LoRellMcLean
ProfessorJessicaCarew
COR4600
2December2023
TheJoyLuckClubCoreCapstone
The Joy Luck Club is a film that delves deep into the multilayered experience of Asian-American families. The Joy Luck Club is powerful in its message, but also relatable in how it’s presented to us. The film interweaves perspectives from starkly different generations, displaying the struggle that takes place as the mothers and daughters of the film try to make amends and come to a cultural understanding. As I watched and analyzed the film, I concluded what I believe the film illuminates in the realm of the identity of Asian Americans. The Joy Luck Club anticipates and deals with the societal pressures of first-generation immigrants and the expectations that are born due to those pressures, causing a clash between first-generation parents and second-generation children. I believe this clashing of heads largely stemmed from foreign expectations set upon the first-generation parents of their children, as well as the American expectations that are set on the second-generation children.
Firstly to get a gauge on why the first generation mothers are the way they are we need to understand the type of environment and country that they came from. China has always been rooted in support of masculinity. The famous Chinese description of life in the form of Yin and Yang upholds that same sentiment. With Yin symbolizing feminine nature and categorizing it with darkness, Yang is associated with masculinity and light (Gao, 2003). Establishing the biases already set in motion against women and
femininity as universal truths in China’s culture, it becomes quite clear why the main issues that first-generation mothers had to deal with were incredibly hard to overcome. Lindo’s story of being forced into an arranged marriage was not uncommon in those days. In fact, arranged marriages were seen as a transaction or a means to gain status, wealth, or any other possible advantages (Xiaohe & Whyte 1990). As for Lindo’s arranged marriage, the cultivation of her existence in the marriage was to simply bear a son. This ultimate purpose really drives home the transactional perspective that was held in China at that time. Another character in the film experienced a similar fate concerning marriage, that being Ying-Ying St. Clair Ying-Ying marries a man named Lin-Xiao who seems like a kind, loving man but after they have a son, he coldly berates and abuses Ying-Ying. This in turn validates this narrative that her only valuable use to her was her childbearing ability.
One of the most riveting realizations I developed while watching the film was how difficult it was for the daughters in the film to navigate the two differing worlds that they inhabit. June for example fails miserably at her piano recital, which in turn causes her to feel like a failure to her mother This happening earlier on in the film, reminded me of the stereotypes of Asian parents usually being described as “tiger parents” forcing their children to become prodigies at academics or extracurriculars. This style of parenting furthers the disconnect in their relationship as the film progresses and June recollects her and her mother's relationship. Tiger parenting is synonymous with being distant and emotionless in hopes that their loved one will rise to the occasion (Ortlepp 226). Lindo’s daughter Waverly is also a great example of what can occur when tiger parenting pushes a child away With Waverly, she was a chess master and ended up on the cover
of Time magazine but because of Lindo’s constant pressure and arrogance toward her daughter, caused Waverly to have an outburst and go on a chess hiatus. This entire conflict stems from Lindo’s lack of her mother being proud of her and sending her off to be in an arranged marriage, so she never developed of sense of her family being proud of her. So when Waverly is proven to be spectacular at chess, she overindulges in being proud of her daughter generating that rift. Ultimately coming from two different places Lindo is still stuck in the Chinese cultural norm of parenting and Waverly is more free minded which in the film is associated with America. Putting the two at odds. Although the mothers style of parenting is birthed in good intentions it does more damage than good.
Another Chinese cultural principle that births conflict is the emphasis on obedience. June as I mentioned before was urged to perform well at her piano recital but due to her misplaying keys she quits. But her mother Sayuun isn’t happy with her decision and drags her to a piano trying to force her to play it. This kind of pushing to perform goes against an extremely common and supreme Chinese belief called filial piety Yan states that "The traditional Chinese emphasis on filial piety often creates tension between parents and their adult children, particularly when children seek to assert their independence. Parents may view their children's independence as a sign of disrespect, while children may feel stifled by their parents' control" (Yan, 2003, p. 218).
June becoming disparaging in relation to playing the piano is yet again anther example of traditional Chinese culture clashing against what is perceived as “western” or more specifically American culture.
