.
When
shewastwelveyearsold,Lindowas
considered
oldenoughto
be
senttolivewith
Huangs.Attheirdeparane,hermotherkeptthesewordsinherheart
accuse
said,“Obeyyourfanily,Donotdisgrace觚’’7。Lindo
soso
andwasdeterminedtohonorthemHuangTaitaicould
never
hermotheroflosingface.Forthenextfewyears,shewasoppressedbyhuangTaitai
thatshe
became
littlemorethan
a
servantwhowas
contentto
pleaseHuangTaitaiandTyan?yu.herfate
as
Eventhoughshedidnot
want
tomarry,LindosilentlyacceptedTyall-yu’s
wife.She
when
learnedtoshowloveforherhusbandand
be
anobedientwife嬲shewas
hadnot
taught.but
HuangTaitaiorderedLindotolieinbedallhadtimetothink
daybecauseshe
conceived,Lindo
finally
and
becomeherselfagain.Shehadpromisedtoherself,yearsagoather
wedding,thatshewouldneverforgetwhoshewas.Onherwedding
day,Lindo
7
once
cameto
herself-consciousnessandaskedherself,‘‘What捃trueaboutinthemirror,shewassurprised
thoughtsinsidethat
noone
a
person?’’7
When
shelooked
tofindthatshe
wasstrong,shewaspure,andshehadgenuine
couldevertakeaway.
outa
Later,onthedayoftheFestivalofPureBrightness,Lindocarried
plan
tosetherself
freefromhermiserablemarriagewithoutbreakingherpromisetoherfamily.Shemadethe
Huangs
pregnant
believethatTyan—yuwoulddieifhestayedinhismarriagewim
Lindo.and
thatthe
servant
girlhadTyan-yu’s
seedplantedinher
wombandwashistruespiritualwife.
.31.
!!::::些竺!!!兰!呈!坚竺型!竺竺坚——一
Inthisway。Lindocunninglymadethe
Hnnags
thinkthatitwastheirideastogetridofher.tO
a
offerLindoenoughmoneytobuy
saythatthemarriagecontractwasnotvalid,and
ticketto
Amedca.Notuntilthendidthisrebelliouswomanobtainherchanceofachievinghappiness
throughherownaction.
4.5.2OmnipresenceofPatriarchy
Thedaughters.despimtheirAmericallbirth,are
by
no
meansimmuneto
as
gender
discriminationalthoughtheAmericanpatriarchalsocietyseemsnowherenear
brutalasthe
cases。
Chinesesocietyinwhichtheirmothershaveliveduntilmiddleage,Nonethelessinboth
as
PhillipaKafkarightlypointsout。“Themenwhombothgenerationsencounterhavemade
the
rulesfor
In
theirownadvantageandforwomen'soppression.”’5
a
The
JoyLuckClub,Rosehasdeveloped
on
relationshipwithTedthatischaracterizedby
submissivenessanddependencefromtheverybeginning:
Rose’Spartanddomination
andcontrol
on
Ted’Spartright
Withimaginedtragedyhovering
ovey
us,webecameinseparable。twohalvescreatingthe
whole:yinandyang,1wasvictimto矗括hero.1wasalwaysindangerandhewasalwaysrescuingme.1
wouldfalland加would如疗me
ofUS.and
up…Theemotional
as
effectofsaving
ever
andbeing
saved
wasaddictingtoboth
that,asmuch
anythingwe
didinbed,washow
wemadelovetO
eachother:conjoinedwheremyweaknessneededprotection.79
and
consolidatedaftertheyhavegotmarried,with
Thispatternofinequalityisreinforced
Ted
taking
over
a
whathecalls‘‘decisionandresponsibility'’80andRosefeelingcomfortablesilentandpassiveprotege.Forfourteen
withherroleof
years,Tedhas
a
takengreatpleasureinmedicalaccidentrobs
makingfamilydecisionswithoutbotheringtoconsultwithRoseuntilhimofhisself-confidencefrustrationby
and
self-complacency.As
is
indecisive
a
consequence,TedgivesventtOhis
useless
as
a
complainingthatRose
and
marriagepartner.
a
Dissatisfiedwithhisformerlyperfectcreation,Tedrelentlesslypushesfor
thesametime
divorcewhile
at
planning
ona
newmarriage.Arichmall
at
as
heis。henOWwantstogetridofhis
wifeatthecostoftenthousanddollars
most.Ted,essentiallyanegocentricman,expects
him
thosearoundhim,particularlyhiswife,to
serve
andpander
tohim.Overthe
a
yearsoftheir
an
marriage,Rose’SlossofselfhasfunctionedtoRose’Stotaldependence
burdenratherthan
asset.heisdetermined,inRose’Sownwords,to‘『=justpull(her)outof仿is)lifeandthrow历P—
away,’’51Rosehasadmittedlydeveloped
a
yielding
and
irresolutecharacterbeforeshemeets
Tedlwhoactivelymoldsheragainatwill.
Thefive—yearmarriageofLena,Ying-ying’Sdaughterhasbroughthermoreangerand
biuernessthansatisfaction
andhappiness.Byandat
mutualconsent,Lena’Srelationshipwithher
husbandHaroldbothathome
workissuchthattheyCan“eliminatefalsedependencies…
.32.
!!竺型垒::::!:!呈:::些坠型!至:垒坠窒
beequab…lovewithoutobligations.’“Tiffs,however,appearstobe
on
a
。
healthyequalitybasedmale
economic
independenceandemotional
mutuality
butis
really
dominanceand
thatsheandHaroldareequalsineverywayexceptthather
exploitationindisguise.Lenafeelssalary
is
seven
timesless
thanhis.TheirunequalearningpoweriscausedbyHarold’s
tohercontributiontotheestablishment
unwillingnesstopromoteandpayheraccordingsubsequent
SUCCESS
and
ofthearchitectural
seems
firm.Asthe
on
nameofthe
finn一-“Livotny
as“a
&Associates”….indicates.Harold
having
bent
not
maintaininghispositionpartner"and
Lena够“anassociate'’.Lenais
plausible
reasons
unawareofHarold’sunfairtreatment,butshe
simplyacceptsthe
thathehasofferedwithout
anyprotest.Overtheyears,
costoflivingwith
Lenahasbeenusedtokeepingher
a
separatepersonalaccountandsharingthe
husband.Whatunsettlesher,however,isherrealizationthatHaroldfailstonoticeher
dislikeoficecream
and
refusestopayforanythingthatpleasesher.Lenabeginsto
sense
that
hermarriageisdeteriorating,butshecannotisYing-ying’smotherwhohelpshergainand
formulateaclear
ideaofwhattheproblemsare.it
all
insightbynoting
a
that
Harold“cannot
see
her”.
