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112-465: (Redirected from Joy Luck Club ) The Joy Luck Club may refer to: The Joy Luck Club (novel) , a 1989 novel written by Amy Tan The Joy Luck Club (film) , a 1993 film adaptation of the above novel Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title The Joy Luck Club . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

224-482: A high context culture and the Americanized daughters from a low context culture . The mothers believe that the daughters will intuitively understand their cryptic utterances, but the daughters don't understand them at all. Rose is somewhat passive and is a bit of a perfectionist. She had an unsettling childhood experience when her youngest brother, Bing, drowned while she was supposed to be watching him, and his body

336-421: A 'living ghost'. The story of their neighbors and the relationship between the mother and the daughter of the neighboring household is also mentioned. Rose Hsu Jordan wishes to tell her mother that she plans to divorce her husband Ted. She reflects on their relationship. She then goes on to relate an incident in which her family (her parents and six siblings) go to the beach. Her youngest brother, Bing, falls into

448-585: A Chinese American man named Tin Jong and has three children: sons Winston and Vincent, and daughter Waverly. Lindo experiences regret over losing some of her Chinese identity by living so long in America (she is treated like a tourist on a visit to China); however, she expresses concern that Waverly's American upbringing has formed a barrier between them. From a young age, Ying-Ying is told by her wealthy and conservative family that Chinese girls should be meek and gentle. This

560-433: A Sunday, then Monday is also a holiday), because many celebration events are held at night. Many businesses let employees off early on the day before. There are a number of festive activities such as lighting lanterns, but mooncakes are the most important feature there. However, people don't usually buy mooncakes for themselves, but to give their relatives as presents. People start to exchange these presents well in advance of

672-766: A Tiger like herself, has inherited or emulated her passive behaviors and trapped herself in a loveless marriage with a controlling husband. She finally resolves to call upon the more assertive qualities of her Tiger nature, to appeal to those qualities in Lena. She will tell Lena her story in the hope that she will be able to break free from the same passivity that ruined most of her young life back in China. Jing-Mei, commonly called "June", has never fully understood her mother and seems directionless in life. During June's childhood, her mother used to tell her that she could be anything she wants; however, she particularly wanted her daughter to be gifted,

784-428: A bag of clothes, a bag of food, and her twin baby daughters. During the long journey, Suyuan contracts such severe dysentery that she feels certain she will die. Fearing that a dead mother would doom her babies' chances of rescue, she reluctantly and emotionally leaves her daughters under a barren tree, together with all her belongings, along with a note asking anyone who might find the babies to care for them and contact

896-498: A brother, but her cruel mother-in-law expected Lindo to produce a grandson. She restricted most of Lindo's daily activities, eventually ordering her to remain on bed rest until she could conceive and deliver a child. Determined to escape this unfortunate situation, Lindo carefully observed the other people in the household and eventually formed a clever plan to escape her marriage without dishonoring herself, her family and her in-laws. She managed to convince her in-laws that Huang Tyan Yu

1008-495: A child star who amazes the world, like Ginny Tiu (seen briefly on television) or June's rival Waverly. At the beginning of the novel, June is chosen to replace her mother's seat in the Joy Luck Club after her mother's death. At the end of the novel, June is still trying to deal with her mother's death, and she visits China to see the twin half-sisters (Wang Chwun Yu and Wang Chwun Hwa) whom her mother had been forced to abandon when

1120-462: A full Chinese lunisolar year. The spectacle of making very large mooncakes continues in modern China. According to Chinese folklore, a Turpan businessman offered cakes to Emperor Taizong of Tang in his victory against the Xiongnu on the fifteenth day of the eighth Chinese lunisolar month. Taizong took the round cakes and pointed to the moon with a smile, saying, "I'd like to invite the toad to enjoy

1232-522: A full moon are also celebrated in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Like the Mid-Autumn Festival, these festivals have Buddhist origins and revolve around the full moon. However, unlike their East Asian counterparts they occur several times a year to correspond with each full moon as opposed to one day each year. The festivals that occur in the lunar months of Ashvini and Kṛttikā generally occur during

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1344-401: A great pianist and June shows no interest in being anything else but herself. Around her 30th birthday, Suyuan presents her an old piano which she used to play as a child. Although June admits she had forgotten how to play the piano, Suyuan encourages her to try again. She admits to June that she still has the talent to be a great pianist, but self-doubt holds her back. The third section follows

1456-459: A greater variety of lanterns could be found as local cultures became influenced by their neighbors. As China gradually evolved from an agrarian society to a mixed agrarian-commercial one, traditions from other festivals began to be transmitted into the Mid-Autumn Festival, such as the putting of lanterns on rivers to guide the spirits of the drowned as practiced during the Ghost Festival , which

1568-576: A leg from a table belonging to Harold, Lena finally admitted she's unhappy in her marriage including how frustrated she is with him for taking credit for her business and design ideas. Ying-Ying encourages her to leave Harold and not come back until he treats her with more respect. While The Joy Luck Club earned high praise, it also received criticism for perpetuating racist stereotypes about Asian Americans. Literary figures such as Chinese American author Frank Chin said that it depicted Chinese culture as backwards, cruel, and misogynistic . He attributed

