1. Introduction

Since the 1970s, a group of Chinese literary works with their unique perspectives, rich cultural images and stories with mysterious orientation have shocked the contemporary American literature and enriched the connotation of American literature.The Joy Luck Club is just one of them.

The Joy Luck Club, written by Amy Tan, a famous Chinese American writer.The Joy Luck Club is a story full of conflicts between Chinese immigrant mothers and their American—raised daughters.Although living inAmerica, the immigrant mothers cling to Chinese traditional culture. They organize the Joy Luck Club regularly, a weekly meeting of best Chinese friends. The four mothers have their own views of the world, which are based on their experiences of life inChina. However, the daughters cannot understand Chinese culture because they are born inAmerica. Therefore,there are many conflicts between the mothers and daughters.As time goes by, after a series of misunderstandings and conflicts, they begin to understand each other. The two generations gradually go into harmony with their efforts of love.

Amy Tan’sThe Joy Luck Clubis amagnumopus in Chinese-American literature. Some researchers put the emphasis on the feminism of the woman and the others believe that the writing style makes Amy Tan’sThe Joy Luck Clubasuccess. However,most of researchers think that the conflicts and reconciliation are the theme inThe Joy Luck Club, which have been vividly described in this book.

This paper will study the conflicts and reconciliation between Chinese and American culture in theJoy Luck Club. It will analyze the conflicts embodied in mother and daughter relationship, and then explore reasons that cause the conflicts. This paper also analyze the reconciliation of the conflicts between Chinese culture and American culture, and try to probe into the reasons that cause the change from the conflicts to the reconciliation between Chinese and American culture, and hopes that it is helpful for them to understand the cultural relationship between Chinese and American.

This paper consists of five chapters. Chapter one is a brief introduction of this paper. Chapter two is to discuss the conflicts between Chinese and American cultures inthe Joy Luck Club, embodied in mother-daughter relationships, different etiquettes and marriage relationship. Chapter three is to analyze the cultural reasons that cause these conflicts. Chapter four is to discuss the reconciliation and the reason from the conflicts to the reconciliation between Chinese and American culture. Chapter five is a summary of this paper.

2.    The Conflicts between Chinese and American Cultures inThe Joy                                   Luck Club

   

2.1 The conflicts embodied in mother-daughter relationships

The images of the four mothers inThe Joy Luck Club are not only their daughter’s mother, they are also the representatives of Chinese culture. The four mothers all grew up inChinaand accepted the Chinese culture. They went through wars, natural disasters and lived under heavy pressures. Because of the flood, Lindo had to marry the man who she never met before. In their marriage, she just played the role as a maid; because of the war, Suyuan had to abandon her twin babies in order to escape; because An-mei lived in the old Chinese society, her mother was forced to remarry a rich man, which would be a great shame to her and her family. Finally she awakened and became strong after she had witnessed her mother’s death; because Yingying married a playboy, her husband gave her such great physical and psychological damage that she killed her unborn child in desperation, and departed from her husband until he died. After witnessing and experiencing all the tragedies, the four women came to theUnited Statesand decided to start a new life. And they also hope their daughters have a happy life.

