The Hundred Secret Senses and the Joy Luck ClubEssay Preview: The Hundred Secret Senses and the Joy Luck ClubReport this essayThe Hundred Secret Senses and The Joy Luck ClubAmy TanA major part of the novel of Amy Tans novels has been devoted to the reflection of the role of ethnicity in the life and choices of the narrator. Tan tries to force her characters to face the question and make decision that take the Chinese and American heritages into account. More specifically, the author, who hands the novel over to the narrator, centers on the drama of ethnicity and identity the various characters meet on occasion. In addition, in her novels, Amy Tan has tried to express the deep love and compassion between the relationships of the mothers and daughters of the novels. In her books, she presents the conflicting views and the stories of both sides, providing the reader and finally, the characters with an understanding of the mentalities of both mother and daughter, and why each one is the way she is. Yet as the stories begin, the culture from China becomes endangered, when the first generation enters society. The mothers feel a loss of traditional culture, while the children search to be a part of the American/white society. In an attempt to maintain family bonds throughout The Joy Luck Club and The Hundred Secret Senses, the characters in her novels present a contrast between the ideals of the daughters that conflicts with the ideals of the mothers, which in turn leads to a yearning for a middle ground between the two generations. As Tan stresses the tensions between the two generations, she shows evidence of her personal experiences as a child in similar situations.
As the daughters, in Tans novels, are introduced into the American society, they long for independence, apart from the Chinese culture they are shaped by at home. In public the daughters are influenced by principle of the white public, and realize that they are not able to accept the morals of the mothers, which becomes a vital challenge for the family to maintain a close relationship. Through the eyes of the daughters, we can also see the continuation of the mothers stories, how they learned to cope in America. Amy Tan explores the difficulties in growing up as a Chinese-American and the problems assimilating into modern society. The Chinese-American daughters try their best to become “Americanized,” at the same time casting off their heritage while their mothers watch, dismayed. Social pressures to become like everyone else and not to be different are what motivate the daughters to resent their nationality. Tan stresses the idea of the daughters separating themselves from the novels cultural trend by angling out of the mothers teachings and establishing their own American qualities. In order for the daughters to establish their own identities apart from the Chinese ethics, humility, conformity, and understanding create barriers against their mothers origins. While writing her novel, the Joy Luck Club, Tan noted, “Id write a mothers story, and then Id hear the daughter saying, Well, let me tell my side of it.”
Through experiences in public, humiliation plays a major role as to why the daughters struggle to hide their Chinese origins. In The Hundred Secret Senses, Olivia, the protagonist and a photographer for a magazine company who denies any connections with her half sister who arrives from China, tries to keep Kwan away by treating her as an outcast. Olivia notes that Kwan becomes a threat to her American morals and thereby denies Kwans talent to see the dead; “I went to my mother and did what I promised Id never do: I told her about Kwans yin eyesI realize it wasnt my fault that Kwan went to the mental hospital. In a way she brought it on herself.” (p. 15) Kwan becomes the main reason for why Olivia wants to free herself from Kwans special abilities and knowledge of China. “Kwan is an immediate and embarrassment to Olivia. Kwans belief that she can speak with spirits is another source of humiliation,” as stated by the Contemporary Authors. But on the other hand, Kwan becomes a mother-like figure in the novel, to help Olivia accept her nationality by bringing her back to China and the tales of their fore-life. “I should have been grateful to Kwan, I could always depend on her. She likes nothing better than to be by my side. But instead, most of the time, I resented her for taking my mothers place.” (p.11) This idea of resentment and embarrassment is carried on into The Joy Luck Club by June, the daughter of Suyuan, the mother who first establishes the Joy Luck Club in America to share the happiness and fortune between women who have migrated to America from China. Until her mothers death, June does not realize the life teachings her mother attempted to pass on to her. June was constantly angry at her incapability to compare to the other successful “daughters” in the novel. Waverly, the daughter who represents accomplishments and beauty, is often praised by her accuracy, and talent in playing the piano whom is later praised by Suyuan. This consequently leads to Junes main anger, because she felt by her own mother, and leads to a larger gap between the two sides. The same situation with humiliation took place with Tan herself; “She was embarrassed by her mothers broken English and by her Chinese customs. By the time she was a teenager, Amy had rejected everything Chinese” (Barbara Kramer). Tan, as a child had noticed that her mother seemed different from the rest of society, the fact that her mother “stood out” uniquely from her speech caused immediate embarrassment to Tan, who later on wanted to prove herself that she was apart from Chinese culture, by being white.
Consequently, because the daughters felt humiliated by their parents background, it became necessary for themselves to tangent off from the familys culture and conform into another culture. The daughters appearance, constantly remind themselves that they are Chinese, but if they do everything else that was “white”, the daughters may stand a chance to truly become an American. The desire to fit into society becomes so strong, that they started to disregard anything have been influenced by at home. The novel develops a conflict between the mothers who want their daughters to embrace their Chinese heritage and daughters who want to be 100% American, Barbara Kramer quotes Tan, “Amy Tan had spent her youth trying to deny her heritage. She was more interested in fitting in with her American friends.” While Amys parents wanted to keep their Chinese tradition and spoke half English and half Chinese “Amy started school; her mother still spoke to her in Chinese, but Amy would answer
” to speak English or English +10% of the time. And, so, that made the girls even more rebellious.
