American and Chinese cultures have great differences. Most of these differences are highlighted or presented in the film. When analyzing the film, it was important to identify some differences as a basis for understanding the underlying message that Amy Tan wanted to communicate in the original work. Chinese society is group-centric of the whole society. In fact, the Joy Luck Club was formed in the same spirit after Chinese immigrants felt it was necessary to have a platform where they could interact and share their experiences in the new world. American society is different. If it focuses on individuals and the benefit that a certain action can have on the individual. The clash of cultures is represented through characters like Waverly. After succeeding in playing chess, she realizes that her mother boasted about the victory. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay However, since she has already been cultured to adopt the American lifestyle, she feels that victory should not be owned by her mother. It's her fight and therefore she should be allowed to celebrate alone. Amy Tan criticizes this approach. Waverly stops playing chess, ending a promising career. In this section Amy Tan wants to criticize American culture. Free speech is allowed in American society. Perhaps this is due to the fact that individual freedoms and liberties were respected in society. However, in Chinese culture, people must consider the effect of their actions on the entire society. They cannot say some words because they believe they will hurt other members of society. Therefore, by exploring the different anthropological elements of the film, Amy Tan manages to identify some differences between the two cultures and the struggle of trying to marry them. Thematic analysis The most relevant theme is the challenge or challenges of cultural translation. The characters in the film fail to translate several elements of their culture into another culture. First and foremost, mothers want their daughters to have the best life. They believe that the best gift they can give their daughters is education. They also hope that after getting an education, they will marry good Chinese men and lead a happy life. However, daughters change their perception and vision of society when they go through the education system. At first they are angry because they are Chinese. They feel that their place in society is not guaranteed. Furthermore, they are discriminated against on several occasions as they are reminded that they are not Americans. No matter how committed and determined they are to become Americans, they cannot succeed. Towards the end of the film they accept the fact that their mothers were not wrong to be Chinese. They simply found themselves on the wrong side of a system. Amy Tan further explores mother-daughter relationships in the original work. In fact, she was involved in the development of the final version of the film to ensure that the themes were communicated without being altered. The complex relationship between daughters and their mothers is due to generational and cultural differences and conflicts. The mothers grew up in China. They cannot understand the difficulties their daughters are facing in the United States. June Woo struggles to find her deceased mother's life. After her mother's death, June is admitted to the Joy Luck Club. June's admission into the club is symbolically used to show the conflict that can occur when young daughters are introduced or forced to live their mothers' lives. The two are totally incompatible. Equally, daughters do not understand the difficulties.
tags