However, the things were not what they wanted. Their daughters grew in theUnited Statesand they were influenced by American culture. InThe Joy Luck Club, there were many conflicts between mothers and daughters, such as marriage, education and so on. The mother Suyuan expected too much for her daughter, which impressed breathless pressure on her. Suyuan hoped her daughter June could make some achievements in piano which may help her get a foothold in theUnited States, while June couldn’t understand her mother. One time, June failed her performance in the competition and lost her mother’s face. Instead of criticizing her daughter, Suyuan treated her daughter stricter than before. However, June was quite unsatisfied with her mother’s efforts, she just wanted to be an average person. Finally she against her mother and cried “Why don’t you like me the way I am? I'm not a genius! I can't play the piano. And even if I could, I wouldn’t go on TV even if you paid me a million dollars!’’ Another conflict appears between mother Yingying and her daughter Lena because ofLena’s misunderstanding of Chinese people. Lena knew little about her mother since she had memories, her mother often seemed scared and sad, but she never talked about anything toLena. She looked down upon her mother with the prejudice that all of the Chinese people are impoverished. In addition, when she was a child, her mother once told her that her grandfather punished a person and suffered revenge for his death. After that,Chinain her mind became a pretty savage place, and she even asked her mother: “Did they slice off his skin first? Did they use a cleaver to chop up his bones? Did he scream and feel all one thousand cuts?” Her mother was very angry with her misunderstanding of her grandfather. Still mother Lindo and her daughter Waverly have conflicts. Wavely got a talent in playing chess in her youth and earned a lot of prize in variety kinds of contests. Lindo was very proud of her daughter, and then she took Waverly everywhere to show off her daughter’s achievements, which caused Waverly’s unsatisfying and complaint. Thus the conflict is generated and quarrel is exploded. The last pair of mother and daughter is Anmei and Rose. Rose married Ted who was hardly busy with his work. In their marriage, she consistently held the belief that women should be tame and modest which can lead her marriage to a happy ending. In order to support her husband’s work, Rose gave up a fellowship in fine arts and helped her husband do anything without her husband’s acknowledgment. Finally, Rose lost herself and she never expresses her real opinions to her husband. The mother, Anmei is discounted with her daughter’s compromise and talked to her several times. Every time she was defeated by her daughter’s subjective ideas and stubborn minds. Gradually, the inharmonious factors come up in their relationships.

2.2 The conflicts embodied in different etiquette

InThe Joy Luck Club, the author described the conflicts between mothers and daughters especially described the conflicts between the mother Lindo and her daughter Waverly’s boyfriend Rich. Rich was an American, he had accepted American culture and education since he was born. He didn’t know much aboutChina, so it is hard for him to comprehend Chinese culture. When Waverly told her mother that she has a boyfriend and decided to marry him. Her mother Lindo didn’t have any response. So Waverly took Rich to her mother’s birthday dinner, she wanted her mother to accept Rich whether she liked him or not.

When Rich met Waverly’s mother, he was very happy. However, Waverly’s mother didn’t say anything even at the time Rich praised her: “You know, Waverly has been telling me that you are the best cook,” she just looked at her daughter. Waverly thought that her mother could agree with them. However, Lindo said to Waverly “so many spots on his face”. Though Rich had learned some Chinese customs before, he made a joke when he first had a visit to Waverly’s home. Lindo made her specialty dish but modestly said that this dish was not salty enough and so on. Nevertheless, Rich was so serious that he poured much sauce on it. He never realized that in the embarrassing situation, he had already offended his mother-in-law. In China, it is not unusual that the hosts initially belittle their dishes but expect to gain praise from guests, 1ike “it is the best dish I have ever eaten”, etc．On the contrary, Americans are very straightforward, who would directly speak out: “it is my best dish” or “it is not good enough”. Therefore，there was no doubt that Rich cannot understand implications in Lindo’s words.

After Waverly’s father finished making a toast, families just sipped at the glass while Rich drank up and then poured more by him. When facing his favorite dish, he even at will took much to his bowl. All his actions were considered impolite and made others embarrassed, because it was hard to be accepted by traditional Chinese. In the host’s house, guests should follow the host. After they left the house, Rich asked Waverly, “So, how did your mom react when you told her about the wedding?” At that time, Waverly was very angry with her mother. She said “It never came up; she’d rather get rectal cancer.” Apparently, Rich couldn’t understand Waverly’s words. So he did not say anything. Although Lindo had immigrated to theUnited Statesfor many years, she still kept the lifestyle of theChina. When she saw his behaviors at the dinner table, she found Rich had many shortcomings. In other words, the misunderstandings and conflicts between mother and Rich in etiquette of dinner also reflect the different culture between the east and the west.