that‘"she
like
a
ghost,disappears.’’”With
capitalistmind.HarolddeemsitLena’schief
functiontoprovidecheaplaborforhiswholebusinessabout
firm
andPaysomehalfofthehouseholdexpenses.The
sense
beingequals
endsinbolsteringupHarold’sofmalesuperiorityand
economiccontr01.CaroynSeeiscertainlyrightthinking,this
'OUt
rightinobservingthat“加thename
so
offeminism
and
so
husbandis
takingLenaforeverycentsheigot,butshei
a
demoralized
has
no
ofbalance’加the
is
Chinesesense.thatshecan}do
thingaboutit.’’84
Lena
secure
sense
oftheself.Herself-worthismeasuredbyher
she
husband’s
recognitionof
andloveforher.
is
Although
economically
independent----??-also
inferior,unfortunately?????-?-she
psychologicallydependent
upon
her
husband.
4.5.3Empowerof
When
Mother-daughterBond
have
troubles
thedaughters
thantheir
andbe
inneedofrescue,the
a
rescuercannot
on
beby
anybodyothermothers.They
mustleam
feministlessonofstrengthpassed
theirmothersinorderto
empower
themselves.HoweveLthe
daughters
cannot
be
expectedto
rum
totheirmothersforhelpowingtotheirlong-standing
distrustoftheirmothers.Therefore,
themothersmusttaketheinitiativeinreachingouttothedaughterslessons.
Rose
and
teachingthemthe
can
neitherthinkof
a
wayto
save
hermarriage
nor
standupforherselfandfight
divorce.Eversinceherchildhood,Rosehasbelievedthat‘‘maybeitwas
fateallalong,that
廊ithwasjustan
illusionthatsomehowyou'reincontr01.Ifoundout
themostIcouMhavewas
hope.andwiththatlwasnotdenyinganypossibili班goodorbad.’’85shecustomarilyleaveshermarriage
Andnowatthisjuncture,
choice/Nochoice/”86
andher
lifeinthe
handsoffate.‘"No
.33.
!!::::些::錾::!!圣:!耋!:呈!!::竺!!::!:坠:::
Rose’slackofpsychologicalautonomyaswellasfaithinherownagency.whichaccountforhervictimizationbyTed,isputintoperspectivebyhermother:
“1wasraisedtheChineseway:1wastaughttodesirenothing,toswallowotherpeoplelmisery,toeatmyownbiHerness.And
cameoutthesameeventhough,taughtmydaughtertheopposite.stillshengirl.Andway!Maybeitisbecauseshewasborntomeandshewasbornlwasborntomymotherand,wasbornagirlAllofusarelikestairs.onestepafteranothe,:goingupanddown,butallgoingthesameway.”67
Butinsteadofcapitulatingto“fate”.An-meihasafirmbeliefinwomen’sagency.or‘‘nengkan”.anabilitytoaccomplishanythingtheysettheirmindto.Themother-daughterbondandmotheringasnurturanceandguidance,An—meiclaims,aretheonlyroadtostrengthforthedaughterwhilemother-daughterseparationdefinitelyleadstodisempowerment:
‘叫girl括likeayoungtree.Youmuststandtallandlistentoyourmotherstandingnextto
growstrongandstraight.Butyou.Thatistheonlywaytoifyoubendtolistentootherpeople.
wildinanydirection.youwillgrowcrookedandweak.Youwillbelikeaweed,growing
runningalongthegrounduntilsomeonepullsyououtandthrowsyouaway.”88
Overtheyears.Rosehasbeenplaying‘‘victim’’toTed
actually?r--????andnow,shemustleamathe“hero’’…-“villain’’toonthecore.feministlessonofstrengthpassed
onbyhermotherinordertoempowerherself.BothofAn-mei’snarratives,focusingherrelationshipwithher
ownmotherinChina,areaddressedtoRose.Inherfirststory,“Scar,’’An-meirecountshermother’sreunionwithPoposhortlybeforethelatter’sdeathandherownrekindledloveforhermotherandaffirmstheindissolubletiesbetweenmotheranddaughter.Andtheninthesecond
asanarrative,“Magpies,”An?mei
feudalrelatesthetragiclifeofherdisgracedmotherconcubineinChina.An?mei’s
Themotherhaschosentosuffersilentlyandthereisonlyoneonalternative…一suicide.Whenshefindsthatthepainistoomuchtobear,sheseeksrevengestoryofAn—mei’smotherindicatesthatonehervictimizerschoicebetween
reconnectswithbykillingherselfcontrollingone’scanmakeaownlife。An—mei’stalkstoriesabouther
agrandmother,Rosethemotherline,ofwhichsheis
themalepart.Andinsodoing,RoseisempoweredtostanduptoTedneverchauvinistwho,scaredandconfused,canmanipulateheragainasifshewere“nothing.’’
