Abstract

The Joy Luck Club is written by a famous writer, who is a Chinese American writer named Amy Tan in the end of 1980s. This novel is her most well-known work, which has been translated into 35 languages. It is highly praised just after it is published and has remained on the New York best seller list for eight months long. Amy Tan mainly presents the experience and fate of four mothers immigrating from China and their American born daughters. This article aims to analyze how mothers and daughters broke the silence and fought for their own right from the angle of female consciousness. This thesis is divided into six parts. Chapter One mainly introduces the Amy Tan and her work. Chapter Two is the critics’ study on the current situation of this novel. Chapter three and four mainly introduce the female consciousness of mothers and daughters in the Joy Luck Club. Although they are in absolutely different society environment, both two generations are oppressed by men. Mothers choose to leave their country and settle down in America and daughters break their marriage yoke. Facing the male oppression, they change from silence to eruption and eventually realize female consciousness. Chapter Five mainly states some reasons of female consciousness about mothers and daughters. The final part is conclusion. In contemporary society, female discrimination still exists in some parts of the world. So the theme of study on female consciousness is still meaningful. 

Keywords: The Joy Luck Club；oppression；female consciousness；awakening； rebellion

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-2

3. The Awaking and Resistance of Mothers-3

3.1 Traditional Chinese Women’s Social and Family Status-3

3.2 The Mothers’ Female Consciousness-4

3.2.1 An-Mei Hsu’s Mother’s Rebellion-4

3.2.2 Lindo Jong’s Unfortunate Marriage-5

3.2.3 Ying-Ying’s Striving for Freedom-5

4. The Awaking and Resistance of Daughters-7

4.1 Chinese American Women’s Social and Family Status-7

4.2 The Daugthers’ Female Consciousness-8

4.2.1 Rose’s Finding for Self-value-8

4.2.2 Lena’s Striving for Respect-8

5. The Reasons of Female Consciousness in The Joy Luck Club-10

5.1 The Reasons of Mothers’ Female Consciousness-10

5.2 The Reasons of Daughters’ Female Consiousness-11

6. Conclusion-12

Works Cited13