2.3 The conflicts embodied in marriage relationships

Yingying’s daughterLenaand her husband kept sharing everything fifty-fifty except personal stuffs before and after marriage. Lena insisted that love rather than false independence should be exist in their marriage,while her husband thought independence came first no matter it was in personal life or in their marriage. So a lot of contradictions emerged in their marriage.For example, she complained that her husband sometimes read magazines she subscribed. The cat was her birthday gift given by him but he required her to pay to get rid of cat fleas. In most Chinese families, husbands hand in their income to wives to master and govern finance. However, inAmerica, it is common that a couple goes Dutch in everything. In fact,Lenawas deeply influenced by traditional Chinese culture and she disliked this kind of lifestyle. While, like other Chinese wives, she constantly tolerated her husband, in order to keep marriage and prevent mother worrying about her. Unfortunately, her Chinese forbearance still failed to save their broken marriage. One time, her mother came to their house, and saw the paper in the refrigerator, askedLena“why do you do this?” Finally,Lenatalked with her husband, and asked her husband “Why do you have to be so goddamn fair? The way we account for everything, I can’t stand any more. We need to think about what this marriage is based on, not this balance sheet.” Her mother stayed upstairs and recalled her suffering and sank into thinking, then she broken the flower vase to awaken her daughter. She asked her daughter: “Do you know what you want?” “Respect and tenderness”Lenasaid. Her mother encouraged Lena to tell her idea of marriage to her husband, to leave the lopsided house, and to never come back until he would giveLenathose things.

In addition, Anmei’s daughter Rose also faced the marriage problem. Rose fell in love with and married an American rich man, Ted, regardless of the opposition of Ted’s parents. Because Rose was affected by her mother’s traditional thoughts, so after Rose and Ted married, she helped her husband deal with all ordinary things, and shepaid bills for him and bought gifts for him and so on. When getting a scholarship ofUniversityofIdaho, Rose determined to give it up and continued to support her husband silently. Conversely, American husband Ted expected that his wife should have her own individuality and increasingly discontented with her behavior. At one night, when they were discussing where to have dinner, Rose expressed that all things she did were for him. At this time, Ted finally spoke out his dissatisfaction and expected to hear her inner voice and different opinions. Conflicts between them vividly show us cultural clashes between the west and the east. Chinese wife believes that her own sacrifice is out of her love to husband, while her efforts are unable to gain American husband’s understanding. At last, when Ted came to consult selling the house with her after they decided to divorce, he listened to her inner voice and desire, and then he began to understand his wife. Finally, Rose and his husband Ted decided not to divorce．

3.    The Cultural Reasons of the Conflicts between Chinese and American CulturesinThe Joy Luck Club

3.1   Differentways of education

The Chinese society inThe Joy Luck Club was still quite unstable where there were constant inner civil conflicts that came from outer great powers. Therefore, people lived a miserable life at that time. The mothers in their childhood and youth were fettered by their personal situation inChina. In that period, women were in weak situation where they had to stand the spiritual sufferings from the Chinese thoughts and ideas, they had to obey the requirements and arrangements of their husband, parents and elders. Thus, after suffering bad experience, they went to live in a foreign country-theUnited States, and it was inevitable for them to have strong feudal thoughts. Since the development in theUnited Stateswas much higher than that ofChina, there existed essential differences in both social civilization and national policy betweenChinaand theUnited States. Thanks to fewer wars in theUnited Statesand social civilization achieved such rapid development that caused great distinction withChina, people’s life and social state were relatively stable.

The mothers lived in a foreign country, it would take a rather long time for them to adapt themselves to American social environment, while the daughters were different from them, who were born and grew up in the United States enjoyed the harmonious and stable social environment of the United States. They never experienced any social disaster, and lived a comfortable life. It seemed to be difficult for them to imagine the Chinese social environment in their mother’s minds. From then on, contradictions and conflicts between the mothers and the daughters were aroused more and more frequent. For example, although the mother Suyuan lived in a foreign and strange environment after emigration, the mother continued to use the educational ideas in Chinese traditional feudal society. Though that kind of feudal thought was the production ofChina’s old history, the mother was deeply influenced by feudal thoughts and thought that the Chinese education was the best way for her daughter to realize dreams and their bright future. She educated her daughter on the basis of the Chinese traditional education, even she asked June to practice the piano at home every day, however, the daughter June complained her mother and she totally didn’t agree with the mother’s educational ideas. June was influenced by the free social morality in theUnited States. On the contrary, the mother was deeply influenced by Chinese culture and Chinese traditional thoughts, and which still being deposited in the mother’s heart. Each conflict seemed to be the result of the different ways of education between mothers and daughters.