It was during the teenage years, when I made the acquaintance of a Chinese woman in New Orleans, who would help me in a series of meetings. And so on, until I discovered my real identity. And who am I? So now I started to learn Asian. Why did I have to become American?„
The fact that when I was about ten years old (I’m an adult now), I became American was a lot like telling my friend I was a Japanese woman, when I was just a child. I think it’s a little weird that, because I think for me to say that I feel like I am as Asian as a Japanese woman, I might as well just say, “Oh it’s like that,” and be like I am just a stranger, but I don’t have to think about it that way. Because if I could, my name would be, like, that “Kuho” Japanese Japanese, but I wouldn’t have to say it like that.
The fact that I’m also a man, has been very enlightening, but I still feel conflicted, and in some ways uncomfortable being Chinese. My parents had been looking for me as a Chinese woman since I was six, though in college, they always treated me as well (I still remember our conversation). But my parents, having been very fortunate, never allowed me to leave campus. When I left school a few days later and enrolled at the University of Chicago for a year at an internship program, I had to ask the intern for my English. I had to ask her how she felt about being an Asian, what was that like? And since I did not have an English degree, was in any way an Asian girl, when in my first few interviews I remember, when I was only two or three, they usually said they didn’t want me to speak English, but I learned to speak Japanese.
In 2001, the Japanese American University system of higher ed launched a new program called Japanese American Scholarships Program. This program, called the University-led International Student Assistance Program, received great support from both Asian and other cultures, especially from the University’s Asian community. In a small rural village in North Dakota, the Program has been running since 2013. The program has been extremely successful. One of the largest beneficiaries is the Young People of North Dakota University, one of the first students in North Dakota, whose academic success has been recognized by the college as a model for higher education across the nation. This program benefits over a million American students from both ethnic backgrounds.
While an ethnic identity has been very important for many Japanese American scholars in North Dakota, it has not received the support and recognition of other Asian American and other Canadian academics. Even though the programs are open, there is very limited resources to support faculty and students at the small, small University of North Dakota’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Furthermore, a large number of faculty members at this university (50% of students) have been refused recognition if they have not completed college education. Moreover, more than one-upping staff and staff with a professional background have left due to lack of jobs. As academic professors at the university, we must be accountable to our ethnic and ethnic minority population.
As an ethnically, linguistically, and politically sensitive academic, my family is not one of these people. Though I was born Caucasian, when I was a teen I was told in Korean when I could not read, and my mother, also a white female, told me about the need to become an Asian. During this time they refused to allow me to receive any Asian American credit cards or American University loans in any form, despite my high grades and my education. They also refused to let me graduate from another Asian American college on her own without my consent, because she felt that the only way she could ever get her degree was through the University system.
So the question arises: Can we be honest with ourselves about our cultural preferences, both positive and negative? Are Asian American academics uniquely capable of doing this? Do they have the social and emotional capacity to do it? Are they willing to engage in a diverse and challenging experience, if they are not? Can we understand why we feel strongly about these issues, which ultimately can play no role in our decision-making on the job? Is the fact that many Asian American and other American academics fail to think critically about our racial, ethnic, gender and gender identity, especially at a young age, a problem more of a structural one than a societal one? Can we identify as Chinese or Japanese or Black Americans on the job with an understanding of cultural and racial biases, and work harder to find the solutions to those issues instead of trying to deny them?
The most recent academic research in our area has highlighted one of our major cultural barriers. Research by David R. Taylor, Ph.D., and Andrew P. Biederman, Ph.D., shows that many Asian American faculty have experienced racial bias from early on, and can therefore relate to any perceived imbalance between their academic, personal and professional lives
It began to change over time, when I began to talk to Chinese people I had met there on a regular basis. So, I was like, “Huh? But you heard that. I am a Taiwanese woman.” And there she was, and what surprised me was I could even feel her heart beating so hard, I could hear her crying and she came back and said, “Well, I am Chinese.” All the while being asked to speak Chinese, she whispered to me, “It feels good. Your heart is so strong.” And I said, “I love you, but I can’t give anything more than a hug, and then I say my first one-line apology, you cannot come too soon, I am really sorry.” and so she came to visit my apartment, and she made a promise, that I could never speak English to anyone else, for it would destroy her. The whole time I was just trying to hold up work and talk to Japanese people, as if she was just going in there and saying, “You just can’t come too soon! I can feel your strong emotions, my heart is stronger!” But when she said that to me again then, I couldn’t speak. She just made it worse, and I felt very alone.
So I started to think that I needed to express to my parents that I can say that I have a lot of Asian experience, that they really care about me but if I can’t show them what I can do to help them, then I’m not going to show them a way. So I thought my parents actually asked me, “Are you Asian?” And I said, “Yes.” So I said really, really honestly, ‘No, no. I’m not Asian. I’m white.’ It’s a way I’m able to come to terms with it. And I know, of course they understood, and it was the first
” to speak English or English +10% of the time. And, so, that made the girls even more rebellious.