1680-478: A piece of her flesh to cook a soup in hopes of healing An-Mei's grandmother, though An-Mei's grandmother still dies. Lindo Jong explains how in childhood she was forced into a loveless marriage and was pressured by her mother-in-law's desire for Lindo to produce grandchildren. Through her own ingenuity, Lindo fabricates a convincing story to annul her marriage and emigrate to the United States. The final story of

1792-525: A quiet place to open their hearts to each other. During the 1920s and 1930s, ethnographer Chao Wei-pang conducted research on traditional games among men, women and children on or around the Mid-Autumn day in the Guangdong Province. These games relate to flights of the soul, spirit possession, or fortunetelling. A unique tradition is celebrated quite exclusively in the island city of Xiamen . During

1904-633: A suicide attempt to prevent An-Mei and her mother from getting their own small house, An-Mei's mother successfully commits suicide herself, eating tangyuan laced with lethal amounts of opium. Also taking advantage of Wu Tsing's beliefs, she times her death so that her soul is due to return on the first day of the Lunar New Year , a day when all debts must be settled lest the debtor suffer great misfortune. An-Mei takes her younger brother's arm and demands that Wu Tsing honor them and her mother or face great consequences. When Second Wife attempts to dispute this at

2016-544: A talk with Lena and convinced her to leave Harold. Lindo Jong relates how she arrived in San Francisco and met An-Mei Hsu when they both worked at a fortune-cookie factory, which eventually gave her the means to plant the idea of marriage in her boyfriend's head. The novel's final episode returns to June, and her mother's desire to find her lost twin daughters. June and her father fly to China, where June meets her half-sisters and embraces her Chinese heritage. In doing so, she

2128-495: A weak foundation. Lena finally admits she is not happy in her marriage to Harold and is lost inside. Ying-Ying encourages her to stop being passive and stand up to her husband or nothing will change. Waverly Jong worries about her mother's opinion of her white fiancé, Rich, and recalls quitting chess after becoming angry at her mother in the marketplace. She believes that her mother will still have absolute power over her and will object to her forthcoming marriage to Rich, after she did

2240-533: A written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BCE). As for the royal court, it was dedicated to the goddess Taiyinxingjun ( 太陰星君 ; Tàiyīn xīng jūn ). This is still true for Taoism and Chinese folk religion . The celebration as a festival only started to gain popularity during the early Tang dynasty (618–907 CE). One legend explains that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang started to hold formal celebrations in his palace after having explored

2352-413: Is a highly superstitious man, and Second Wife takes advantage of this weakness by making false suicide attempts and threatening to haunt him as a ghost if he does not let her have her way. According to Chinese tradition, a person's soul comes back after three days to settle scores with the living. Wu-Tsing, therefore, is known to be afraid to face the ghost of an angry or scorned wife. After Second Wife fakes

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2464-788: Is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in North Korea and South Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar on the full moon. It was celebrated as far back as during the Three Kingdoms period in Silla. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns, honor their ancestors in a family ceremony (차례), and share a feast of Korean traditional food such as songpyeon ( 송편 ), tohrangook ( 토란국 ), and rice wines such as sindoju and dongdongju . Many festivals revolving around

2576-442: Is a public holiday. Outdoor barbecues have become a popular affair for friends and family to gather and enjoy each other's company. Children also make and wear hats made of pomelo rinds. It is believed Chang'e, the lady in the moon, will notice children with her favorite fruit and bestow good fortune upon them. Similar traditions are found in other parts of Asia and also revolve around the full moon. These festivals tend to occur on

2688-640: Is absurd, but she later discovers this to be true. She hires a good lawyer and fights for possession of the house, which she eventually wins. This forces Ted to take Rose more seriously and not continue taking her for granted. It's unknown if they ever reconciled. Waverly is an independent-minded and intelligent woman, but is annoyed by her mother's constant criticism. Well into her adult life, she finds herself restrained by her subconscious fear of letting her mother down. During their childhood, June and Waverly become childhood rivals; their mothers constantly compared their daughters' development and accomplishments. Waverly

2800-546: Is embarrassed when her mother, Lindo, introduces her to everyone she meets, showing her off like a trophy and seeming to take the credit for her daughter's brilliance. This leads to an angry confrontation between the two of them. Lena relates the stories her mother told her when she was younger (her great grandfather sentenced a beggar to die in the worst possible manner). Lena's family moves to North Beach from Oakland. Her mother, who seems restless, delivers an anencephalic child who dies at birth. In Lena's eyes, her mother becomes

2912-491: Is engaged to her boyfriend Rich Schields. When Waverly believes that Lindo will object to her engagement to Rich after a failed dinner party, she discovers her mother had already accepted it. Throughout Lena's childhood, she gradually becomes her mother's voice and interprets her mother's Chinese words for others. Like her father Clifford, she translates Ying-ying's words to sound more pleasant than what Ying-ying actually says. Ying-ying has taught Lena to beware of consequences, to

3024-515: Is especially difficult for her, as she feels it out of step with her character as a Tiger . She begins to develop a passive personality and represses her feelings as she grows up in Wuxi . Ying-Ying marries a charismatic man named Lin Xiao not out of love, but because she believed it was her fate. Her husband is revealed to be abusive and openly has extramarital affairs with other women. When Ying-Ying discovers she

3136-410: Is now forbidden to enter the family home. An-Mei's mother, however, still wishes to be part of her daughter's life. After An-Mei's grandmother dies, An-mei moves out to live with her mother in the home of her mother's new husband, Wu-Tsing, much to the disagreement of her relatives who insists she remains at home with them. An-Mei learns that her mother was coerced into being Wu-Tsing's concubine through

