Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1989) as A Work of Migration Literature

Abstract

This dissertation examines the Joy Luck Club (1989) as a work of migration literature that narrates the complex journey and experiences of four Chinese mothers and their daughters in the United States of America. The novel clearly presents the main characteristics of migration literature such as displacement, in-betweennesse, nostalgia, cultural hybridity, identity crisis, cultural clash, and the continuous search for belonging. These aspects reflect the historical and cultural realities of minorities in America. Through their stories, the novel addresses the cultural and generational conflict between them. Here the novel depicts the difficulties of maintaining one’s cultural roots while adapting to this new environment. The mothers hold firmly to their Chinese traditions and values, while their American raised daughters embraced the American ideals and mentality. Even though they had a big cultural gap between them, but they worked towards reconciliation. This study approaches migration literature as a historical, cultural and literary phenomenon that defines minority literature. In this sense, The Joy Luck Club (1998) stands as a significant example of migration literature through presenting its core features