3.2   Differentways of expression

In intercultural communication, owing to different cultural contexts, it is likely to cause gaps and conflicts in a few aspects. Among these aspects, different ways of speaking can be regarded as the most evident aspect. Speaking is an essential and indispensable part in our daily communication. About this point, the American cultural anthropologists, Edward T. Hall has a theory on high-context and low-context cultures that explains the cultural differences between China and American. In high context style, the talker tends to be indirect. Much of the message is expressed by means other than words. In other words, information is connived through gestures, the use of space, and even silence. Chinese culture and tradition are long, continuous and unified, and change very little over time, which has strong stability and solidarity so that China is viewed as the most typical country of high context culture. On the contrary, low-context communication is more direct and explicit. People tend to take what is said at face value,generally expecting people to say what they mean. In short, the verbal message contains most of information and very little of the information is embodied in the context. American, its history and political organizations has been built for a relatively short time but develops quite fast. More and more people pay much attention to rapid changes and the ideas of progress. Hence,Americacan be considered as the representative of low-context culture.

With a long history, Chinese high-context culture has changed little. The ancient tradition and principles have deeply influenced on people all the time. Therefore, people’s ways of speaking and behaviors remain the traditional styles. And Chinese people are inclined to express their meaning indirectly and implicitly. For one thing, when they have a conversation with others, even if people do not express their meanings explicitly, the listeners still can understand them clearly and respond easily to them as well. For another thing, when they express their meanings, they must take others’ feelings into consideration, which indicates that it is irresistible for them to choose proper words carefully and prudently, it because that Chinese people emphasize politeness and modesty considerably. InThe Joy Luck Club, when Waverly took her new boyfriend Rich to meets her families, her mother arranged a wonderful dinner and she made her specialty dishes to entertain Rich, but she modestly said that this dish was not salty enough and so on. In fact, she was very satisfied with her cooking, but nevertheless she did not tend to show it. But Rich didn’t know about Chinese culture, and he said that it just needed a little soy sauce. Rich was born and grew up inAmerica, where people’s thoughts become more open and frank, so their ways of communication become more direct. They had a feeling that this kind of explicit way was favorable for them to improve efficiency and help them achieve success. Meanwhile, as a country of low-context culture, most American people were always depending on words to communicate with others. In their eyes, verbal message was so clear and simple for people to understand. People didn’t need to waste time in guessing other’s thoughts through their gestures or their implied meaning. Therefore, there was no doubt that Rich couldn’t understand the implications in Lindo’s words. In fact, Chinese people took modesty as a virtue, the praise of others was often euphemistically denied, and preferred not to show off their accomplishments. However, the Americans advocated personal endeavor, and they were willing to accept praise and gratitude. Waverly and Rich, who grew up under the influence of the American culture, so it was so easy to make conflicts with her mother.

3.3   Different views of marriage

Because of the culture differences inChinaandAmerica, people have quite different views of marriage, especially in the position of men and women in marriage. In traditional Chinese culture, people’s marriages are based on family conditions, and women should be obedient to their husband, and take care of their children and husband, while Westerns’ marriages are based on the same hobby of the couples. They believe that everyone is equal, the husband and wife has the same rights and responsibility for their family.