3248-534: Is observed a month before. Hong Kong fishermen during the Qing dynasty , for example, would put up lanterns on their boats for the Ghost Festival and keep the lanterns up until Mid-Autumn Festival. Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the hallmark traditions of this festival. In Chinese culture, a round shape symbolizes completeness and reunion. Thus, the sharing and eating of round mooncakes among family members during

3360-446: Is pregnant, she has an abortion and decides to live with her relatives in a smaller city in China. After ten years, she moves to Shanghai and works in a clothing store, where she meets an American man named Clifford St. Clair. He falls in love with her, but Ying-Ying cannot express any strong emotion after her first marriage. He courts her for four years, and she agrees to marry him after learning that Lin Xiao had died, which she takes as

3472-493: Is raised by her grandparents and other relatives during her early years in Ningbo after her widowed mother shocks the family by becoming a concubine to a middle-aged wealthy man after her first husband's death. This becomes a source of conflict for the young An-Mei, as her aunts and uncles deeply resent her mother for such a dishonorable act. They try to convince An-Mei that it is not fitting for her to live with her disgraced mother, who

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3584-456: Is right: “in Chinese society…the man is the one who creates the rules and the woman… has no choice [except] obeying these rules." Harold's act of dictatorship over Lena could be the reason for her created self-doubt: "in…patriarchy, men possess the highest status... so that women's position is subordinate to them." She is like her mother, like a ghost, and her mother wants to help her regain her spirit and stand up for herself. When Ying-Ying breaks

3696-1124: Is so-named as it is held around the autumn equinox on the 15th of the 8th lunisolar month in the Chinese calendar . Its name varies among Sinitic languages , with the most common one being Mid-Autumn Festival or simply Mid-Autumn ( 中秋 ), as well as its traditional calendar date, either Fifteenth of the Eighth Month or Half of the Eighth Month , which is more regional. Other regional names include Eighth Month Festival, used in places such as Northeast China , Southern Fujian , and Jianghuai ; Festival of Unity ( simplified Chinese : 团圆节 ; traditional Chinese : 團圓節 ; Wugniu : doe -yoe -ciq ; Nanjingese : tuang üän zie ), used in Shanghai and Nanjing ; and Mooncake Festival ( simplified Chinese : 月饼节 ; traditional Chinese : 月餅節 ; Jyutping : jyut beng zit ), used in Guangdong and Hong Kong . Outside China, there are several other names for

3808-556: The Gregorian calendar . On this day, the Chinese believe that the moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of autumn. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year . The history of the festival dates back over 3,000 years. Similar festivals are celebrated by other cultures in East and Southeast Asia . During

3920-500: The hú (胡) cake." After sharing the cakes with his ministers, the custom of eating these hú cakes spread throughout the country. Eventually these became known as mooncakes . Although the legend explains the beginnings of mooncake-giving, its popularity and ties to the festival began during the Song dynasty (906–1279 CE). Another popular legend concerns the Han Chinese's uprising against

4032-418: The Chinese lunisolar calendar, when Yi went hunting, Peng Meng broke into Yi's house and forced Chang'e to give the elixir to him. Chang'e refused to do so. Instead, she swallowed it and flew into the sky. Since she loved her husband and hoped to live nearby, she chose the moon for her residence. When Yi came back and learned what had happened, he felt so sad that he displayed the fruits and cakes Chang'e liked in

4144-458: The Japanese attacked China. Only when she visits China to meet her half-sisters and tell them about their mother, June finally accepts her Chinese heritage and makes her peace with her mother. One critic has suggested that the reason for the communication gap between June and her mother, and between the other daughters and their mothers—a major theme of the novel—occurs because the mothers come from

4256-553: The Joy Luck children as adult women, all facing various conflicts. In Lena's story, she narrates her troubling marital problems and how she fears being inferior to her husband, Harold Livotny. She does not realize he has taken advantage of her both at home and at work, where he is also her boss and earns much more than her. Ying-Ying is very much aware of this. She pointed out how Lena knew a table would crumble yet did nothing to stop it, symbolizing that her marriage will crumble because it has

4368-523: The Mid-Autumn Festival. In Cambodia , it is more commonly called "The Water and Moon Festival" Bon Om Touk . The Water and Moon festival is celebrated in November of every year. It is a three-day celebration, starting with the boat race that last the first two days of the festival. The boat races are colorfully painted with bright colors and is in various designs being most popular the neak, Cambodian sea dragon. Hundreds of Cambodian males take part in rowing

4480-455: The Moon Lady after the play to wish to be returned to her family, she discovers the Moon Lady is played by a man. The second section traces the childhoods of the Joy Luck children. In the first story, Waverly Jong talks about how she started playing chess, first with her brothers and then with old men in the playground near her school. At the age of nine, she becomes a national chess champion. She

4592-495: The Moon and water, and connected this concept to menstruation , calling it "monthly water". The Zhuang people , for example, have an ancient fable saying the Sun and Moon are a couple and the stars are their children, and when the Moon is pregnant, it becomes round, and then becomes crescent after giving birth to a child. These beliefs made it popular among women to worship and give offerings to

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4704-401: The Moon on this evening. In some areas of China, there are still customs in which the "men do not worship the moon and the women do not offer sacrifices to the kitchen gods." In China, the Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes the family reunion and on this day, all families will appreciate the Moon in the evening, because it is the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, when

