Abstract

 A number of outstanding Chinese American writers have emerged in the American literary world by right of their excellent Chinese literary works since 1970s. Amy Tan is one of the most famous Chinese American writer, her book the Joy Luck Club which was published in 1989 enjoys a reputation in American literature. Not only does the novel put emphasis on conflicts between mothers and daughters but also on two different generations whose cultural backgrounds were interwoven with two great yet different cultures, embodying the inevitable conflicts and integration when it comes to the exchanges and communications between Chinese and American Culture.

  This research will mainly focus on the analysis of the contradictions and conflicts between the Chinese immigrant mothers and American-born daughters influenced greatly by American cultures, and then proceeding to further exploration for the causes of those conflicts. The four pairs of mother-daughter relations will be taken as examples to discuss the differences between Chinese and American values on marriage, family and education and try to find the mutual part of the two cultures which could reflect another theme of the novel —— "integration". Then the importance and necessity of the integration between Chinese Culture and American Culture will be carried on discussing as well as the mutual communication and understanding required.

Key words: the Joy Luck Club; Chinese and American culture; Conflict; Integration

Contents

Abstract

摘要

 1.  Introduction-4

  1.1 Amy Tan and The Joy Luck Club-4

  1.2 Literature Review-6

2.  Conflicts between Mothers and Daughters-8

  2.1 Conflicts of Languages and Expressions-8

2.2 Conflicts of Values on Education-10

2.3 Conflicts of Values on Marriage and Family-11

3.  Conflicts between Two Cultures-13

3.1.Mothers’ Chinese Traditional Social and Cultural Background-13

3.2 American-born Daughters’ Cultural Identities-15

4.  The Integration between Two Generations Reflecting Two Cultures-17

  4.1 Mutual Understanding and Compromising between Mothers and Daughters-17

4.2  Cultural Integration and Coexistence in The Joy Luck Club-19

4.3 Significance of Cultural Integration-20

5.  Conclusion-22

Bibliography-24

Acknowledgments-22