LikeRose,Lenaneedshelp
rescue.Inbothcases.theandagainitishermotherYing?yingwhohascometoheramother-daughterbond…?orrather.reconnection一一isadvocatedas
casesmodeofresistanceandempowerment.Bothinvolvethereclamationofmemoriesofthe
motherline,butYing-ying’sapproachisdifferentfromthatofAn.meiinthatsherecollectsherownvictimizationinbothChineseandAmericanpatriarchal
savesocietieswhileAn.meirecallsherscarsmother’StragiclifeinChina.Intryingto
layerbylayerLena,Ying—yingripsopentheinherheartandlooksintothebloodyandpainful
.34.woundinflicteduponherlargelybytwo
!!:::型型竺!!!圣:呈尘竺:::型!::型些窒
males,herformerChinese
husband
andherlateAmerican
husband,Clifford
St.CIair.As
a
littlesift,Ying—yingisinnocent,trustful,restless,and‘"Lihai.Wildandstubborn…toOgoodto
listen.’’89Butafterbeingmarriedtoyinglosesher
and
later
abandoned
by
a
cold—hearted
womanizer,Ⅵng—
strength…一the
and
fierce“goldside”ofthe
tiger-…andbecomes‘"ghost—like’’90
Fourteenyearslaterwhenshelearnsofthedeathofherformerhusband,Ying—yingacceptsSt.Clair’sproposal
followshimto
side”andletSt.Clairrummore
America.Bynowshehasgivenuphercunning‘‘black
herinto‘‘口tigerghost.州1HerAmericanhusband.whoismuch
husband,nevertheless
furthertransformsheraccordingtohis
spiritthatcausedhertomuch
benign
thanherChinese
ownfantasy
andleaveshercompletelywithout
none
her‘锄£the
other
pain."’”Her“chf’or‘"spirif’.actually,is
E.D.Huntley’swords.“theessential
than
herownfemaleself,ortoborrow
self,herpersonalityanddistinctiveidentity.”93Now
an
seeingLena’sinabilitytotacklewithherproblematicmarriage,Ying—yingfeels
urgetotell
herdaulghtereverythingaboutherpainfulpastwherehertrue
self,her‘'tigerspirit”andher“clli”lie
dormant.Inspeaking
herwordsof
pain-一and
once
alsowordsoflove一一Ying—yingwill
reconnectnotonlywith
thewomanthatshe
wasbutalsoherlostdaughterandsucceedin
a
cuttingloosethetigerspiritinrecognizes
the
both
herselfandherdaughter.As
lovingmother,Ying—ying
way
to
importance
of
memory
as
and
speech
as
the
necessary
mutual
empowermentforherandher
The
daughterwoman?alliesagainstpatriarchy
initsvariousforms.
mother-daughterreconciliationisnotonlyhelpfulfortheconstructionoftheethnic
identityofthemothersand
daughtem,but
alsohelpfulforthemtoresistagainstpatriarchy.In
a
thenovels.allthemothershadsuffered
lotinthefeudal
China,andtoo.When
thethe
daughtersdaughters
inthe
are
UnitedStatescannotescapefromthegenderdiscriminationneedofhelp,themothersreclaimtheirpastthem
in
and
telltheirdaughterstheirstories。Thereunionof
canempowerbothofthem.
.35.
i!:尘些彗些!!:筌!!!!型塑!!:型型竺
5FamilyastheSourceforCulturalDevelopment5.1TheImportanceofFamilyforCulture
Humanbeingsarenotonlythecarrierofculturaltraditionandreproductionbutalsothesubjectandeventhecreatorofcertainculture.Culturaltraditionisitselftheorganicsystemofalltheculturalelementsproducedoutofthecharacteristicsindifferentformsbythehumanbeings.whicharestillOntheroadofevolution.Thepersonwhohasinternalizedcertainculture
asawithinhimself/herselfhasacquiredthesocialquality,andwhatnecessaryforthesurvival
humanbeingwithinthesociety.Family
inseparablepartofculture.Intransferring
familyhasbeenplayingaasthebaSicunitofsocietyhasalwaysbeenananew-bornbabyintoasocializedhumanbeing,mostimportantrole.
onFamilyisthebasicunittocarry
ofthepeopleinaculturalforms?-?-?-??sincecultureillustratesthelifestyletheessencecertaincommunityandexternalizesofhumanbeings-?-?-r-?throughtheyoungergenerationlearningfromtheoldergenerationaboutthewaysofaffectation,behaviorandevaluationwithinthesociety.Atthesametime,family,the
akindergartenforfundamentaleducationoftheyoung,alsoshapesindividualswithitsownuniquestylequalitybesidesthegeneralculturalinfluence.soastocreate
ethnicandrace,withsharedspiritualstate,lifestyledistinctivecultureofaandcertainalsoandpsychologicalquality.anddifferencesbetweentheindividuals.
Familyprovidestheenvironmentofcommunity,affectation,parents’responsibilityforthe
onchildren,andcoincidentally,children’Sstrongreliance
decisiveroleinthetheparents.Thusfamilyplaysaadaptationofsocialstandardsandculturalnormsbygenerations.
senseTosummarize,familyisthecradleforthehumanculturemmeoftradition-handing—
on.education(includingknowledge,ethics,religion,norms)andpreparationforsocialparticipation.
5.2TheFamily’SRoleintheNovel
Centeredonthemother-daughterrelationship,TheJoyLuckClubnevergoesawayfromthe
afamilyissues.Familywiththeclashesbetweenthemothersanddaughters,becomessymbolic
sitefortheconflictbetweentheculturesinwhichtheyrepresent,andfinallythebirthplaceforChineseAmericanculture.
111enoveltakesaclose‘upuponeachfamilymemberandtheirpsychologicalandculturaljoumeytheyhadtaken,fromtheoldChinesefamily,theimmigrantfamilytothemodemAmericanfamily.Asthe
present,familybecomesoriginalplacefordifferentculturesthatdifferentculturalidentitiesthefocusofthegenerationalgap。culturalconflictsand
,36.language
些竺坠!!竺!:坚!!:型些!呈型:2尘垩
mistranslation.Family,inwhichdisharmonyappears,intensifiestheconflict,andsuddenlyhears
a
becauseofthedeathofSuyuan,andfinallyleadsthewomenin
pauseforeverything
save
thebooktodissolvethecontradictionandintendedtoexpress.
thelossofmeaningthatthemothershad
once
5。3TheConceptof“Family”fromChinatotheUSA
Inthenovel,thedaughtersoftheolder
generation(the
no
futuremothersofthe
American-born
hardshipthey
daughters)can
easilydecidetogetbackhome
matterwhathumiliation
or
wouldface,whilethe
daughtersofthe
and
youngergenerationarealwaysinsearchofawaytofree
themselvesfromtheirfamilythusawayfrom‘'thecontrol”ofthemothers.
