Joy Luck Club

As Amy Tan explores the complexity of the relationships between first and second generation mothers and daughters, one realizes that with these Chinese families there is so much to figure out, so much guessing involved, because the basis of all communication lies within the stories told from one generation to the next. The stories are intended to instill fear, happiness, a sense of who one is, and much more. The mothers depend on this as a way to tell their daughters all about life, yet these daughters are Americanized to such a degree that this form of communication may not always be completely effective. A Chinese mother will say listen, follow, don't ask questions it is rude -- you do not need to understand. This may not have been so difficult when both mother and daughter were Chinese born and bread, but it is a real challenge for this set of cross cultural pairings. Frustration on both sides builds to a boiling point as each finds the other's methods either useless or impossible. One generation has so much faith in the stories and the other has so little understanding. The section called American Translation sums it up nicely, the stories can be lost or worse misconstrued in the interpretation of this new American generation.

"[N]ow I must tell her everything about my past. It is the only way to penetrate her skin and pull her to where she can be saved."(274) Ying-Ying realizes the need to share all her stories with her daughter before she dies so Lena can gain strength from the stories and from her spirit. The stories are so rich, and although the mother shares her stories, the translation is up for grabs. One distinct advantage to the story telling method of giving