One aspect of the film that sort of peaked my interest was the lack of Asian men that were painted in a positive light. Throughout the entire film Asian men are seen, referenced, and spoken to, but more times than not the portrayal of them is negative. This portrayal of men of Asian decent vastly is juxtaposed to the white men in the film who are seen as loving, kind, and understanding. As I mentioned Ying-Ying was married to Lin- Xiao, an abusive man who often stepped out on Ying-Ying. Another example being An-Mei’s mother becoming a concubine who was raped by her husband, a wealthy Asian man named Wu-Tsing. In contrasting fashion Waverly has trouble deciphering if her mother is receptive to her upcoming wedding with Rich a white man. After it’s revealed that Lindo does approve of their relationship despite Rich being white they share a moment of mutual respect after he attempts to use Chinese table manners. The most impactful example I believe of lifting up other men in the film is the dichotomy and relationship between Rose and Ted.
Rose and Ted both meet in college and it’s noted that Ted is attracted to Rose’s character and unwillingness to not be honest and candid about her or her interaction with Ted when they first meet. As Rose tells the story of how she met Ted’s parents it’s revealed that he’s the son of the head of a huge publishing conglomerate. What’s also revealed is that although Ted’s parents are democrats and claim to not be racist, they don’t believe Rose having a relationship with Ted will look good in the business world causing Ted to overhear and reprimand at his mother. Again the film makes sure to highlight the positive masculinity and upholds a standard within the film that the white man is acceptable and brings a sense of light within the daughters lives, while Asian men are really the source of many of the mothers pain and trauma. An even more clear
example would be the son that Ying-Ying accidentally drowned. The child was innocent and the death of her son ultimately haunted Ying for years, but the reasoning behind the drowning was essentially to take revenge on her husband by taking away what he treasured the most. Thus causing the connotation of even having a son within the film to hold severe negative emotions.
The image that is painted about Asian men within the film is something I vehemently disagree with. The pacification and portrayal of Asian men within the story is surprising to me considering that not many films being released around 1993 even had notable characters of immigrant decent.The Hollywood formula around that time was at it’s core a white lead with a black friend who was sort of accepted universally as the sidekick.Throughout The Joy Luck Club, the only positive Asian male that holds some sense of positive importance in the film is June’s father, but his time isn’t really valued until near the end of the film when he recommends that June give her long lost sisters pictures of their mother. About a decade before The Joy Luck Club movie released in 1982, Vincent Chin an Asian-American man was killed by two white men with a baseball bat. The two men were pleaded down to manslaughter After reading about this heinous crime that didn’t justifiably punish the criminals, I began to ponder the effects of the event on the media’s perception of Asian American males. With Asian American men targeted I began to wonder why. After reading through a couple sources I figured out why. The anti-Asian sentiment was born in the United States through the nationwide perception that the US and Asian countries are economic rivals, leading to the scapegoating of Asian Americans (Ong 2000). So to put this all in perspective around this time Asian Americans are seen as threats to Americans citizens livelihood,
but more importantly in the context of The Joy Luck Club, Asian males were hyper focused on. With characters such as Lin-Xiao and Wu-Tsing being the most memorable Asian male figures in the film it does more to damage the American or “western” view on Asian men rather than aid it in building up memorable, honorable, Asian male figures. The only male figure that is somewhat able to be resonated with is June’s father who only appears briefly at the end and contributes to the Asian film stereotype of an all wise old man that always knows the answers to any question. There is also another Asian man in the film who is married to the one of the daughters, but he isn’t even given a name or backstory of any sort and just shown to be in a happy marriage. Despite the film being revolutionary in the expression of storytelling and portraying women of Asian decent as strong willed, knowledgable, respectable, and resilient, the same can’t be said about the Asian men of the film. They’ve been reduced to represent either toxic masculinity or have been shown to be passive and not holding much of any value in the film.
