The attachment between a mother and daughter may seem to be unbreakable, however cultural and societal barriers can strain the bond and bring unwanted emotions to the forefront of the relationship. In the novel, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, the strained relationships between mothers and daughters test the ideologies of American and Chinese cultures. Based on the perspective of four pairs of Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters, the author depicts conflicts that are caused by cultural obstacles between them. When women immigrant to a foreign country, their children will grow in a different environment, thus, the cultural differences may result in misunderstandings between mother and their children. To overcome this cultural
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This is made most apparent when there are language and cultural barriers between parents and their children. In this novel, Chinese mothers immigrate to America in the hopes of a better life for themselves and their future generation. The tension between mothers and their daughters is explored through the use of differing cultural beliefs and languages. The mothers are unable to fluently speak English which results in a language barrier due to the daughters’ incomplete knowledge of Chinese. Language barriers are a breeding ground for misunderstandings to take place, especially when the two parties involved feel as though their thoughts and feelings are not being communicated properly. This is seen when the mothers and daughters often became impatient with one another when having to translate their primary language to their secondary. At the end of the first chapter, Tan summarizes this issue between mothers and daughters by stating “They see daughters who grow impatient when their mothers talk in Chinese, who think they are stupid when they explain things in fractured English” (Tan 40). With broken English, Chinese immigrant mothers are viewed as outsiders in American society. However, language barriers are not the only cause for misunderstandings to take place between mothers
This is made most apparent when there are language and cultural barriers between parents and their children. In this novel, Chinese mothers immigrate to America in the hopes of a better life for themselves and their future generation. The tension between mothers and their daughters is explored through the use of differing cultural beliefs and languages. The mothers are unable to fluently speak English which results in a language barrier due to the daughters’ incomplete knowledge of Chinese. Language barriers are a breeding ground for misunderstandings to take place, especially when the two parties involved feel as though their thoughts and feelings are not being communicated properly. This is seen when the mothers and daughters often became impatient with one another when having to translate their primary language to their secondary. At the end of the first chapter, Tan summarizes this issue between mothers and daughters by stating “They see daughters who grow impatient when their mothers talk in Chinese, who think they are stupid when they explain things in fractured English” (Tan 40). With broken English, Chinese immigrant mothers are viewed as outsiders in American society. However, language barriers are not the only cause for misunderstandings to take place between mothers