四川大学本科毕业论文《喜福会》中的中国文化背景分析IntroductionAmyTan,oneofthebestknownAmericanwritersofAsianancestry,wroteTheJoyLuckClubin1989,twoyearsaftervisitingmainlandChina.Afteritspublication,thebookappearedontheNewYorkTimesbestsellerlistfornearlyayear,andwonitswriterseveralprestigiousawards,suchastheNationalBookAwardforFiction,theBayAreaBookReviewerAwardandtheCommonwealthClubGoldAward.Inspiteofalltheseapplauds,Tancontinuestowrite.Inthenextfewyears,shewroteTheKitchenGodsWifeandTheHundredSecretSenses.AllthesenovelsarecloselyrelatedtoChina.Beforethe20thcentury,allthethingsaboutChinaandtheChineseculturewerewrittenbytheCaucasians.Buttheworksarenotsufficient,sometimesfake.ThoughbornintheUnitedStates,AmyTanhasherrootinChinaandknowsalotaboutChinafromhermother.Inacertainsense,hernovelsarecomparativelymorerealdepictionofthethingsChineseandcanserveasanexpresswaylinkingtheChinesecultureandtheAmericanculture.TheyexposetheChineseculturetotheworld.Amongherpublications,itisTheJoyLuckClubthatmakesAmyTanahouseholdname.ThebookisaninterlockofsixteenstoriesamongfourChinesemothersandfourAmerican-borndaughters.ThefourmothersaretiredoutbythefeudalandwartimeChina.Theycannolongerstandthemiseriesandtorturesintheirlife,suchasabandonment,abusebymenanddiscriminationsinChina.ThereforetheyimmigratetotheUnitedStateswheretheyfindawaytopourthemoutwhentheyareplayingMah-jong,whichleadtothebeginningoftheJoyLuckClub.Intheirlifewiththeirdaughtersthere,theytrytoguideandeducatethedaughtersintheChineseway.ButtheAmerican-borndaughterscannotunderstandtheirmothersandoftendisobeythem.Themothersaredepressedagainandagain.Aftersufferingthemisfortunesinlife,thedaughtersbegintounderstandtheirmothersandeventuallyfindChinaastheircommonmother.TheChinesecultureiswheretheconflictsbetweenthemothersandtheirAmericanborndaughtersbeginandwheretheyend.ThebookisconsideredasuccessinChineseAmericanliterature.AmyLing,thefamousChineseAmericancritic,viewsthepurposeofthebookasbreaking“theoldstereotypesofdemurelotusblossomsandtreacherousdragonladies,togiveyoungAsianAmericanwomenmuchneededmodelsandafemaleliteraturetraditioninwhichtheymayrootthemselves,andtocontributetofeministscholarshipbyretrievingtheworkofwomen”(seePanJunwu,2002:2).ThebookshowsitsreadersapictureoffeudalChinesepatriarchywithasetofhistoricalandculturalbackgroundofChina.TheChineseintheCaucasianworldhavelongbeendiscriminatedandtheChineseculturehasbeentreatedasthe“Other”.BeforeTan,otherwritershavewrittenaboutChina.ButtheirworksarenotsufficientenoughorgenuineenoughtogivetheworldafullimageofChina.Tan’sbookisrichinChineseelements,fromthecustomsoftheChinesepeopletotheirdiet,fromChinesemythologiestotheChinesewayofeducatingtheirchildren,andfromConfuciandoctrinetotheTaoistbelief.It’sprobablyfairtosaythattheChinesecultureisthegoldthreadinTheJoyLuckClub.ButsincetheChinesecultureistreatedasthe“Other”bythewesterners,the1四川大学本科毕业论文《喜福会》中的中国文化背景分析American-bornChinesewriters,includingAmyTan,havetowritetheChineseintheformofexoticisminordertoembracetheirAmericanidentity.Likethedaughtersinthenovel,TanrefusedtoacceptthatshehasaChineseancestryatfirst.SheevenpinnedhernoseforalongtimeinordertolookliketheWhites.Shehadaveryhardtimewithhermother.HertriptoChinain1987wasaturningpointforherrelationshipbothwithhermotherandChina.AllAmyTan’sstoriesarebasedontheexperienceofhermotherandhermother’smother.OfcourseChinaisthemotherofthemall.AftervisitingChinashefoundhowtrulyChineseshewas,andbegantowritesomethingaboutChinainmemoryofhermother.HerchangingattitudetowardsChinaismentionedinoneofherinterviews:ForonethingIsawthatmymothergotintoasmanymisunderstandingsandargumentsinChinaasshedidintheUnitedStatesandthatitwasn’therEnglish.Isawherinteractwithmysistersandthatshewasthesamewiththem,thatshewasbothmotherlyandoppressiveandlovingandirritating...Andalsoseeingitwithinmyself.Isawmanyironies:howAmericanItrulyamandhowforeignIfeltinChinaandyethowChineseIwasatthesametime…IsawthatmymotherwasafascinatingpersonformedbyhistoryinaparticulartimeandplaceandthatIwantedtoknowmoreaboutthattimeandplace,aswellasmymother.IwantedtoknowherhistoryandthereIwasintheplacewhereherhistorybegan.(Net.3)ThemysteriousChinesecultureistheinspirationofAmyTan’snovel.AndtheubiquitousChineseelementsinthenovelarethesourcesintriguingtheauthorofthisthesis.Inthefollowingthreeparts,theauthorofthethesisattemptstogiveadetailedanalysistotheChineseculturalbackgroundofTheJoyLuckClub,andthistentativestudywillbeapproachedfromthreeaspects:Chinesefamilyvalue,ChinesedietarycultureandChinesereligiousbeliefs.2
