Female and Mothering in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club

• Main Authors: Ping-fu Hsu, 許炳富
• Other Authors: Mei-yu Tsai
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/74805962915988638587

碩士 === 國立中正大學 === 比較文學所 === 97 === This thesis discusses the idea of “mothering” as well as the mother-daughter relationship in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. In this novel, the four mothers teach their daughter how to spend their young life without regret. Before immigrating to America these mothers have experienced much loss; however, they swallow all their suffering so that their daughters can live well in the USA. The mothers have tremendous impact on their daughter. Chapter one of this thesis introduces my study motivation and direction; meanwhile, I would like to discuss the essential concept of “mothering” and the traditional women’s mothering of manners. Chapter two offers some theories of Nancy J. Chodorow’s and Adrienne Rich’s views of mothering; developing from feminist theories to psychoanalysis; further, I argue that mothering, under the influence of pre-Oedipal experience and patriarchal culture, is deeply affected by culture. In Chapter three, I attempt to analyze how the idea of mothering works in this novel and how it affects mother-daughter relationships. In general Amy Tan describes the conflicts between daughter and mother. Chapter four manages to adopt the connotation and identity of mothering between female and mother as a cultural point to further discuss the intercultural position which affects the mother / daughters’ relationship in the emigrant society. Chapter five sums up Amy Tan’s mothering practice and daughter’s resistance in this novel; thus, Amy Tan can be recognized not only as ‘a maternal writer’ but also as ‘a Chinese-American writer’.