FREE ESSAY ON JOY LUCK CLUB ANAYLSIS

JOY LUCK CLUB ANAYLSIS

In the movie Joy Luck Club, four women are introduced. Their lives are described, their
mother's lives are described, and their grandmother's. This movie shows three generations
of Chinese women and how each of their lives have progressed and changed. Through every
generation, there is a constant underlying tension between mother and daughter. 
The pressure that a mother applies to her daughter is described. In one incident the mom
forced her daughter to play the piano. The daughter didn't even like playing the piano.
However, the mother forced her daughter to practice daily, and perform in talent shows.
When the daughter would complain, the mom would reply by saying, don't be disobedient.
It's sad when a mother forces their child to participate in something that the child
doesn't feel in their heart. However, pressures like this aren't just applied by Chinese
mothers. In America it is so common to see parents (mom and dad) forcing their child to
do something against their will. My best friend, Rachel, is half black and half white.
She is really tall and an incredible basketball player. Sadly she is so sick of playing
basketball. Her mom forces her to practice everyday, attend basketball camps, play for
the school team and a recreational team. Rachel's mom is making Rachel play basketball in
college. Although Rachel is amazing on the court, she doesn't like it. Similar to the
scene in the Joy Luck Club, both mothers are pressuring their daughters to do something
that they have no desire to. This creates major tension between mother and daughter.
Sadly, it seems that parents don't realize the pressure they apply. In the mean time
their children are growing to hate the particular activity and dislike their parents.
Another scene where tension between mother and daughter is shown is when the daughter
breaks down and begins to cry because of not feeling accepted by her mother. The daughter
complains that through her entire life, she has never met her mom's standards. Anything
that she does or did, was inadequate and always in need of improvement. The decisions she
makes in her life can never be perfect. The man she marries, the job she takes and
anything else never satisfies her mom. Once again, this type of mother-daughter
relationship is not restricted to just the Chinese culture. I have personally felt this.
Before I had my break down, I faced a similar problem with my mom. My makeup could always
look better, I could have dressed a little nicer, I could've been a little more tight
when performing a cheer dance, my toes should've been pointed, bigger smile, curl your
hair, paint your nails, a B is alright, but why not an A, fix your posture, your face is
broken out, etc. It was awful, to say the very least. Sadly, this didn't affect my love
for her. Love is blind. I hated the way she made me feel, the constant feeling of
imperfection, but I still loved her. But one day I just broke down, like the girl in the
Joy Luck Club. After my episode of screaming and crying (completely abnormal and
unexpected), my mom was silent. She didn't consciously realize what she had been doing
for so long. After she came to this realization things changed. For the past 9 months,
things have been so much better. She hasn't said one critical remark. I'm so thankful. It
was very interesting and emotional for me to watch such a similar situation on TV. 
Another incident in the movie that shows tension between mother and daughter is when two
mothers compete with their daughters. Each mom brags about their daughter and tries to
proof that their daughter far exceeds the other. This creates such rivalry between the
mothers, and without much choice, between the daughters also. They compete with looks,
intelligence, special abilities and many other things. With this constant feeling and
pressure of needing to be better, how can the children have any self-confidence? This is
just another example of the tension that can build up between a mother and daughter.
Although these three examples are sad and unfortunate for the daughters, the relationship
between Chinese mothers and daughters have been improving. Generations ago, Chinese
mothers were very controlling and dominating. The daughters had no control of their own
life. They were told who to marry, what to eat, and how to live. Fortunately, each
generation gains a better mother-daughter relationship. Nowadays, Chinese mothers give
their daughters many freedoms. They don't place expectations. However there still exists
tension in many relationships, however tension can be dealt with more easily than
previous generations. All cultures need to work on accepting their children, to help
avoid tension.