Sunny's+Final+Draft

Sunny Cho English 12F 9/14/09  In what way is a daughter the “American Translation” of her mother? Choose a mother/daughter pair and discuss.  Mother and daughter relationship can never be smooth especially when they have cultural and language barriers between them. However, Rose and her mother An-mei in Amy Tan’s //The Joy Luck Club// not only overcome such differences but also develop into heart to heart bondage so that the daughter demonstrates herself as the “American Translation” of her mother. Although Rose represents American culture and seeks American means of treatment for her emotional distress, she just can’t deny her fundamental inclination toward Chinese heritage. The way she naturally employs those words her mother uses- “hulihudu” (Tan, 210) and “heimongmong” (210) to describe her present state of mind, the fact that she can not quite find the perfect English translations of them, and the feeling that she describes as such that “only Chinese people” can share all sum up to the conclusion that she can’t ignore her Chinese identity nor her mother’s influence on her (210). Furthermore, it is not easy for Rose to make the right decision to settle the divorce due to her passive nature. This “Born without wood” (213) traits as her mother describes manifest that the daughter Rose is the “American Translation” of her mother An-mei, serving as the common denominator of the two. As a child, An-mei witnesses her own mother’s passive and self-less acceptance of the ill-treatment by her relatives, and she herself learns to subdue her own sorrow and sufferings, taking them as the fate she must submit herself to. Likewise, An-mei’s characteristic flaws are reflected in Rose when she hermitizes herself all shriveled and daunted, “unable to make the simplest decisions” (215). Next reflection of mother in daughter is depicted when Rose comes to realize Ted’s sly intentions. Initially, she goes through the tunnels of confusion and hesitation trying to solve the conflicts. It is hard to change “15 years of living in Ted’s shadow” (215) and transform herself into “a new me (her)” in a day. (211). After all, it is her indecisiveness that Ted takes advantage of for so many years. However, just as An-mei learns from her own mother how to see through one’s disguised hypocrisy, Rose gains mother’s wisdom to detect the tricks that Ted plays on her. Realizing that American opinions which she felt superior for a long time have “a serious flaw” (214), she finds a meaning in what a fortune cookie says – “When a husband stops paying attention to the garden, he’s thinking of pulling up roots.” (215). And it becomes the moment when she prefers “Chinese opinions” (214) over “American opinions” (214), and at the same time the moment when she admits she is her mother’s reflection. The last example to support Rose as the “American Translation” of her mother is when she finally arrives at a stage of overcoming the defects in her attitude. This attitude of standing up for herself is passed down from old generations to young, from An-mei’s mother to An-mei to Rose. An-mei observes her subdued mother change right in front of her eyes when she finally confronts the shackles that have been restricting all those painful years of her life. Not being a bit afraid of the blame from the elders, she transforms herself, rising “tall, with her back straight, so that now she was almost taller than my uncle” (245) and directs her daughter to follow her. This act of union between the two is significant because it reflects mother’s “evil influence” (244) on her daughter and so the daughter is told “your life is what you see in front of you.” (245). Consequently, the mother’s wish for her daughter to be “a stronger one” (271) is fulfilled when An-mei finally learns to claim herself to the Second Mother with “shout” (272). Similarly, Rose proves herself to be the “American version of her mother” when she uses the powerful words of confrontation against her husband Ted. An-mei’s constant persuasion for her to “speak up” eventually bears fruit, proving her assertion – “A mother is best.” (210). Feeling disgusted at Ted’s selfish demands, Rose unwittingly uses the very same words that her mother uses – “You were doing monkey business with someone else?” (217). With this, she overcomes flaws in herself and turns around the table so that her husband becomes “hulibudu” instead (219). In all of the instances, it is clear that the American daughter represents the mirror image of her Chinese mother despite the differences in their cultures. Mother’s constant worries and concerns lead the daughter to make the right choices in their lives in order for them to “grow strong and straight.” (213). Tan, Amy. __The Joy Luck Club__. New York: Ivy Books, 1989. 