The+Joy+Luck+Club+Final+Draft+Essay-Soo

Mothers are powerful figures who shape their daughters’ identities not only exteriorly but also spiritually and mentally. Mothers are raised in China but daughters in America; living in different environments and with different backgrounds leads the mothers and the daughters to be distinctive in many cultural aspects; nonetheless, as daughters grow more mature, they are inclined to become like their mothers. From reading //The Joy Luck Club// by Amy Tan, we could inspect from maturity of Rose Hsu Jordan that “American Translation” becomes as her place in the relationship with her mother, An-mei Hsu. An-mei Hsu, at her age nine, has grown up and has developed her social deeds from her stoic and impassive grandmother named Popo forcing her neither to speak nor to call “Ma” (Tan 244) to her real mother. For An-mei Hsu’s mother, being the last concubine was a recluse and was called “ghost” (Tan 38) at home. Despite the fact that An-mei Hsu’s mother was treated as an outsider, “My [her] mother took her flesh and put it in the soup” (Tan 41); she committed her best to prove her devotion and fidelity towards her aged and ill mother by giving a part of her arm flesh to cure her mother. Through her mother’s warmth, An-mei Hsu directly learns to yield herself to contribute to others. With the mother’s concession and her words, “your tears do not wash away your sorrows. They feed someone else’s joy. And that is why you [An-mei] must learn to swallow your [An-mei] own tears” (Tan 244). It is important to know to keep your sadness to yourself and be strong, since the unhappiness you have will just make others to entertain more. Thus, by her words, An-mei Hsu also becomes to lose confidence in her just like her mother. Even though Rose is raised in a different culture in “America” with much more culturally liberal, Rose ironically also becomes submissive. Rose Hsu Jordan involuntarily fails her responsibility to watch her youngest brother; Bing’s death at a beach causes her to undermine her self-esteem in standing her own rights taking her liability. As An-mei Hsu states, “I taught my daughter the opposite, still she came out the same way! Maybe it is because she was born to me and she was born a girl”(Tan 241), it shows how daughters have tendency to follow their genes, just like An-mei’s mother quotes, “step after another, but all going the same way” (Tan 241). Genetic and same bloodlines are unavoidable when it comes to a family trait. As An-mei grows, she observes her mother, and Rose from her irresponsibility of Bing’s death both bring them to be “taught to desire nothing, to swallow other people’s misery, to eat my [their] own bitterness,”(Tan 241). In other words, they become dependent personalities not being able to trust their own will. However, as times passes from their maturity they learn to become stronger and independent. An-mei’s mother as she “whispered to An-mei that she would rather kill her own weak spirit so she could give An-mei a stronger one,”(Tan 271) An-mei Hsu whose mother deliberately ends up committing suicide two days before the lunar year believing this is the only and mighty way to revenge and to gain the power over the family. Because the husband is afraid of “vengeful spirit,” he promises that he will raise An-mei and Syaudi (An-mei’s brother) as his “honored children”(Tan 271). Now, she discovers her power she as an honored child knows how to “shout”. In the similar way, Rose also finds her own dignity from her experience in her marriage. While Rose and her husband, Ted are going through divorce, Rose starts to recognize her power over Ted. Rose usually doesn’t know how to share her own thoughts but only knows to follow Ted’s opinion, makes Ted to look down on Rose. As Ted makes a new partner, he tells Rose that he wants get a divorce and demands her to leave the house with a check saying, “Ten thousand only and no cents”(Tan 213); however, as Rose is insulted by the check, she turns down at Ted, forces him to leave, and tells she owns the house. As Rose sees Ted is scared by Rose’s unexpected behavior, Rose feels new and relieved. Just like when An-mei’s mother crushes the “pearl necklace” which represents fake love to An-mei from the second wife, Rose refuses the check knowing that she is worth more than the paper. This is another connection how the daughter is an “American Translation” to her mother and to her grandmother because Rose finally understands her-importance and her power over her husband (her family). As An-mei Hsu sees her daughter, her mother and herself in a similar conducts of personal stories, all relate to one specific quality. An-mei’s mother, An-mei, and Rose all three have lived in different environments and in different cultures, but, they all three tend to have similar behaviors toward their livings. We could ascertain that not only our cultures make us have certain manner, but also our inner natures that we individually possess make us different and similar. Even though An-mei Hsu’s mother, An-mei, and Rose have different stories based on dissimilar backgrounds, their ideas draw fair similar because the genes and their inner natures. Thus, despite Rose Hsu is raised in “America” entire her life, because her gradual changes of becoming like her mother, she is an “American Translated” version of her mother, An-mei Hsu. Source: Tan, Amy. //Joy Luck Club//. New York: Ivy Books, 1990. Print.
 * In what way is a daughter the “American Translation” of her mother? Choose a mother/ daughter pair and discuss. **