4816-546: The Moon with it, leaving him stranded there. Every year, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, children light lanterns and participate in a procession to show Cuội the way back to Earth. The other tale involves a carp who wanted to become a dragon, and as a result, worked hard throughout the year until he was able to transform himself into a dragon. One important event before and during the festival are lion dances . Dances are performed by both non-professional children's groups and trained professional groups. Lion dance groups perform on

4928-578: The Moon-Palace. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Mid-Autumn Festival had become one of the main folk festivals in China. The Empress Dowager Cixi (late 19th century) enjoyed celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival so much that she would spend the period between the thirteenth and seventeenth day of the eighth month staging elaborate rituals. An important part of the festival celebration is Moon worship. The ancient Chinese believed in rejuvenation being associated with

5040-459: The Moon. Cambodians believe the legend of The Rabbit and the Moon, and that a rabbit who lives on the Moon watches over the Cambodian people. At midnight everyone goes up to the temple to pray and make wishes and enjoy their Ak Ambok together. Cambodians would also make homemade lanterns that are usually made into the shape of the lotus flowers or other more modern designs. Incense and candles light up

5152-558: The Second Wife to realize that she has lost control of the household and brought trouble on herself, so she backs down. Fearing bad karma on the way, Wu Tsing honors both An-Mei and her brother as his children and their mother as his favorite First Wife. Ying-Ying St. Clair reveals how her first husband, a womanizer, abandoned her and how she married an American man she did not love after relinquishing her sense of control in her life. She later took back her sense of control when she finally had

5264-466: The availability of mass-produced plastic lanterns, which often depict internationally recognizable characters from children's shows and video games. The Mid-Autumn Festival is known as Tết Trung Thu ( Chữ Nôm : 節中秋 ) in Vietnamese. It is also commonly referred to as the "Children's Festival". The Vietnamese traditionally believed that children, being the most innocent, had the closest connection to

5376-559: The boats and racing them at the Tonle Sap River. When night falls the streets are filled with people buying food and attending various concerts. In the evening is the Sampeah Preah Khae: the salutation to the moon or prayers to the moon. The Cambodian people set an array of offerings that are popular for rabbits, such and various fruits and a traditional dish called Ak Ambok in front of their homes with lit incenses to make wishes to

5488-471: The boy as her own child to ensure her place in the household. Second Wife also tried to win over An-mei upon her arrival in Wu-Tsing's mansion, giving her a necklace made of "pearls" that her mother later revealed were actually glass beads, by crushing one with her teacup. An-Mei's mother re-knots the necklace to hide the missing bead, but now An-Mei knows the truth about Second Wife's seeming generosity. Wu-Tsing

5600-545: The brightest rituals is the Fire Dragon Dance dating back to the 19th century and recognised as a part of China's intangible cultural heritage. The 200 foot-long fire dragon requires more than 300 people to operate, taking turns. The leader of the fire dragon dance would pray for peace, good fortune through blessings in Hakka. After the ritual ceremony, fire-dragon was thrown into the sea with lanterns and paper cards, which means

5712-402: The conditions set forth by his divorce papers. She hires a good lawyer and wins possession of the house, forcing Ted to take her more seriously. In June's story, June has an argument with Waverly at a Chinese New Year's dinner the year before the story begins. Realizing that June has been humiliated, Suyuan gives her a special jade pendant called "life's importance", which she has worn since June

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5824-614: The courtyard, including apples, pears, peaches, grapes, pomegranates , melons, oranges, and pomelos . One of the first decorations purchased for the celebration table is a clay statue of the Jade Rabbit . In Chinese folklore, the Jade Rabbit was an animal that lived on the Moon and accompanied Chang'e. Offerings of soy beans and cockscomb flowers were made to the Jade Rabbit. Nowadays, in southern China, people will also eat some seasonal fruit that may differ in different district but carrying

5936-521: The creation of new types of mooncakes, such as ice-cream mooncake and snow skin mooncake . There are also other traditions related to the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong. Neighbourhoods across Hong Kong set impressive lantern exhibitions with traditional stage shows, game stalls, palm readings, and many other festive activities. The grandest celebrations take place in Victoria Park (Hong Kong) . One of

6048-512: The dragon would return to sea and take the misfortunes away. Before 1941, There were also some celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival held in small villages in Hong Kong. Sha Po would celebrate Mid Autumn Festival in every 15th day of the 8th Chinese lunisolar month. People called the Mid-Autumn Festival the Kwong Sin Festival. They held Pok San Ngau Tsai at Datong Pond in Sha Po. Pok San Ngau Tsai

6160-416: The early decades of the twentieth century of Vietnam, daughters of wealthy families would prepare elaborate center pieces filled with treats for their younger siblings. Well-dressed visitors could visit to observe the daughter's handiwork as an indication of her capabilities as a wife in the future. Eventually the practice of arranging centerpieces became a tradition not just limited to wealthy families. Into

6272-504: The early twentieth century in Hanoi, the festival had begun to assume its identity as the quintessential children's festival. Aside from the story of Chang'e (Vietnamese: Hằng Nga), there are two other popular folktales associated with the festival. The first describes the legend of Cuội , whose wife accidentally urinated on a sacred banyan tree. The tree began to float towards the Moon, and Cuội, trying to pull it back down to Earth, floated to

