Amy Tan Term Paper
...has been devoted to the reflection of the role of ethnicity in the life and choices of the narrator. Tan tries to force her characters to face the question and make decision that take the Chinese and American heritages into account. More specifically, the author, who hands the novel over to the narrator, centers on the drama of ethnicity and identity the various characters meet on occasion. In addition, in her novels, Amy Tan has tried to express the deep love and compassion between the relationships of the mothers and daughters of the novels. In her books, she presents the conflicting views and the stories of both sides, providing the reader and finally, the characters with an understanding of the mentalities of both mother and daughter, and why each one is the way she is. Yet as the stories begin, the culture from China becomes endangered, when the first generation enters society. The mothers feel a loss of traditional culture, while the children search to be a part of the American/white society. In an attempt to maintain family bonds throughout The Joy Luck Club and The Hundred Secret Senses, the characters in her novels present a contrast between the ideals of the daughters' that conflicts with the ideals of the mothers', which in turn leads to a yearning for a middle ground between the two generations. As Tan stresses the tensions between the two generations, she shows evidence of her personal experiences as a child in similar situations.
As the daughters, in Tan's novels, are introduced into the American society, they long for independence, apart from the Chinese culture they are shaped by at home. In public the daughters are influenced by principle of the white public, and realize that they are not able to accept the morals of the mothers, which becomes a vital challenge for the family to maintain a close relationship. Through the eyes of the...
View Full Essay