5。3.1BreakingAwayFromtheFamily
Raisedwiththeheavyinfluenceoftraditional
hadcollapsedin
a
Chinesemorals,thoughthefeudalsystem
turbulentsocialsituation,themotherswerestillbrainwashedtoacceptthe
fbuda“sticideaswhichrequirewomenofobediencetotheelders.toallthemeninthefamilyandinthesociety,ofcompletef缸mtothehonorand
face
ofherparents
and
her
husband’g
family.Thoughborn
to
be
resistantagainsttheseideasintheirsearchofhappinessandself-
setby
recognition,themothersstillacceptsomeideasChineseideology.Themothers’
againtheprimacyofthe
delineationofearlytwentieth—centuryChinastressesagain
and
family
asthefoundationofidentity
and
criterionforan
individual’splacementin
mostsocial
situations.Therefore,theactson—stage
betweenbalance
mothers
and
daughters,botlltheminorityin
family
loyaltysystemandtherebelfor
betweeninterdependent
family
identity
on
and
individual
selfhood,become
life.
a
pairofefficientlensesforthewatcherstofocus
Chinese
Americanwomen’s
Inthestory
ofMoon
Lady,Yingyingwas
a
tomboy,alwayscurious
about
newthingsinher
lifeexperience.However,sufferingisolationfromothercriticismfullofmystic
evilwordsfromhermost
familymembersontheboat,theintimateAmah,andtheincantatory
throughan
wereherfamilydoingwhenshewas
a
environmentwithinthenight
and
water,Yingyingfellintothewaterandwent
on
adventuretill
goingwish
shewassavedandleRalone
board.What
throughsomuchhardshipandrisk?Evenwasshatteredwhenthemoonladyturned
her
thelong—cherisheddreamtoexpress
outtobea
secret
man
whocruellyneglectedher
sincere嘶sh.Backto
before.The
family,though,Y'mgying
believed
shewashardlywhoshe
a
had
been
adventure
ofbreakingawayfromthefamilytaughther
on
hardlesson,sothatwhen
thefirstmarriagewas
a
thefringeoftopplingdown,shechosetohideinherfamily
or
and
lived
life.blindtoeithermisery
happiness.
IntheepisodeofARedCandle,LindoJonghadfullempathytoherparents’decisionofleavinghertoherfuturehusband’shouse
forever,though
.37.
thedecisionofChinesest)7lehas
i!:呈:!:筌:坚!::呈:!兰!:!::呈!呈!:!!:呈!錾尘
never
takenintoconsiderationhertruehappinessandself-respect。IntraditionalChinese
no
concept,thereispossibilityfor
an
unmarriedgirl
or
tohave
herselfidentified
a
or
respected.
Lindoknewherlifevaluelayinthesacrificehonorandpraiseforherclan
herselfforothers.......-tobe
continueher
goodwifetobringblood.Equipped
andgive
birthtoasonto
husband’s
withgoodunderstandingofthefeudalisticrequirementsuponwomen,shewaswillingtobearhumblyunfairlyphysical
andpsychological
treatmentand
even
enjoythesuperciliouspraise
intentionofpaidreal
difficulttowinfromhermother-in.1awandherhusband.However,withthehidden
breakingawayfromherattentiontoherfeelings
husband’sand
familyshetacticallycheatedthemwho
never
leftthe
family
a
whilesaving
another
girlwhowasdesexedin
ofherselfatheart,
pregnancy,fromhumiliationtohonorof
higher
position.Consciousness
shealwayscherishedwhatshehadbroughttoherfamily一?-????honor.
An-meiHsu’smotherhadsufferedremarriedconcubineatthemeanly
a
lotofunbearabledegradationshewasforeedtomakesuch
and
a
humiliation
asa
time,though
a
choiceafterbeing
tricked.When
shecut
pieceoffleshfromherarmforherdyingmother,Popo,
Chinesemoralswhichrequireheartyupon
her-?r?—?another
daughterwhocould
never
breakthe
curboffamilyvaluesthoughshehadtried:theonlyresultforrebelliouswomenatthattimeis
tojump
outofone
abyssandintoanother,noneofwhichprovidetherightplaceforthem.
FamilyisthecentralideafortraditionalChineseculture,asfamilyisplaceduponthesameimportantpositionas
one’s
country.Onereasonisthefeudalisticcontrolwithfamily
asa
solidabout
base;anotherthetraditionalethicprinciples,whichleadtheChinesepeopletohometownwhentheconceptsofbloodandbirthplacefamily
are
care
mixedtogether,toworshiptheir
courtformaterialand
clan
intheirancestral
hall,andtoregardfamilyasthemajor
spiritualsupportandbaseforsocialstatus.Thesteadiness
are
and
superpositionoffamilyvalues
the
reason
whyChineseputmuchemphasisupon
family
and
theaffectationbetweenthe
one
clanandfamilymembers,especiallywhentheygenerallyspendtheirwholelifein一the
place…
hometown,andseldommakeideologicalexchangeswith
a
others.Itisthroughthestrong
centripetalattractionfromfamilythattheChineseare,asofthefeudalsystemic
whole,easilytakenintotherange
contr01.Therefore,familyis
thebasisforthebenefitofthecountry,and
epitomeofthecountry,andthusispositionedwithuttermost
respect.Familyhonoris
andpromotion.
regarded
withgreatrespectandrequireslifelongendeavorforitspreservation
Inspiredbythedisorderlysocialenvironmentandoverturnedfeudalsystem,themotherstriedtofreethemselvesfromoldfettersstruggleto
andsearchedforrecognition.However,their
one
final
break
thecontrolof
family
istheirdeparturefromChina,whichcutstheirconcrete
relationshipwiththecountrytheirfamilies
and
Chinese
family
values.Whatisuncleartotheirstrongcontinuity)
American—borndaughters
isthatChineseculturestillhasits
influence(with
upontheevaluationandmoralsystemoftheirmothers,althoughthe
.38.
eastissofaraway
and
the
i!些:窒筌:!!!::垩:!!!!!!些呈!呈:::!:!呈!竺
newwesternworldis
SO
::。
deeplymeBedintotheirdailylife.