6384-552: The extent that Lena visualizes disaster in the taking of any risk. Lena's husband, Harold, is also her boss. He takes the credit for Lena's business and design ideas. He demands financial "equality" in their marriage. Lena is an associate while Harold is a partner, so he has a larger salary than she does. However, he insists that all household expenses be divided equally between them. Harold believes that by making everything equal, they can make their love equal as well. Lena feels frustrated and powerless. She settles for what Harold tells her

6496-402: The father. Suyuan then departs, expecting to die. However, she is rescued by a truck and finds out her husband has died. She later remarries, goes to America , and forms a new Joy Luck Club with three other Chinese female immigrants she met at church. She gives birth to another daughter, but her abandonment of her twin girls haunts her for the rest of her life. After many years, Suyuan learns that

6608-453: The festival, but it is certain that lanterns were not used in conjunction with Moon-worship prior to the Tang dynasty . Traditionally, the lantern has been used to symbolize fertility, and functioned mainly as a toy and decoration. But today the lantern has come to symbolize the festival itself. In the old days, lanterns were made in the image of natural things, myths, and local cultures. Over time,

6720-416: The festival, families and friends gather to play Bo Bing , a gambling sort of game involving 6 dice. People take turns in rolling the dice in a ceramic bowl with the results determining what they win. The number 4 is mainly what determines how big the prize is. In Hong Kong and Macau , the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival is a public holiday rather than the festival date itself (unless that date falls on

6832-449: The festival, lanterns of all size and shapes – which symbolize beacons that light people's path to prosperity and good fortune – are carried and displayed. Mooncakes , a rich pastry typically filled with sweet-bean, egg yolk, meat or lotus-seed paste, are traditionally eaten during this festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is based on the legend of Chang'e , the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology . The festival

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6944-495: The festival. Hence, mooncakes are sold in elegant boxes for presentation purpose. Also, the price for these boxes are not considered cheap—a four-mooncake box of the lotus seeds paste with egg yolks variety, can generally cost US$ 40 or more. However, as environmental protection has become a concern of the public in recent years, many mooncake manufacturers in Hong Kong have adopted practices to reduce packaging materials to practical limits. The mooncake manufacturers also explore in

7056-579: The festival: The festival celebrates three fundamental concepts that are closely connected: Traditions and myths surrounding the festival are formed around these concepts, although traditions have changed over time due to changes in technology, science, economy, culture, and religion. The Chinese have celebrated the harvest during the autumn full moon since the Shang dynasty ( c.  1600 –1046 BCE). The term mid-autumn (中秋) first appeared in Rites of Zhou ,

7168-482: The first section follows Ying-Ying St. Clair, who tells the story of how she fell into a lake during the Zhongqiujie festival when she was only four. After being rescued by a group of fishermen, she realizes that she is lost. This experience emotionally traumatizes her, and she is dropped at the shore, and wanders into an outdoor performance featuring the Moon Lady , said to grant wishes. But when Ying-Ying approaches

7280-410: The funeral rites, An-Mei quickly makes an example of her and shows her awareness of Second Wife's deceptions by crushing the fake pearl necklace under her feet. This symbolizes her new power over the woman who made her mother's life miserable by abusing her and taking her brother away. Now fearing An-Mei, Second Wife realizes the bad karma she has brought upon herself and backs down, having lost control of

7392-420: The funeral, An-Mei takes her younger half-brother and forces Wu Tsing to honor both them and their deceased mother out of fear of him being haunted by their mother's ghost. The angry Second Wife attempts to dispute her claims and tries to discredit her. An-Mei quickly makes an example of her by destroying the fake pearl necklace that she originally gave to her, which exposes her cruelty and manipulation. This causes

7504-478: The handkerchief has a chance at romance. In Daguang , in southwest Guizhou Province , young men and women of the Dong people would make an appointment at a certain place. The young women would arrive early to overhear remarks made about them by the young men. The young men would praise their lovers in front of their fellows, in which finally the listening women would walk out of the thicket. Pairs of lovers would go off to

7616-438: The holiday is the carrying of brightly lit lanterns , lighting lanterns on towers, or floating sky lanterns . Another tradition involving lanterns is to write riddles on them and have other people try to guess the answers ( simplified Chinese : 灯谜 ; traditional Chinese : 燈謎 ; pinyin : dēng mí ; lit. 'lantern riddles'). It is difficult to discern the original purpose of lanterns in connection to

7728-633: The home where her mother lived as the abused fourth concubine of Wu Tsing, whose second concubine manipulates and controls the household and has taken An-Mei's half-brother as her son. An-Mei learns how her mother was forced into accepting her position after Wu Tsing's second wife arranged for An-Mei's mother to be raped and shamed. When she came to her family for help, they cruelly turned their backs on her mother and told her to leave. An-Mei finds her mother has poisoned herself two days before Chinese New Year, knowing that Wu Tsing's superstitious beliefs will ensure An-Mei will grow up in favorable conditions. During

7840-460: The house. With this in mind, Wu-Tsing promises to treat his Fourth Wife's children, including An-Mei, as if they were his very own flesh and blood and their mother as his honored First Wife. An-Mei later immigrates to America, marries, and gives birth to seven children (four sons, three daughters). The youngest, a son named Bing, drowns at age four. Lindo is a strong-willed woman, a trait that her daughter Waverly attributes to her having been born in