The representation of Asian men in the film also brings up a very current and important question. Does uplifting one gender have to be at the cost of the other? As seen in majority of media in general that’s what seemed like the case. That in the earlier days of film and television, men were always as depicted as headstrong and brave, while the women were either being saved or supporting the man in whatever pursuit they choose. In todays current time the standard has been flipped on it’s head. Women are now the main characters, pushing the plot of stories forward and not having to be reliant on male leads. I do believe that this cultural shift is doing good by promoting to young girls that they can have goals and achieve whatever they set their minds to. The
Joy Luck Club expresses masculinity as toxic and overwhelming. Despite the positive of portrayal of white males in the film, aside from Ted reprimanding his mother for her racist remarks, even the white males are sort of seen as just a plot device and passive not adding much to the story outside of their mere existence. But the upside to this framework of men in the film is that the women of the story are each given deep flushed out stories that highlight the power of femininity, displaying how resilient each woman is being able to solve their own problems not needing a man to come step in to help. This negative and passive representation of males can have a negative impact on young boys that watch the film. All forms of media play a role in how masculinity is defined and viewed, especially for young men (Carolyn 2023). With all this in mind I wonder, can men and women both be positively portrayed? Can woman and man both share the spotlight without having to put one sides emotions and thoughts on the backburner? Maybe, maybe not.
The Joy Luck Club also has another nuance that wasn’t really highlighted as much. The different economic and political backgrounds that add into the motives of why certain actions in the film are taken by certain people. At the start of the film Suuyan can be seen diligently working as a seamstress, establishing the kind of home and probably work environment and work ethic that Suuyan had to have into order to get to points that are tucked in later in the film. Chang (2012) argues that Suuyan has “ always been a hard worker, a tireless seamstress who stitched day and night.” Yet again another reason why many first generation an second generation immigrants find it difficult to see eye to eye. Studies have shown that second-generation immigrants are more likely to employed in high skilled careers than first-generation immigrants
(Holdaway 2014). Proving another aspect of life that causes divergents between the daughters and mothers of the film. Waverly even tries to sort of gain her mothers approval of Rich by putting on display to the her they type of lifestyle Rich is able to give Waverly In the film Waverly decides to show off an extremely high end coat that Rich buys her and to her dismay, her mother finds a reason to not be impressed prompting her daughter to have an outburst. Waverly thought that her mother’s disapproval of Rich was because she was unaware of the economic benefits that he provided Waverly or of just an inclination that Rich may not be able to take care of her. That belief wasn’t the case. The root of the problem stemmed from Lindo not being sure if Rich would actually respect her not only Waverly, but the Chinese traditions and customs that the family participate in. The parallel between Lindo’s arranged marriage and Waverly’s relationship are strikingly similar but in different ways. In Lindo’s arranged marriage her mother-in-law was negative and beraterd her not being able to produce a child not knowing that her son was in love with another woman and engaging in sexual activity with her and not Lindo. In Waverly’s relationship Rich at first doesn’t seem to understand the basics of Chinese etiquette. Although his lack of understanding stems from him growing up in different circumstances, it’s till held against him. An example being a dinner scene within the film where Rich embarasses himself and unknowingly disrespecting Lindo’s cooking. In both situations the power of approval is held by the mother. Without that power of approval the life of Lindo and Waverly is miserable. It’s not until Waverly gets that approval from Lindo that their relationship beings the mending process.
The Joy Luck Club is film that I believe was ahead of it’s time. It displayed unseen relationships and struggles from an immigrant perspective, while also touching base and connecting to a native audience as well. Although the film has some pitfalls that could be improved upon, overall the blend of characters, culture, and emotions reveals the truths that some of us couldn’t recognize or quite put our finger on.
Books
● Evans, Harriet. Women Existing for Men: Confucianism and Social Injustice against Women in China. Anthem Press, 2022.
● Ortlepp, Elizabeth J. Cultural Identity and the Immigrant Experience in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. Routledge, 2022.
Journal Articles
● Chen, Xiaohui, and Jinghong Chen. "Neoliberalism as Exception: Mutations in Citizenship and Sovereignty." Citizenship Studies, vol. 20, no. 4-5, 2022, pp. 485-499.
● Fan, Xinyue, and Feng Wang. "Love Matches and Arranged Marriages: A Chinese Replication." Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 84, no. 5, 2022, pp. 1242-1261.
● Ho, Crystal, et al. "Globalization and family change in China: A rural perspective." Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 84, no. 4, 2022, pp. 990-1012.
● Wang, Hui. "Navigating Cultural and Economic Differences in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club: A Study of Intergenerational Relationships." Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, vol. 49, no. 1, 2022, pp. 4-22.
Book Chapters
● Li, Ying, and Jinghua Gu. "The Impact of Feminism on the Portrayal of Men and Boys in Media." In The Routledge Companion to Gender in Modern China, edited by Yanhong Zhang, pp. 349-364. Routledge, 2022.