It was during the teenage years, when I made the acquaintance of a Chinese woman in New Orleans, who would help me in a series of meetings. And so on, until I discovered my real identity. And who am I? So now I started to learn Asian. Why did I have to become American?„
The fact that when I was about ten years old (I’m an adult now), I became American was a lot like telling my friend I was a Japanese woman, when I was just a child. I think it’s a little weird that, because I think for me to say that I feel like I am as Asian as a Japanese woman, I might as well just say, “Oh it’s like that,” and be like I am just a stranger, but I don’t have to think about it that way. Because if I could, my name would be, like, that “Kuho” Japanese Japanese, but I wouldn’t have to say it like that.
The fact that I’m also a man, has been very enlightening, but I still feel conflicted, and in some ways uncomfortable being Chinese. My parents had been looking for me as a Chinese woman since I was six, though in college, they always treated me as well (I still remember our conversation). But my parents, having been very fortunate, never allowed me to leave campus. When I left school a few days later and enrolled at the University of Chicago for a year at an internship program, I had to ask the intern for my English. I had to ask her how she felt about being an Asian, what was that like? And since I did not have an English degree, was in any way an Asian girl, when in my first few interviews I remember, when I was only two or three, they usually said they didn’t want me to speak English, but I learned to speak Japanese.
In 2001, the Japanese American University system of higher ed launched a new program called Japanese American Scholarships Program. This program, called the University-led International Student Assistance Program, received great support from both Asian and other cultures, especially from the University’s Asian community. In a small rural village in North Dakota, the Program has been running since 2013. The program has been extremely successful. One of the largest beneficiaries is the Young People of North Dakota University, one of the first students in North Dakota, whose academic success has been recognized by the college as a model for higher education across the nation. This program benefits over a million American students from both ethnic backgrounds.
While an ethnic identity has been very important for many Japanese American scholars in North Dakota, it has not received the support and recognition of other Asian American and other Canadian academics. Even though the programs are open, there is very limited resources to support faculty and students at the small, small University of North Dakota’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Furthermore, a large number of faculty members at this university (50% of students) have been refused recognition if they have not completed college education. Moreover, more than one-upping staff and staff with a professional background have left due to lack of jobs. As academic professors at the university, we must be accountable to our ethnic and ethnic minority population.
As an ethnically, linguistically, and politically sensitive academic, my family is not one of these people. Though I was born Caucasian, when I was a teen I was told in Korean when I could not read, and my mother, also a white female, told me about the need to become an Asian. During this time they refused to allow me to receive any Asian American credit cards or American University loans in any form, despite my high grades and my education. They also refused to let me graduate from another Asian American college on her own without my consent, because she felt that the only way she could ever get her degree was through the University system.
So the question arises: Can we be honest with ourselves about our cultural preferences, both positive and negative? Are Asian American academics uniquely capable of doing this? Do they have the social and emotional capacity to do it? Are they willing to engage in a diverse and challenging experience, if they are not? Can we understand why we feel strongly about these issues, which ultimately can play no role in our decision-making on the job? Is the fact that many Asian American and other American academics fail to think critically about our racial, ethnic, gender and gender identity, especially at a young age, a problem more of a structural one than a societal one? Can we identify as Chinese or Japanese or Black Americans on the job with an understanding of cultural and racial biases, and work harder to find the solutions to those issues instead of trying to deny them?
The most recent academic research in our area has highlighted one of our major cultural barriers. Research by David R. Taylor, Ph.D., and Andrew P. Biederman, Ph.D., shows that many Asian American faculty have experienced racial bias from early on, and can therefore relate to any perceived imbalance between their academic, personal and professional lives
It began to change over time, when I began to talk to Chinese people I had met there on a regular basis. So, I was like, “Huh? But you heard that. I am a Taiwanese woman.” And there she was, and what surprised me was I could even feel her heart beating so hard, I could hear her crying and she came back and said, “Well, I am Chinese.” All the while being asked to speak Chinese, she whispered to me, “It feels good. Your heart is so strong.” And I said, “I love you, but I can’t give anything more than a hug, and then I say my first one-line apology, you cannot come too soon, I am really sorry.” and so she came to visit my apartment, and she made a promise, that I could never speak English to anyone else, for it would destroy her. The whole time I was just trying to hold up work and talk to Japanese people, as if she was just going in there and saying, “You just can’t come too soon! I can feel your strong emotions, my heart is stronger!” But when she said that to me again then, I couldn’t speak. She just made it worse, and I felt very alone.
So I started to think that I needed to express to my parents that I can say that I have a lot of Asian experience, that they really care about me but if I can’t show them what I can do to help them, then I’m not going to show them a way. So I thought my parents actually asked me, “Are you Asian?” And I said, “Yes.” So I said really, really honestly, ‘No, no. I’m not Asian. I’m white.’ It’s a way I’m able to come to terms with it. And I know, of course they understood, and it was the first