Jay Ha
English F
Pick at least one mother-daughter pair, and examine to what degree each has fulfilled
the American Dream. How does the importance and/or definition of the American
Dream change between generations?
Throughout the history of the United States, many immigrants came to the
States in order to achieve the ideal way of living also known as the American Dream.
Although the concept of being happy within the American Dream has not changed the
meaning of happiness within the American Dream, itself has changed throughout
generations. The first generation of the immigrants want not only themselves but also
their children to live lives which they could not imagine in there homeland whereas
the later generations wanted to enjoy the American value especially freedom and to
become true Americans. Likewise Lindo and Waverly, a mother and daughter pair, in
Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, show how the concept of American Dream
changed without changing its essence.
Like all the mothers who are main characters of the story, Lindo left China and
settled in the States to live the ideal life that was shaped during her childhood. The
chapter, The Red Candle, shows how Lindo as a young girl was put in a sticky
situation where she had to forcefully marry Tyan-yu. Luckily using her cunning wit,
Lindo was able to escape from such unwanted marriage. Thus this motivated her to
raise a smart girl in the States as her comparatively small American Dream. Ever
since Waverly was six years old Lindo started to teach Waverly the art of invisible
strength showing how much Lindo wanted to raise Waverly as a smart and logical
girl. “I was six when my mother taught me the art of invisible strength” (Tan 89).
Eventually Waverly ends up becoming Chinatown’s best chess player winning many
trophies and awards making Lindo proud for her daughter. “My mother would
proudly walk with me, visiting many shops, buying very little. This my daughter
Wave-ly Jong, she said to whoever looked her away” (101). This quote directly shows
Jay Ha
English F
how LIndo was proud of her daughter’s accomplishment. Thus Lindo achieved her
own American Dream by raising a sharp-witted daughter and becomes proud for her
daughter’s achievements.
However unlike her mother Waverly had a different view on the idea of
American Dream. Waverly believed in an independent life where she could meet and
marry anyone regardless of ethnicity. In the chapter, Four Directions, Waverly has
trouble in introducing Rich to her mother telling her friends “You don’t know my
mother, I said. She never thinks anybody is good enough for anything” (183). Also
she feels that her mother is constantly trying to avoid conversations on Rich by
changing subjects whenever Waverly tries to talk about Rich “In fact, every time I
brought up his name—when I said, for instance … —my mother found a way to
change the subject” (184). Due to such attitude of her mother Waverly worries that
she would not be able to marry Rich at all. However despite such sense of denial from
her mother Waverly still believes that she and Rich are meant for each other “Because
I knew my feelings for him were vulnerable to being felled to my mother’s
suspicions, … And I was afraid of what I would then lose, because Rich Schields
adored me in the same way I adored Shoshana” (193). In the end Waverly gets
approved by her mother and realizes the fact that she was the one who made an
invisible barrier between her mother and herself; thus Waverly achieves her own
sense of American Dreams marrying whom she chooses regardless of ethnicity.
In retrospect despite the feeling of happiness from the American Dream may be
the same for both Lindo and Waverly, the composition of the American Dream was
different. It can be said that Lindo’s desire was less self-centered compared to
Waverly’s. Lindo was thinking more about her daughter. Due to her experience
during her childhood Lindo wanted Waverly to become smart as well thus teaching
Jay Ha
English F
her the “art of invisible strength” at such a young age. Thus Lindo wanted the best for
not herself but for her daughter, Waverly. Though it is definitely not wrong for
Waverly to marry to someone whom she wants but compared to Lindo it is clear that
Waverly’s goal is more self-centered compared to that of Lindo. Thus through just
two characters in Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, it can be seen that the
American Dream may be different among generations the concept of happiness within
the American Dream is universal.