Inthe Joy Luck Club, Anmei’s mother had had a failed marriage, so when Anmei was young, she was forced to follow her mother as a concubine toTianjinfromNingbo. In the old Chinese society, if a woman remarried, it would be a great shame to her and her family. While when he mother dead, Anmei awakened and became strong. Because she grew up in the Chinese way, she taught to desire nothing to swallow other people’s misery and to eat her own bitterness, so she hoped that her daughter could grow up in another way, When Rose was a child, her mother told her to be obedient, because only in that way she could make correct decision in her adulthood. Although her marriage frustrated their parents and she regarded herself as a real American, but Rose had accepted lots of Chinese traditional thoughts. So in her marriage, she consistently held a belief that women should be tame and modest which lead her marriage to a happy ending. She shruged off her mother’s warning in the daily life. So whenever her American husband asked for her opinion, she also replied, “You decide,” or “Either way is fine with me.” However, her husband Ted was not happy with this. Ted was born in theUnited States, in his mind, he could choose the lover by himself, and the wife and husband should be equal. When he fell in love with Rose, he took Rose to his parents’ party, and his mother disagreed with them together because she thought that Rose was a Vietnamese, so Ted was very angry with his mother. Although Rose felt that they were different, she still decided to married him. After they married, Rose became different, even if she did much for her husband, and gradually the relationship between Rose and Ted has changed. In theUnited States, they advocated that everyone should be equal, women should have their own opinions, and husband and wife shared the same responsibilities to their home. Inthe Joy Luck Club, Ted said to his wife Rose: “I would like to hear what you want, even if we disagree. You used to be different”. He thought that refusing to make decision meant firstly she had no personality, and secondly she would shoulder none of the responsibilities to avoid any blame.

But when her marriage was broken, she found that there was a serious flaw from American perspective．Faced with diversified choices，people tended to get confused and make wrong decisions．So Anmei told Rose that she should stand up bravely and learned to control the destiny of her own marriage. She encouraged Rose, “Why do you not speak up for yourself? Why can you not talk to your husband?” At last, she accepted her mother’s advice and rescued her marriage with an active attitude, and also protected her respect and rights.

4. TheReconciliations between Chinese and American CulturesinThe Joy Luck Club

4.1The reconciliation embodied inthe Joy Luck Club

In the novel, conflicts between mothers and daughters, between Chinese and American culture were everywhere. At first, they had conflicts and misunderstand, but they finally succeed in overcoming barriers and achieved harmony．

Every mother loved her child or children. Although the Joy Luck Club mothers were very strict with their daughters, they still loved their daughters. And the maternal love the four mothers imparted to their daughters was just a typical Chinese one. The maternal love of Chinese mothers was not as direct as that of American mothers. Chinese mothers did not kiss and hug their daughters and said “I love you” like their American counterparts. InThe Joy Luck Club, mothers all love their daughters in the Chinese way. When June was young, her mother forced her to play the piano. Finally, she was against her mother and give up the piano. After mother’s death, June reconsidered her relationship with her mother. She realized the importance of mother and tried to know her mother again, so she decided to go toChinato find her mother’s trace. Just at that moment when she arrived inChina, she began to believe what her mother said and there was an upsurge of emotion in her heart. When June finally traveled toChinaand helped her half-sisters to know a mother they cannot remember, she forgot two other mother-daughter bonds as well. Her journey represented reconciliation between two cultures, and between mother and daughter. The journey brought hope to the other members of the Joy Luck Club that they also could reconcile the oppositions in their lives between past and present, between cultures, and between generations. The travel toChinachanges June from resisting Chinese traditional culture to accept Chinese culture. Meanwhile, the other three groups of mothers and daughters were shocked by the death of June’s mother, which made them regain the relationship between each other. After introspection, they began to understand and accepted each other’s differences and finally lived with harmony.

Although there were conflicts between mothers and daughters, mother still played an important role in their daughter’s life. When Waverly decided to marry Rich, she wanted her mother agree with them, so she took Rich to attend her family dinner. However, Rich still made a joke at the dinner table. In fact, Waverly was very cared about her mother, she thought that she never made her mother happy and never got mother’s approval. One time, she accompanied her mother to the barber shop, her mother told her experiences inChina, and said: “if she does not like Rich, she will act polite and say nothing, let him have big cancer, let my daughter be a widow. I like Rich, and I allow him to marry my daughter”. Finally, Waverly knew the real purpose of her mother’s. Lindo accepted Rich for her daughter. Rich began to learn Chinese traditional cultures and customs. In a sense, it not only showed that the mother accepted the American culture, but also symbolized the reconciliation between the Chinese and American culture.