GenerationsofChinesewooers,beforenon-discriminativeimmigrationactshadbeenputintoeffect.hadkeptintheirmindstheirChinesehopesandhopedtheywouldgobackandhave
a
lookattheoldlovablethingsintheirhometown.Mostofthemdiedinpainfulbutpleasant
leftunrealized.NewimmigrantswhoaroundtheliberationofChinain
nostalgiawithdreams1949
Canhardly
dilutetheirChinesehome
are
notas
strong船thosebefore.Thefamilystories
thattookplaceinChinaarealwayshauntingintheirminds,withintheirvoicesthenovel.
Homeforthemisdeparture
a
and
throughout
partoftheirlivesthatcannotbetakenaway
resolutiontObuild
a
and
on
simply
deleted
by
anddistance.Their
on
newChinesehomethenewlandwill
a
certainlybebasedgenerationeagertOblind
as
theirChinesefamilyvalues,which
fromtheir
makethedaughtersof
versionof
new
escapehighexpectation(Chinese
AmericanDream),
obedience
to
theirmothers,Chinesewayofharshcriticismandmysticalbeliefs(regarded
superstitionbythedaughters).Allthe
are
silent
competition,opendevianceandenmitybetween
themothersand
daughters
infacttheChinese
family
for
valueagainst
Americancultureofflee
American
identity
that
development,equality,simplicityandalSOignoranceoffamilyaffectation.
The
daughters
also‘‘narratetheirsearch
a
Chinese
incorporatesallthecontributionstheir"American’selvesanddisparate
oftheirmothers’liveswithoutcompromisingthestabilityof
lives…ifthe
can
mothers’storiespresentwithsomeclaritythe
influences
andelementthat
affectthedevelopmentof
a
compoundChinese
Americanidenti够thedaughters’narrativesexplorethecontinuingprocessofbalancing
those
influences,a
are
processthatisnecessaryfor
boththeindividuals
andthe
newcommunitieslhey
creating.””Theirstoriesproverepeatedlythenecessitytounderstandmothers’stories
and
incorporatethemintothedaughters’searchfortheirownChineseAmerican
identity.
WhenWaverly
hermotherisusingtraditionalChinesestrategytoshowoffher
daughter’S
success,
a
shoutedout
shame
andrepugnancy,much
beyondthemother’Sexpectationupon
daughter’Sbehavior.Aftertheirquarrel.thereissomethingabnormalcomingintomother’sintentionalneglectof
being一-the
Waverly(revenge,hurtdisappointment,pretendedisolationof
the
daughter
withstifled
hopes)andWaverly’s
pretenseofgivingupthechess—playing(searchbyChinese
forself,oppositionagainstauthority
endowed
culture).This
strugglefindsthe
daughtermakingconcessionfirst,whenitistoolateforhertOregainthemystical‘'wind’’
inheritedfromhermother’sexpectationandnecessityforthepoppingoutin
bragging.Whatthisstoryimpliesseemstobethe
SO
daughters
togetstrength
fromthemothersastofacethefrustration
life.The
storyends
withWaverly’s
quittingchess—playingforeveLwhileJing-hurtseverybody
meialsofallsintounsolvedregretwithinthewiderapartallofasudden.
family
and
tearsthegapeven
.39.
i!:尘坚筌些:!坚尘:!些型呈:型:墼型
Marriageofthedaughtersmeanstheirdeparturefromthefamily,especiallyThedaughtersinTheJoyLuckClubhavenevertothemothers.succeededinobtainingfromtheirmothersthesatisfactionandagreementfortheirfuturehusband.TheproblemliesinthefactthatthedaughtersareeducatedinaChinesefamilyaftertheycomebackhomeandclosethedoorbehindtotheoutsideAmericanculturesincetheirchildhood.TheyfeelitdifficulttodisposecompletelyofChinesefamilyvaluethathasactuallyrootedinside
leavethefamilythem.Whentheycanlegallythroughmarriage…-thesymbolofenteringadulthood,theyfollowChinese
acustomstobringtheirhusbandunderthescrutinyofthereluctantmothers.Itistoohardfor
mothertoacceptherdaughter’sintentionofleavingthefamilybysettingupanotherfamilyofherownwill,andmoredifficultforhertoaccepttheson—in-law(theintruderofanotherdominantculture)whowill
BeforeneverbewillingtounderstandChinesefamilyculture.Waverlybroughtherboyfriend,Rich,tohermother,shewasscaredandnervousthathermotherwouldspoileverything.HerchatwithhergirlfriendrevealsdifferentattitudestakenbyAmericanandChinesedaughters???????-herfrienddealswith
motherwhileWaverly,thoughconsciousoftheAmerican
aeasetherejectionfromandoutnotionofindependencedemocracy,feelsthenecessitytorespecthermother’sideatodegree.Thesituationtums
tobebeyondhercontrolwhentheyhaveamealtogether:Richsimplynodsathermother’sChinesemodestytoapologizefortheimperfectnessofthemealwhilehermotheriscriticalaboutRich’sfrecklesonthefaceandhisnumbnesstoChineculture.ThereisabigironywhenWaverly
andhastofacehermother’sstubborndissatisfactionandcoldnesstowardstheirmarriageRich’snaivecontentednessatthismeetingandhismockingathermother’sawkwardEnglishatthesametime.WhenChineseculturesupportedbyfamilynormschallenges
tostopherAmericanculturewhichtriestodissolveeverylimitationupon
mother’seasydismissalofherboyfriend.almostlosesher
mothers’authorityissolidlyprotectedself.Waverly,unabledirection.Withintothefamily,thethoughthedaughtersaretaughtrebelagainstauthority.Whatthedaughtersaretryingtodoistoreachsomeconcessionbetweentheirmothersandthemselves,tothedegreewheretheirAmericanprinciplescanremainintactwhiletheirmothers’Chineseauthorityisstillin
concession,beforecontr01.Waverly’sstoryprovestheimpossibilityofsuchWaverlynevertrulyunderstandsthereasonforhermother’sdisagreement(thoughsheagreesthat“cookingwashowmymotherexpressedherlove,herpride.her
Richneverpower…””)andpreparestocomeclosertoChineseculture.Waverly’ssecond
attempttoleaveherfamilyinadulthoodseemstofallintothecyclewithfrustrationanddilemmaofherchildhood’sexperience.