7952-477: The kind and generous heart that June has. She also tells June that she understands the frustrations of never being good enough in her eyes and admits she is proud of June. The final section of the novel, the title of which refers to the Chinese goddess Xi Wangmu , returns to the viewpoints of the mothers as adults dealing with difficult choices. An-Mei reveals what happened after her grandmother died, she angered her relatives by leaving with her mother. They return to

8064-487: The lanterns and Cambodians make prayers and then send if off into the river for their wishes and prayers to be heard and granted. In Laos, many festivals are held on the day of the full moon. The most popular festival known as That Luang Festival is associated with Buddhist legend and is held at Pha That Luang temple in Vientiane . The festival often lasts for three to seven days. A procession occurs and many people visit

8176-403: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Joy_Luck_Club&oldid=1256434704 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Joy Luck Club (novel) In 1993, the novel

8288-518: The lives of four Chinese immigrant mothers and their four American-born daughters. In 1949, the four mothers meet at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco and agree to continue to meet to play mahjong. They call their mahjong group the Joy Luck Club. The stories told in this novel revolve around the Joy Luck Club women and their daughters. Structurally, the novel is divided into four major sections, with two sections focusing on

8400-425: The manipulations of his Second Wife, the favourite. This woman arranged for An-Mei's mother, still in mourning for her original husband, to be raped by Wu-Tsing. When her mother came to her family for their assistance, they cruelly refused and disowned her. The stigma left An-Mei's mother with no choice but to marry Wu-Tsing and become his new but lowly Fourth Wife. She later lost her baby son to Second Wife, who claimed

8512-413: The meaning of maintaining familial unity remains. Although typical mooncakes can be around a few centimetres in diameter, imperial chefs have made some as large as 8 meters in diameter, with its surface pressed with designs of Chang'e, cassia trees, or the Moon-Palace. One tradition is to pile 13 mooncakes on top of each other to mimic a pagoda , the number 13 being chosen to represent the 13 months in

8624-532: The moon is at its fullest. Offerings are also made to a more well-known lunar deity, Chang'e , known as the Moon Goddess of Immortality. The myths associated with Chang'e explain the origin of Moon worship during this day. One version of the story is as follows, as described in Lihui Yang's Handbook of Chinese Mythology : In the ancient past, there was a hero named Hou Yi who was excellent at archery. His wife

8736-437: The moon to divine the future of the people and the harvests. Eventually the celebration came to symbolize a reverence for fruitfulness, with prayers given for bountiful harvests, increase in livestock, and fertility. Over time, the prayers for children evolved into the celebration of children. Historical Confucian scholars continued the tradition of gazing at the Moon, but to sip wine and improvise poetry and song. However, by

8848-454: The moon. Today, it is still an occasion for outdoor reunions among friends and relatives to eat mooncakes and watch the Moon, a symbol of harmony and unity. During a year of a solar eclipse, it is typical for governmental offices, banks, and schools to close extra days in order to enjoy the extended celestial celebration an eclipse brings. The festival is celebrated with many cultural or regional customs, among them: A notable part of celebrating

8960-513: The mothers in Tan's story "never offer concrete anecdotes to teach [their daughters]" about their feelings and their pasts. The daughters spend a large portion of their lives feeling lost and trying to understand their place in society. Their "search for an essential Chinese identity... always frustrate[d] their attempts to understand... their identities." Carolyn See of the Los Angeles Times gave

9072-461: The myth: After the hero Houyi shot down nine of the ten suns, he was pronounced king by the thankful people. However, he soon became a conceited and tyrannical ruler. In order to live long without death, he asked for the elixir from Xiwangmu . But his wife, Chang'e, stole it on the fifteenth of August because she did not want the cruel king to live long and hurt more people. She took the magic potion to prevent her husband from becoming immortal. Houyi

9184-466: The novel a positive review, stating "The only negative thing I could ever say about this book is that I'll never again be able to read it for the first time." Zhongqiujie The Mid-Autumn Festival (for other names, see § Etymology ) is a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture . It is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid-September to early October of

9296-416: The ocean when her other brothers fight. She returns along with her mother An-Mei to search for Bing, but in vain. The last story is that of June Woo and the pressure that her mother puts on her to perform exceedingly well in some field (to be a child prodigy). She begins to learn to play the piano but does not perform well in a concert and stops playing. This disappoints her mother because she wanted her to be

9408-411: The other mothers that her half-sisters are alive. They ask that June go to China and meet her sisters, and tell them about Suyuan's death. The other three mothers relate the stories of their childhood. An-Mei Hsu's story relates how her mother left her family to become the third concubine of Wu Tsing, a rich merchant, while An-Mei was raised by her maternal grandmother. Her mother returns only to cut off

9520-423: The popularity of The Joy Luck Club to playing up racist stereotypes welcomed in mainstream America. He also noted that it lacks authenticity for its fabricated Chinese folk tales that depict "Confucian culture as seen through the interchangeable Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese mix (depending on which is the yellow enemy of the moment ) of Hollywood." Harvard Crimson writer, Allen Soong, reflected that "while

9632-433: The proper sign to move on. She allows Clifford to control most aspects of her life; he mistranslates her words and actions, and even changes her name to "Betty". Ying-Ying gives birth to her daughter, Lena, after moving to San Francisco with St. Clair. When Lena is around ten years old, Ying-Ying becomes pregnant a third time, but the baby boy is anencephalic and soon dies. Ying-Ying is horrified when she realises that Lena,

