Joy Luck Club OP

In Joy Luck Club, traditional Chinese culture plays a major role in both the mothers' and daughters' lives. Women were expected to be be similar to the traditional ideas of the American woman. Obedience, demureness and inferiority were expected the women in most cases, whether it was intentional or not. Filial piety was a common theme in many of the families, but mostly the daughters of the women in the Joy Luck Club were directly affected by their mothers' self respect. There was inevitably a generation gap among the mothers and daughters because the mothers were raised in China, with very different ideals than their American raised daughters. However some of the mothers took a greater risk at gaining their independence from their family.

For example, An-Mei became the concubine to a rich man with multiple wives and concubines; she was disowned by her family due to leaving a scholar for a man who kept concubines, but this was not something that would commonly happen in America whereas it was in China. Prior to them getting married, she was raped by her future husband and got pregnant. She tried to tell her family that she had been rated but they did not believe her and instead got the impression that she was sleeping around. Her mother was ashamed of her and disowned her so she had to submit to being the baby's father's wife because she had no other options. Second Wife would later take An-Mei's son as her own to gain a higher status within the household. Although the understanding of rape was not much better here in the early twentieth century, polygamy and concubines were not prevalent. When An-Mei's mother was on her deathbed later in the movie, she cut the flesh from her own arm to put into a soup to prove her loyalty, love and respect for her mother although she had been thrown out on the street by them.

When Lindo married her husband very young, he and the rest of the family bullied her. The only purpose Lindo had for her new family was to provide sons, she also became a servant and had to remain respectful and dutiful to her in-laws. Her mother-in-law constantly nagged Lindo to give her grandchildren but her son refused to have sex with Lindo so obviously that was impossible but Lindo took all the blame for not getting pregnant. She made up a lie that she had a dream that her ancestors spoke to her and said that she needed to get out of the marriage because her husband would die if they did not separate, also she said that the servant was carrying her child. This was the only way she could have gotten away from her husband and the family that bullied her and her plot ended up working in her favor.

Finally at the dinner that June's mother hosted where she had Waverly's family over and she made the crab, she discovered her daughter's genuinely kind character. As they see served crab, Waverly grabbed the best crab, as did the rest of her family. June on the other hand chose the worst to let her mother have a better one. After dinner, her mother notices this. June is willing to sacrifice for others whereas Waverly selfishly picks the better one. Choosing the "better" option is human nature but at the same time, the quality to give others what you want is strong and more profound, her mother sees this and not as a weakness.

Although the women were expected to be demure and considered less than the men, they were able to show their strength and their mothers all taught them through the lessons they had learned from their pasts.