Breakingawayfromthefamilyisthethemeinthegrowthofthedaughtersofyoungergeneration’sdaughters.Thethemeismarkedwithharshstruggle,culturalclashes.disposalofone’sorigininvain(aRerall,Chinaistheoriginfortheirlivesandtheoriginwhichprovides
:!竺坠筌些:::錾:坠呈坠堡!墼型12竺竺
strengthfortheirmotherstobuildthenewhomeintheUSA),andfailurewithouttheinspirationfromthemothers.Itistruethatapersoncannotachieveself-actualizationwithoutfirstidentifyinghis/herrelationshipwithhis/herownculturalheritage.TobeahyphenatedAmerican。however,alsomeansthattheyareblessedwithtwoculturesandCanhavethefreedomandluxurytobeselective.
5.3.2ReturningHome
Homeistheplacealwaysofpriorityinthemindofthemotherswhethertlleyalemarriedornot,theyateinChinaorintheUSA,thoughthesocialrealityteachesthemthenecessitytoclaimindependenceagainstthefeudalisticcontrol,includingthefamilyfetters.Thus,faith,attachment,rootandsenseofbelongingalethedefinitionstheyhavelabeledtheirhomeswith.ThatisthereasonwhyLindosacrificesherhappinessforthevainhonorofherfamily,whyAn—meiHsu’Smothercamebacktofulfillherfilialperformancewillingly,thoughshewascleataboutherfailuretowinrecognitionandwhyYingyinghidherselfintheshelterofherfamilyaftershefailedinherfirstmarriage.AftertheirimmigrationtotheUSA.theytakepainstokeeptheirChineselifestyleunderthepressureofcontemptanddiscrimination,clingingtothesymbolizedconceptof“returninghome”withintheirAmericanenvironmentandrefuseanypossibilityofassimilationandacculturation.
ThedaughtersoftheyoungergenerationhavetriedhardwiththespiritualweaponofwestemindependenceandeasyaccesstotheEnglish—speakingAmericansocietytofreethemselvesfromChinesehome-ties,establishedbytheirmothersthroughtheiroralstoriesintheChineselanguageandauthorizedtranslationofChinesebeliefs(Suyuanoncesaid,“Onlytwokin&o厂daughters.Thosewhoareobedientandthosewhofollowtheirownmind/Onlyonekindofdaughtercanliveinthishouse.Obedientdaughter/’’1AnmeiinthefrontwordofthechapterentitledThetwenty-sixMalignantGatessaid,‘'/tiswritteninChinese.YoucannotunderstandifThatiswhyyoumustlistentOme.’…ThemothersalsocreatedaChineseenvironmentthroughChinesefood,mahjong,get-together,etc.However,intheirattempttobreakthetiesofChineseculture.thedaughtersdiscoverfinallytheyhavetoreturntowheretheybegintheirjoumey.
Waverlycriedoutherresistanceagainsthermother’Svanity.Shebeganrunningaimlesslyuntilshefoundadeadendinfrontofher.Hersub-consciousnessbroughtherbackhomewhere
deeplyhurtmotherhaddecidedtOburyinhermindherhighexpectationofWaverly’Sfuture.Thechangedfamilyatmospherewasnotwhatithadbeen.Waverlylostherpreviousinspirationandthemagicalweaponendowedbyhermother.Herhome-returnwouldhavebeenmeaninglesswithoutsuccessfulcommunicationwithhermother.
LenaSt.Clairreturnedhomeandtookhermothertoherownhouse,whoimmediately.41.the
i!:竺:坚茎!!:!::錾:!::!:!些呈!呈!兰!:2呈呈:!
realizedtheseriousprobleminhermarriagefromherChinesepointofview:businesslikeofthechargeswithout
sharingwithoutfamilyaffectation,arrogantallotmenthusband.etc.Allthesetellaboutwasathermother’ssensitivityto
a
concern
fromthe
as
at
marriagepossiblybreakingup
any
time.Angry
she
see
allthebadparts,shehadtoadmitthecorrectnessofher
over
mother’sremarksaboutthecoolnessinthoseseeminglyfairAmericanrules.Inthinking
hermother’sblameaboutherignoranceoftheharmfulsources,Lenabegantotakeintoconsiderationhermother’sfamilyvaluebasedsupportinherfightforhomefornewstrength
on
Chinesecultureand1atertookit
as
the
changes
inmarriage.Inthissense,Lena
hadreturned
totheChinese
and
inspirationforthesolution.
RoseJordanseemedtofacesimilarproblemsinhermarriage.Thoughtreatedunfairlyandregarded
as
anaccessory,Rosewasactuallythe
a
one
forherhusband’s
success
inbusiness.She
wassunkinto
psychologicalmesswhenherhusbandsuddenlydeclareddivorceafterhis
a
wrongdecisionhadledto
for
bigfailureinbusiness.Hermother,AnmeiHsu’ssuggestion
braveconfrontationoftheproblemwaspsychiatristwhohardlycaredabouthercametorealizethat“…therewas
a
first哂ectedbyRose,whoputherhopeuponthe
thehelpofhermother,she
explanation.Later,with
seriousflaw
withtheAmericanversion.Thereweretoo
manychoice墨soitwaseasytogetmysituationwithTed.There
confused
andpickthewrongthing.That'show/felt
about
was∞much
to
thinkabout,somuch
todecide.Eachdecision
meantaturninanotherdirection.’’98Urgedbyhermother
forsomeaction.Rosefinallystands
grassgrowswidelyinthe
uptoclaimfortherightshedeserves.Inherdreamthatnight,the
yardinfrontofherhouse一一一-asymbolofthedaughterwhotriestogetlifeandenergyupherself-development
and
start
freely.With
theimpetusfromhermother,Lenafindsthewaysto
solvetheculturalconflictsalwaysbetweenhermotherandherself-?--?-?tocombinetheChinesestrengthwitllher
American
values.