9744-662: The ruling Mongols at the end of the Yuan dynasty (1280–1368 CE), in which the Han Chinese used traditional mooncakes to conceal the message that they were to rebel on Mid-Autumn Day. Because of strict controls upon Han Chinese families imposed by the Mongols in which only 1 out of every 10 households was allowed to own a knife guarded by a Mongolian, this coordinated message was important to gather as many available weapons as possible. Imperial dishes served on this occasion included nine-jointed lotus roots which symbolize peace, and watermelons cut in

9856-415: The sacred, pure and natural beauty of the world. The celebration of the children's spirit was seen as a way to connect to that world still full of wonder, mystery, teachings, joy, and sadness. Animist spirits, deities and Vietnamese folk religions are also observed during the festival. In its most traditional form, the evening commemorates the dragon who brings rain for the crops. Celebrants would observe

9968-440: The same day or around the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Japanese moon viewing festival, o- tsukimi ( お月見 , "moon viewing"), is also held at this time. People picnic and drink sake under the full moon to celebrate the harvest. Chuseok ( Korean :  추석 ; Hanja :  秋夕 ; [tɕʰu.sʌk̚]), literally "Autumn eve", once known as hangawi ( 한가위 ; [han.ɡa.ɥi]; from archaic Korean for "the great middle (of autumn)"),

10080-406: The same meaning of blessing. The Mid-Autumn moon has traditionally been a choice occasion to celebrate marriages. Girls would pray to Moon deity Chang'e to help fulfill their romantic wishes. In some parts of China, dances are held for young men and women to find partners. For example, young women are encouraged to throw their handkerchiefs to the crowd, and the young man who catches and returns

10192-556: The same to her previous husband, Marvin Chen, with whom she has a daughter, Shoshana. After a disastrous attempt at a dinner party to tell her mother of their wedding, Waverly confronts her mother the morning afterwards and realizes that her mother has known all along about her relationship with Rich and has accepted him. Rose Hsu Jordan learns that Ted intends to marry someone else after divorcing her. She realizes through her mother's advice that she needs to fight for her rights and refuses to sign

10304-599: The shape of lotus petals which symbolize reunion. Teacups were placed on stone tables in the garden, where the family would pour tea and chat, waiting for the moment when the full moon's reflection appeared in the center of their cups. Owing to the timing of the plant's blossoms, cassia wine is the traditional choice for the "reunion wine" drunk on the occasion. Also, people will celebrate by eating cassia cakes and candy. In some places, people will celebrate by drinking osmanthus wine and eating osmanthus mooncakes. Food offerings made to deities are placed on an altar set up in

10416-470: The stories of the mothers and two sections on the stories of the daughters. The first section, "Feathers from a Thousand Li Away", introduces the Joy Luck Club through daughter Jing-Mei "June" Woo, whose late mother Suyuan Woo founded the Joy Luck Club, and focuses on the four mothers. June relates the story of how her mother Suyuan was the wife of an officer in the Kuomintang during World War II and how she

10528-619: The streets, going to houses asking for permission to perform for them. If the host consents, the "lion" will come in and start dancing as a blessing of luck and fortune for the home. In return, the host gives lucky money to show their gratitude. Cakes and fruits are not only consumed, but elaborately prepared as food displays. For example, glutinous rice flour and rice paste are molded into familiar animals. Pomelo sections can be fashioned into unicorns, rabbits, or dogs. Villagers of Xuân La , just north of Hanoi , produce tò he , figurines made from rice paste and colored with natural food dyes. Into

10640-417: The temple to pay respect to the monks and offer food. It is also a time for thanksgiving and paying homage to Buddhist monks, teachers, parents and elders. The mid-Autumn festival is informally observed, but is not a government or public holiday. In Vietnam, children participate in parades in the dark under the full moon with lanterns of various forms, shapes, and colors. Traditionally, lanterns signified

10752-572: The temple. In Myanmar, numerous festivals are held on the day of the full moon. However, the Thadingyut Festival is the most popular one and occurs in the month of Thadingyut. It also occurs around the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival, depending on the lunar calendar. It is one of the biggest festivals in Myanmar after the New Year festival, Thingyan . It is a Buddhist festival and many people go to

10864-400: The twins were adopted, but dies of a brain aneurysm before she can meet them. It is her American-born daughter Jing-mei who fulfills her long-cherished wish of reuniting with them. As Suyuan dies before the novel begins, her history is told by Jing-mei, based on her knowledge of her mother's stories, anecdotes from her father, and what the other members of the Joy Luck Club tell her. An-Mei

10976-469: The week of the festival signifies the completeness and unity of families. In some areas of China, there is a tradition of making mooncakes during the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The senior person in that household would cut the mooncakes into pieces and distribute them to each family member, signifying family reunion. In modern times, however, making mooncakes at home has given way to the more popular custom of giving mooncakes to family members, although

11088-462: The wish for the Sun's light and warmth to return after winter. In addition to carrying lanterns, the children also don masks. Elaborate masks were made of papier-mâché , though it is more common to find masks made of plastic nowadays. Handcrafted shadow lanterns were an important part of Mid-Autumn displays since the 12th-century Lý dynasty , often of historical figures from Vietnamese history. Handcrafted lantern-making declined in modern times due to

