Excel HSC English Area of Study: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Notes by Anne Collins, Lisa Edwards

The daughters in The Joy Luck Club are not familiar with their Chinese heritage and this hinders their chance to develop a steady relationship with their family and understand the Chinese culture. The end of the first parable describes how a Chinese-born mother’s daughter disregards her Chinese morals and only knows how to live like an American where they “grew up only speaking English and swallowed more Coca-Cola than sorrow”. The allusion to Coca-Cola reinforces the American aspect of the daughter as it is a popular American soft drink. Nevertheless, storytelling conveys a message or moral which is generally acknowledged by their daughters. Language barriers and different perspectives exist between each mother and daughter, making it increasingly difficult for them to communicate. It is not until each daughter of The Joy Luck Club matures and becomes an adult that they attain a more comprehensive understanding of their mothers’ actions and mindset. Unlike their daughters, as the women of the Joy Luck Club explore their past events, they reveal their strengthened sense of belonging to their Chinese heritage.