Incorrelationwiththemothers’departurefromChinesecontext,Jing—meireturnedto
China,homeofallthemothers.Themother
joumey
is
a
long—cherisheddreamheldbyherdead
and
alsothewishoftheothermothers。Oncesteppinguponthelandinhermother’s
stories,JingmeifeltthatshebecamemoreChinesethanever.Hermeetingwiththeothersistersdissolvedtheclashes
and
the
strangenessshe
had
once
feltaboutChinaandherindifferenceto
hermother’spainmixedwiththeconceptofChinesehome.
“ReturningtoChina'’is
toanswerJingmei
a
questionthroughoutthewholebook,inwhichthestoriescome
Woo’s
doubtaboutthemothersandhersel£whatshewouldsayabouttheir
lifeintheUSA,whatshehadfamilies.Itis
all
understoodabout
ChinesecultureandChinese
American
are
importanttimeforherwhentheChinese
ever.
languageand
Chinesecontext
closerandmoretangiblethan
“ReturningtoChina'’is
just
a
beginning,whichrequiresfurther
.42.
understandingand
more
Chineseexperienceformoreextensivecommunicationbetweentwocultures..43..
Conclusion
TheJoyLuckClubnarrates,throughthemothers’voiceintheChineselanguage.themysteries
and
secretslongburiedintheirhearts.Endowedwiththeopportunitytohaveliberal
usa
expression。eachwomanrecountsherhappinessandbiaemesstoprovide
contactwithChineseAmericanwomen.
closeanddirect
ThemotherscometotheUSAfirstwiththeirownAmericandream.Differentfromgenerationsofwhitebecome
as
dreamers
as
throughthehistoryoftheUSA,theywishtheirdaughtersto
andabletoacceptthe
American
they
can
meaning
ofthatswanfeather???,????the
cagierofallthegoodintentionoftheChinesemothers.Theconflictsshatterthe
Americanized
anoutsider
in
dreamintobrokenpieces.Thetruthisthatthesocialbackgrounddoesnotbafflethemothersabouttheirculturalidentity.LindoJongcomparesheruprootedexperienceasboththeUSAandChina:“IthinkaboutisAmerican?Which
one
our
two
one
faces.I
is
thinkaboutmyintentions.Which
one
isChinese?Which
better?Ifyoushowone.youmustalways
on
sacrificetheother.’’99Theirvacillationinclenching/looseningtheirholdChineseheritage/
Americandreamfinallyfindsinside
ananswer
ina‘‘Chinesedream”,afterbeginswith
a
so
muchharshtussle
andoutside
the
family:asthebook
sailingtotheUSAwiththatbeautiful
swan一一thecollectionofallChineseheritage。apairofticketsbacktoChinaclosesthebitter
actintheUSAandopensupanewhorizonwithexcitinghope.
Entangledwithintheconflict‘‘betweentraditionalChinesecultureandthemainstreamAmerican
culture,between
their
aspirationforindividualfreedom
between
their
andtheir
sense
offamilial
andsocialresponsibilityandobligations,andfalse
andtrueidentity'’100.the
over
daughterslosetheirdirectionwhensearchingforbased
on
identity.When
they
turnthepatriarchy
familysystem,theyalsodismissthematernalauthoritywhoseonlyrequestinthe
newcountryistoaskforcertainpreservationofChineseculturalheritage.Asallthedisguised
and
hiddencrisespopupintheirlives,itbecomesmore
and
moreobviousthattheinitial
sisterhoodencouragement.
interferenceoftheirmotherturnsouttobeheritagebackupHowever,solong
as
and
themiscommunicationstillexistsinthemother-daughterrelationship.the
ambivalencefeltbythedaughtersstillneedsmoreactivesolution.
Throughthecontinuityanddevelopmentinthegenerations,thethemesgetrepeatedrepresentation
toleapover
mother-daughterrelationshipoftwo
and
revelation.Theclashes
and
theurgency
conflicts
them
are
alsobroughtoutandintensifiedbycultural
difference.These
leadtothenecessaryculturaljourney
ofJingmei
Woo
toChina,whichprovidesafeasible
solutionfortheproblemsthatChinese
ave
and
the
otherethnic
Americans(especiallyethnic
foropenness
women)
for
facing一一??-activeparticipation
inculturalstrive
andinvitation
understandingofothercultures..45.
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2Huntlev.E.D.AmyTan:ACriticalCompanion【M】.London:GreenwoodPress,1998。P32.1Woo.Los3AmyTanInterview
4San—lingWong.SugarSisterhood:SituatingtheAmy
GreenwoodPress,1998,P65.TanPhenomenon[M】.London:
5Huntley,E.D.AmyTan.ACriticalCompanion【M].London:GreenwoodPress。1998.P20.6ElaineKimAsianAmericanLiterature.AnIntroductiontOtheWritingsand肋cialContext[M】.
7Ling.Amy.BetweenWorlds:WomenWriters
Press.1990.P130.
8PatriciaPofChineseAnces砂【M].NewYork:PergamoninAsianAmericaChu.AssimilatingAsians…一GenderedStrategiesofAuthorship『MIDurhamandLondon:DukeUniversityPress.2000,P142.
9Ganahl,Jane.AmyTangetshervoiceback肋D纠January/Febmary2001issue10Huntley,E.D.AmyTan.ACriticCompanion[M1.London:GreenwoodPress,1998.P74.11AmyTan.TheJoyLuckCIubfMI.NewYork:BallentineBooks,1989,P3.12Ibid..P3.
fMI.NewYork:BallentineBooks,l989,P254.
14VictoriaChen.ChineseAmericanwomen,language.andmovingsubjectivity[J】Women13AmyTan,TheJoyLuckClubandLanguage,1995,Voll8:p3.
15AmyTan.砌PJoyLuckCIub【M】.NewYork:BallentineBooks,1989:P64.16Ibid..P33.34
17Ibid..P37
18VictoriaChen,ChineseAmericanwomen,language,andmovingsubjectivity[J】WomenandLanguage.1995.Voll8:p3.
19Amy"Fan.The
Ibid..P168.JoyLuckClub『M1.NewYork:BallentineBooks,1989:P133.20Ibid..P161.2l
22Ibid.,P168.
23Ibid。P40.
24Ibid..P15.
25Ibid..P306.
26Ibid..P289.
27Ibid.P290.
28Ibid~P306-307.
29Ibid..P274.
30Ibid..34.
3lIbid..203.
