What symbols or motifs are present in this book? What do you think are the central themes of the stories? Daily Journal03 November 2015

Amy Tan Born in California Both of her parents were Chinese immigrants. Her father, John Tan, came to America to escape the Chinese Civil War. Daisy was Amy’s mother. In China, Daisy had divorced an abusive husband but lost custody of her three daughters. She was forced to leave them behind when she escaped on the last boat to leave Shanghai before the Communist takeover in She met and married John Tan in America and had three children, Amy and her two brothers. Amy's father and oldest brother both died of brain tumors within a year of each other. Mrs. Tan moved her surviving children to Switzerland, where Amy finished high school, but by this time mother and daughter were in constant conflict. They did not speak for six months after Amy Tan left the Baptist college her mother had selected for her to follow her boyfriend to San Jose City College. In 1974, she and her boyfriend, Louis DeMattei, were married. Just as she was starting a new career as writer, Daisy became sick. Amy Tan promised herself that if her mother recovered, she would take her to China, to see the daughter who had been left behind almost 40 years before. Mrs. Tan regained her health, and mother and daughter departed for China in The trip changed Tan. It gave her a new perspective on her often-difficult relationship with her mother, and inspired her to complete the book of stories she had promised her agent. Amy was given $50,000 to finish her book based on some chapters and a synopsis. The book rights would later sell for $1.3 million.

Literature Circle Roles Discussion Director Summarizer Word Master Connector Culture Collector Cartographer – Map maker Character Curator (PLEASE WAIT ON THIS AS WE WILL TURN THIS INTO A GROUP ACTIVITY)

Family Ties… With your team, create a list of characters, their relationships, and a detail or two about their story. Please add to your list of characters and life details.

Themes, Motifs, Symbols What themes, motifs, or symbols are represented in this book?

Metaphors Metaphors and symbols can be quite similar. A metaphor is usually an expression that relates an object to something abstract. “His love was a bottomless well.” What are some metaphors in this book?

Common Conceptions and Stereotypes Do you know any common conceptions and stereotypes that people (North Americans, specifically) have toward Chinese or Asian cultures? Does this book confirm or challenge stereotypes?

When she is young, Waverly Jong is a chess prodigy. It is a common conception in the United States that young Asian children are more driven than their peers and more likely to excel because their parents demand more of them. However, it is Waverly’s mother who influences Waverly to quit chess, due to a hurtful argument. 00:34:00 to 37:30 What do you think of mother and daughter’s reactions to this event? Can you find other examples that challenge American stereotypes of Chinese culture in The Joy Luck Club.

Describe the role of men in the book. How are men represented? Why do you think the author chose to not give men a “voice” in the novel? How does this effect our understanding of the characters’ problems?

Differences between film and book

The Joy Luck Club, is taken from Suyuan Woo’s establishment of a gathering between women, first in China, and later in San Francisco. The club has been maintained for many years and undergone many changes. What do you think is the significance of these meetings to the women who attend them? Why do you think these four families have continued to come together like this after so much time has passed?

Discuss the topic of marriage as it is represented in The Joy Luck Club. Each of the women faces difficult choices when it comes to marrying—whether it be Lindo Jong being forced into an early union with a man she loathes, Ying-Ying St. Clair starting life over with an American man after being abandoned by her first husband, or Rose Hsu Jordan, who is facing divorce from a man whose family never understood her. How are the daughters’ romantic choices influenced, if at all, by their mothers, who had fewer choices of their own?