Abstract: the Joy Luck Club is the representative work of famous American Chinese female author Amy Tan. The novel tells a story about four immigrant mothers and four daughters who are born and grow up in America. It reflects that cultural conflicts and contradictions between China and America by continuously misunderstandings and conflicts in the mother-daughter relationship. The composition will study on this novel from the concrete reflections of culture conflicts and the factors leading to it, which are caused by different conflicts of religious beliefs, conflicts of family Concepts, conflicts of social customs between the mothers and daughters. In the end of the novel, the mothers and the daughters begin to understand and communicate with each other. It shows that even if there are cultural differences and conflicts between two cultures, eastern culture and western culture finally will integrate with each other, get progressed together. 

Key words: the Joy Luck Club; mother-daughter relationship; cultural conflicts

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Introduction1

Chapter One Conflicts of Religious Beliefs in the Mother-daughter Relationship4

1.1. Confucianism and Taoism in China..4

1.2. Christianity in America5

1.3. Factors leading to Conflicts of Religious Beliefs in the Mother-daughter Relationship6

Chapter Two Conflicts of Family Concepts in the Mother-daughter Relationship7

2.1. Different Views of Filial and Parental Love7

2.2. Different Views of Marriage....9

2.3. Factors leading to Conflicts of Family Concepts in the Mother-daughter Relationship ..9

2.3.1. The Differences of the Growth Background10

2.3.2. The Differences of the Family Education10

Chapter Three Conflicts of Social Agreed Principles in the Mother-daughter Relationship..11

3.1. Different Eating Customs11

3.2. Different Etiquette Customs12

3.3. Different Friendship Customs.13

3.4. Factors leading to Conflicts of Social Agreed Principles in the Mother-daughter Relationship13 

Conclusion15

Notes15

Bibliography16

Acknowledgements18