About the Author: Amy Tan
• Tan was born in
California to immigrant
parents from China.
• Tan also co-produced
the film version of The
Joy Luck Club.
• Her short stories are
often found in
anthologies and
textbooks for high
school and college
curriculums
About the Author: Amy Tan
• Her father came to America
to escape the turmoil of the
Chinese Civil War.
• Tan’s mother had a different
life in China. She 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 China before the
Communist takeover in 1949.
Biography continued…
• Just as she was embarking on this new career, Tan's
mother fell ill. She promised herself that if her mother
recovered, she would take her to China, to see the
daughter who had been left behind almost forty years
before.
• Mrs. Tan regained her health, and mother and daughter
departed for China in 1987. The trip was a revelation for
Tan. It gave her a new perspective on her difficult
relationship with her mother, and inspired her to
complete the book of stories that makes up The Joy
Luck Club.
• After being published in 1989, Tan's book won
enthusiastic reviews and spent eight months on the New
York Times best-seller list.
Information from: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tan0bio-
Historical Context
• The first major wave of Chinese immigration to the
United States took place around the 1840's.
• Prompted by the gold rush and westward expansion,
Chinese men came to the country to pursue work.
Chinese, Gold Mining in California
[illustration]: From Roy D. Graves
pictorial collection: Chinese and
Chinatown
Historical Context
• Another influx of Chinese immigrants
came in the 1860s to work on the
construction of the Transcontinental
Railroad.
Historical Context
• By 1880, a growing Chinatown was
flourishing in New York City, and Chinese
businesses began in other cities of New
York.
• In 1882, Congress passed Exclusion Laws
that prevented the immigration of Chinese
laborers. The prejudice and discrimination
that Chinese immigrants faced made it
difficult for them to find a job.
Historical Context
•
Editorial cartoon showing a
Chinese man being excluded
from entry to the "Golden
Gate of Liberty". The sign
next to the iron door reads,
"Notice—Communist, Nihilist,
Socialist, Fenian & Hoodlum
welcome. But no admittance
to Chinamen." At the bottom,
the caption reads, "THE
ONLY ONE BARRED OUT.
Enlightened American
Statesman—'We must draw
the line somewhere, you
know.'"
Historical Context
• In response, many set up
restaurants or hand
laundries.
• Laundries took little capital
to establish and classified
the operators as
merchants, an allowed
immigration category
under Exclusion laws.
San Francisco Chinese laundry, 1881.
Historical Context
• The end of World War II, and the new
communist government in China toward
the end of the 1940's prompted another
major exodus of Chinese as well as a
slight reversal of attitude among EuroAmericans.
• The mothers in The Joy Luck Club all
came to the United States during this time
period.
Keeping the Characters
Straight
• It is easy to get confused about whose
daughter is whose (or whose mother is
whose).
• Consider keeping notes on each in a
notebook to avoid confusion
• Use the bookmark!
Characters
• Mothers
Suyuan Woo 
An-mei Hsu 
Lindo Jong 
Ying-ying St. Clair 
• Daughters
Jing-mei “June” Woo
Rose Hsu Jordan
Waverly Jong
Lena St. Clair
Themes
• Concentration on being good mothers,
wives, and daughters-in-law
• Cultural Traditions
• Story-telling
• Chinese Immigration
Set-up of novel
• Divided into four sections that each
include an introductory parable and four
short stories.
• Stories are about conflicts between
Chinese immigrant mothers and
American-raised daughters.
• Includes stories told by mothers and
daughters of memories and inheritance.
• Parables are used to introduce the theme
of each section.
Section 1: Feathers from a
Thousand Li Away
Parable
• Jing-mei Woo:
• An-mei Hsu:
• Lindo Jong:
• Ying-ying St. Clair:
The Joy Luck Club
Scar
The Red Candle
The Moon Lady
In this section, the mothers recall with astonishing
clarity their relationships with their own mothers, and
they worry that their daughters won’t be able to tell
these stories in such detail.
Section 2: The Twenty-six
Malignant Gates
Parable
• Waverly Jong:
Rules of the Game
• Lena St. Clair:
The Voice from the Wall
• Rose Hsu Jordan: Half and Half
• Jing-mei Woo:
Two Kinds
In this section, the daughters recall their childhood
relationships with their mothers, using detailed
emotion.
Section 3:
American Translation
Parable
• Lena St. Clair:
• Waverly Jong:
• Rose Hsu Jordan:
• Jing-mei Woo:
Rice Husband
Four Directions
Without Wood
Best Quality
In this section, the four daughters narrate their adult
dilemmas, such as troubles with marriage and
careers. They assume that their mothers’ ideas do
not relate to an American lifestyle.
Section 4: Queen Mother of the
Western Skies
Parable
• An-mei Hsu:
• Ying-ying St. Clair:
• Lindo Jong:
• Jing-mei Woo:
Magpies
Waiting Between the Trees
Double Face
A Pair of Tickets
In the final section, the mothers struggle to offer
solutions and support to their daughters, while in the
process learning more about themselves.
American Dream for Chinese Immigrants
• Lindo Jong, Double Face
“It’s hard to keep your Chinese face in
America. At the beginning, before I ever
arrived, I had to hide my true self. I paid
an American raised Chinese girl in Peking
to show me how” (393).