However, when daughters were in trouble or frustration, mothers changed their former ways of keeping silence and escaped these painful memories. They actively helped their daughters to analyze problems and offered solutions and support. Anmei’s daughter, Rose got married an American, and when her marriage was broken, her mother told Rose that her suffering in China and she hoped that it can taught Rose what she should do, and let Rose realized her real ideas. After they decided to divorce, Ted came to consult selling the house with her and she finally spoke out her own voice to her husband. On the contrary, Ted was an American, he hoped that his wife has her own work and she could do anything what she wanted to. They should have the same responsibility for their family. Finally Rose rescued her marriage with an active attitude, and also protected her respect and rights.

4.2 The reason from the conflicts to the reconciliation between Chinese and American culture

Due to the difference between Chinese and American culture inThe Joy Luck Club, mothers and daughters at first found that it is difficult to have mutual understanding. However, as the mothers told the daughters their experiences inChina, their American daughters began to know why sometimes their mother’s behaviors were so different. But the maternal love they imparted to their daughters was not changing. However, the maternal love served as a bridge that linked the differences and conflicts between the mothers and the daughters. To sum up, the Joy Luck Club mothers were the carries of the traditional Chinese culture, the media of history and the bridges of memory that link the past and the present. Their maternal love to the daughters was laden with Chinese culture. It was just because of this maternal love that the Chinese culture could be extended; the daughters finally accepted their mothers and the Chinese culture their mothers represented. Although Lindo didn’t like Rich, she loved her daughter Waverly. At last Lindo gave up her advice and accepted Rich. Rose andLenawere baffled by their marriage problems. When they desperately fought to solve the problems, their mothers did not walk away from them and they tried their best to help their daughters. Yingying showed her daughter what disastrous consequence would occur if she continues to ignore the imbalance between her and her husband. In this way, she encouraged her daughter to take immediate action to eliminate the imbalance in her marriage. Anmei encouraged Rose to speak up her real voice. When Rose took her mother’s advice and spoke up for herself, she not only astounded her husband, but also saved her marriages. All in all, they couldn’t solve the problem without the help of their mother. Lindo accepted Rich’s American culture,Lenaand Rose found a right way to start their life.   

The conflicts between mothers and daughters reflected the rising clash between the Chinese culture and the American culture. InThe Joy Luck Club, mothers represented Chinese traditional culture, while daughters stood for American culture. Despite the fact that there were inevitable cultural gaps and conflicts between Chinese and American, this kind of cultural gaps and conflicts were relative. Especially with the development of our country's economy, international exchange and cooperation became more frequent. The process of communication in which people in different cultural backgrounds engaged was Intercultural Communication. As the commercial intercourse betweenAmericaandChinahad become more and more intimately, so people needed pay more attention to the communication, on the political and cultural exchanges. Under this development trend, it was necessary to learn about the different cultures, people in different cultures should tolerate and understand each other, and learn from each other.

5. Conclusion

The Joy Luck Clubis written by Amy Tan, a Chinese-American woman writer. The novel tells a story about two generations of Chinese-American mothers and daughters in four families, which reflects the change of the cultural relationship between Chinese and American cultures starting from conflict to reconciliation. This paper takes the change of the mother-daughter relationship as the entry point, and then analyzes the process of the change of Chinese culture and American culture in three aspects: the mother-daughter relationships, difference etiquette, and views of marriage. Meanwhile, it also explores the cultural factors that cause the change, and holds that different ways of education, expression and different views of marriage are the main reasons. It hopes that this study can be helpful for people to have a better understanding of the Chinese and American cultural relationship, and to improve the cross-culture communication in the future.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who helped me during the writing of this thesis.

Firstly, I gratefully acknowledge the help of my supervisor, Cao Qiwen, who has offered me valuable suggestions in the academic studies. In the preparation of the thesis, she has spent much time reading through each draft and provided me with inspiring advice. Without her patient instruction, insightful criticism and expert guidance, the completion of thesis would not have been possible.

Secondly, I would like to extend my thanks to all the teachers and professors whose lectures have given me considerable instruction and inspiration. I have benefited a lot and academically prepared for the thesis.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to my beloved parents who have always been helping me out of difficulties and supporting with