Research Paper on:
Identity and Relationships Between Mothers and Daughters in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Club". Throughout the novel, the mothers stories and memories about their heritage and past which are considered excessive initially by their daughters are eventually accepted through maturity and in doing  the daughters who have acknowledged their importance not only gain a better understanding of their mothers but also of their Chinese heritage and therefore gain their full identity. The daughters  are not able to gain a grasp of their full identity until they finally accept and are rewarded by their knowledge of their Chinese heritage and culture; elements causing conflict  throughout the novel. Amy Tans "The Joy Luck Club" explores different mother-daughter relationships among the generations within a Chinese American community as told in four sections equally divided between  the perspectives of the mothers and the daughters. The Joy Luck Club was a gathering of four women at a mah jong table in San Francisco. The mothers in the  story were Suyuan Woo (who started the club), An-Mei-Hsu, Kindo Jong, and Ying Ying St. Clair. Their daughters were Jing-Mei "June" Woo, "Rose" Hsu Jordan, Waverly Jong, and Lena St.  Clair (Nunez). The story begins with the mothers perspectives of their stories from their childhood and past in China; stories they held  back from their daughters until they felt they were ready to understand. The second two sections of the book are from the daughters perspectives while they are trying to become  Americanized and are unforgiving to their mothers for maintaining their traditional ways. The daughters grew up in America during the 1950s when it was vital to them that they blend  in and not stand out as unique or different from American children; a concept their mothers had difficulty accepting (Tung). Although resistant to their mothers suggestions throughout their childhood, the