11200-576: The women ... are fully fleshed-out characters who are a remarkable improvement over the 'exotic Oriental' Cassandra from Wayne's World , the male characters are merely additions to the long list of negative images of Asian men in our culture." Novelist Nancy Willard , in a somewhat positive critique, said that "Amy Tan's special accomplishment in this novel is not her ability to show us how mothers and daughters hurt each other, but how they love and ultimately forgive each other." The act of losing individuality continues through multiple generations because

11312-520: The yard and gave sacrifices to his wife. People soon learned about these activities, and since they also were sympathetic to Chang'e they participated in these sacrifices with Yi. "when people learned of this story, they burnt incense on a long altar and prayed to Chang'e, now the goddess of the Moon, for luck and safety. The custom of praying to the Moon on Mid-Autumn Day has been handed down for thousands of years since that time." Handbook of Chinese Mythology also describes an alternate common version of

11424-516: The year of the Horse . When Lindo was only twelve, she was forced to move in with a neighbor's young son, Huang Tyan Yu, through the machinations of the village matchmaker. After some training for household duties through her in-laws, she and Tyan-yu married when she turned sixteen. She soon realized that her husband was a mere boy at heart and had no sexual interest in her. It is loosely implied that he might have been gay. Lindo began to care for her husband as

11536-421: Was Chang'e. One year, the ten suns rose in the sky together, causing great disaster to the people. Yi shot down nine of the suns and left only one to provide light. An immortal admired Yi and sent him the elixir of immortality. Yi did not want to leave Chang'e and be immortal without her, so he let Chang'e keep the elixir. However, Peng Meng, one of his apprentices, knew this secret. So, on the fifteenth of August in

11648-411: Was a celebration event of the Kwong Sin Festival, and people would gather around to watch it. During the event, someone would play the percussions, and some villagers would then act possessed and call themselves "Maoshan Masters". They burnt themselves with incense sticks and fought with real blades and spears. In Taiwan , and its outlying islands Penghu , Kinmen , and Matsu , the Mid-Autumn Festival

11760-507: Was actually fated to marry another girl who was already pregnant with his "spiritual child", and that her own marriage to him would only bring bad luck to the family. The girl she described as his destined wife was, in fact, a mere servant in the household, indeed pregnant but abandoned by her lover. Seeing this as an opportunity for her to be married and live comfortably, the servant girl cheerfully agreed with Lindo. Freed from her first marriage, Lindo decided to immigrate to America. She married

11872-517: Was adapted into a feature film directed by Wayne Wang and starring Ming-Na Wen , Lauren Tom , Tamlyn Tomita , France Nguyen , Rosalind Chao , Kieu Chinh , Tsai Chin , Lisa Lu , and Vivian Wu . The screenplay was written by the author Amy Tan along with Ronald Bass . The novel was also adapted into a play, by Susan Kim, which premiered at Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in New York. The Joy Luck Club consists of sixteen interlocking stories about

11984-525: Was an infant. June regrets that she never learned the meaning of the pendant's name. She also confronts Suyuan with the belief that she had always been disappointed in June and admitted she could never live up to her high expectations. June believes that because she has never finished college, does not have a good career, and remains unmarried, she is seen as a failure in her mother's eyes. Suyuan eventually reveals her true meaning; that while Waverly has style, she lacks

12096-711: Was finally able to make peace with Suyuan. During the Second World War, Suyuan lives in the Republic of China while her husband at the time served as an officer in Chungking (Chongqing) . She starts the original Joy Luck Club with her three friends to cope with the War. There is little to eat, but they pretend it is a feast, and talk about their hopes for the future. On the day of the Japanese invasion , Suyuan leaves her house with nothing but

12208-476: Was forced to flee from her home in Kweilin and abandon her twin daughters. Suyuan later found out that her first husband died. She later married Canning Woo and immigrated to the United States where their daughter, June, was born. Suyuan and Canning attempted to find Suyuan's daughters, and Canning assumed that Suyuan had given up hope. June, who has been asked to take her mother's place in the Joy Luck Club, learns from

12320-552: Was never recovered. Rose marries a doctor, Ted Jordan, who loves her but also wants to spite his snooty, racist mother. After a malpractice suit, Ted has a mid-life crisis and decides to leave Rose. Rose confides in her mother and An-mei tells her the story of her own childhood. When Ted comes for the divorce papers, Rose finds her voice and tells him that he can't just throw her out of his life, comparing herself to his garden, once so beloved, now unkempt and full of weeds. An-Mei tells her that Ted has been cheating on her, which Rose thinks

12432-433: Was once a gifted chess champion, but quit after feeling that her mother was using her daughter's talent to show off, taking credit for Waverly's wins. Waverly does not necessarily understand the origin of her mother's comments or what context for which they are intended. Waverly is “unable to feel at home in… [her] relationship with [her] mother." She has a daughter, Shoshana, from her first marriage with Marvin Chen, and she

12544-475: Was so angry when discovered that Chang'e took the elixir, he shot at his wife as she flew toward the moon, though he missed. Chang'e fled to the moon and became the spirit of the moon. Houyi died soon because he was overcome with great anger. Thereafter, people offer a sacrifice to Chang'e on every fifteenth day of eighth month to commemorate Chang'e's action. The festival was a time to enjoy the successful reaping of rice and wheat with food offerings made in honor of

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