32Twitchell,Hall.Edward.UnderstandingCultural
Press.1990:P67.Differences[M].Yarmouth:Intercultural
33AmyTan.砌PJoyLuckClub[M].NewYork:BallentineBooks.1989:P27.34AreviewinPublishers’Weekly
35AmyTan.刀理JoyLuckClub[M].NewYOrk:BallentineBooks.1989:P223.36VictoriaChen,ChineseAmericanwomen.1anguage,andmovingsubjectivi纱【J】WomenandLanguage.1995,Voll8:p3.37MarinaHeung,Daughter-Text/Mother-Text:MatrilineageinAmyTan'sJoyLuckClub[J].
FeministStudies.Fall1993.Vjl.3:P597—616.
38Ibid..P597—616
39Ibid..P597.616
40Chandra
41
42TylerMountain.砀eStruggleofMemoryagainstForgetting”CulturalSurvival1995:P48—49.AmyTan's砌PJoyLuckClub[J】.Paintbrush2,AutumnAmyTan.砌eJoyLuckClubtM].NewYork:BallentineBooks,1989:P3.ofYin。Xiao.Huang.ChineseAmericanLiteratureSince1850s[M】.Urban:universityinIllinoisPress.2000:P233.
43Huntley,E.D.AmyTan:ACriticCompanion【MI.London:GreenwoodPress,1998:P32.44Ibid..P15.16
45lbid..P173
46Ibid..P175
47Ibid..P19l
48O’Reilly,Andrea.AcrosstheDivide."ContemporaryAnglo-AmericanFeministTheoryon
theMother—DaughterRelationship[M].Toronto:SecondStoryPress.1998:P86.49AmyTan.7抛Joy上“以Clu6【M】.NewYork:BallentineBooks,1989:P105.50Ibid—P296
5lIbid..P317
52Ibid..P317
53Ibid..P31S
54Ibid..P323
55Ibid.,P330
56Ibid..P331
57Ibid—P26l
58Huntley,E.D.AmyTan:ACriticCompanion[M】.London:GreenwoodPress,1998:P48.59AmyTan.The
60Ibid.,P320.
6lIbid..P31.
62Ibid..P132.
63Ibid..P133.
64Ibid..P49.
65Ibid。P89.
66Ibid..P126.Joy三“c七CIub[M].NewYork:BallentineBooks.1989:P233.
67AmyTan.MotherTongue[Ed].玑eBestAmericanEssays.1991:P196.
68Ibid。P198.
Languageofdiscretion【F2].neStateofllleLanguage.Berkeley:
UniversityofCalifornia:P28.
70SacvanBercovitch.砌PCambridgeHistoryofAmericanLiterature【J】.ProseWriting.1999,69Amy
l,blume7..1940.1990:P579.
71Tan.劢PKaplan,E.Ann.motherhoodandRepresentation[M].London&NewYork:Routledge.
1992:P41.
72Ibid..P41.
73Ibid..P41.
74AmyTan.劢PJoyLuck
75Ibid.。P45.
76Ibid..P48.
77Ibid.,P53.
78Kafka,Philipa.DoingtheClub[M].NewYork:BallentineBooks.1989:P45.MissionaryPosition:GenderAsymmetryinContemporaryAsian
79Writing[M].Westport,Corm.andLondon:GreenwoodPress,1997:PAmyTan.砌PJoyLuckClubIM],NewYork:BallentineBooks。1989:P125.Americanwomenj1980Ibid..D126.
81Ibid..P219.
82Ibid..P176.
83Ibid..P177.
84Foster.M.Marie
砌PJoyLuckBooth.Voice.Mind,Setf"Mother-DaughterRelationshipsinAmyTanlCluband砌PKitchenGod'sWife[J].WomenofColor:Mother-DatlghterRelationshipsinTwentieth-CenturyLiterature,1996:P221.
85AmyTan.砌PJoyLuckClub[M].NewYork:BallentineBooks.1989:P128.86Ibid。P214.
87Ibid..P241.
88Ibid..P213,
89Ibid.。P275.
90Ibid..P282.
91Ibid..P282。285.
92Ibid。P285.
93Huntley.E.D,AmyTan:ACr#ic
94E,ShelleyReid.“OurCompanion[M].London:GreenwoodPress,1998:P52.TwoFaces“:BalancingMothersandDaughtersinTheJoyLuck(。lub95and劢PKitchenGod'sWTfe[J],Painbrush22,Autumn1995:P30.Amy1.an.砌FJoyLuckClub[M].NewYork:BallentineBooks.1989:P195.96Ibid..P153.
97Ibid..P87.
98Ibid..P214.
99Ibid,.P304.
100QunWang.砌eDialogicRichness"矽砌eJoyLuckClub[J].Paintbrush
P76.83.22,Autumnl995:
..50..
l'hePublishedpaper
ThePublishedpaper【11母女情深:中美文化的冲突与融合,吉林,教育科学杂志,2006年,第三期,15页
Acknowledgements
1wouldliketotakethisopportunitytothankall"thosewhohavehelpedmeinthewritingoftllisthesis.
Iamgreatly
strictrequirementindebtedandtomysupervisor,ProfessorWangXinchunforherexpertguidance,warmencourage.Withouthertimeandenergyinvestedindiscussing,
formsofthisthesisfromthereadingandcommentingthevariousformativestagetoitspresent
form,thecompletionofthethesisisimpossible.
Iaingratefultotheprofessorswhohavegivenmeclassesinthisthreeyears,suchasProfessorLiuMenglan,ProfessorZouHaiqi,Professorforth,theirinsightfuland
thesis.IhavebenefitedaZhangjing,ProfessorWangaDanandSOinformativeinstructionsgivemelotofenliIghtmentsinwritingthislotfromtheircoursesandlectures.
1wouldalsoliketothankmyclassmates,withwhomIunforgettablelifeinNortheastForestryUniversity.spenttogetherthreeyearsof
theirdeeploveandFinallyImustsaythankstomyfamily,especiallytomyparents.It’S
encouragementthat
greatinspirationsupportmealltheway.Also。IfeelgratefultOmyfiancdwhogavemeandhelpdunngmywritingthethesis..52.