People should find their own cultural identity and feel proud and empowered by their origin and identity. However, it is important to recognize that once people immigrate and immerse themselves in a new culture, it is more difficult for them to have a clear definition of who they are and what their origins are. This is the case of The Joy Luck Club, written by Amy Tan, which describes the lives of four Chinese women who immigrated to America and their four daughters who grew up in America. The novel focuses on the fact that it is difficult not only for immigrants but also for their children to find their true cultural identity in a new country. The story of The Joy Luck Club was later adapted into a film of the same name directed by Wayne Wang in 1993. The film and novel are more or less the same; there are some commonalities between them and of course there is also a little difference. A detailed comparison between the novel and the film clearly reveals that in both the theme is vividly and successfully conveyed through the strong characterization of the main characters and the revelation of their reflections and feelings. Furthermore, just like the novel, the film uses the power of the symbol of Mahjong as a traditional Chinese game to show how mothers respect their traditional Chinese culture. However, despite all the similarities, the film does not spend as much time showing the impact of Chinese superstitions on the lives of Chinese people as the novel does. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first similarity between the novel and the film is that they both effectively develop and express the theme of cultural identity. The author and director develop the theme by telling the stories of 8 different characters and describing their characteristics and mental activities. In the movie. When Rose Hsu is having a conversation about her marriage with her mother, An-Mei, An-Mei realizes that her daughter really can't find her identity. An-Mei admits that although “she was raised in the Chinese way”; that is, "[she] was taught to desire nothing, to swallow the misery of others, and to eat her own bitterness," she tried to teach her daughter the American way. However, “[she] also taught [her] daughter the opposite, but she still came out the same way” (Wang,1993). This explains why Rose does not have a happy marriage, since she has learned to live neither the Chinese way nor the American way. Although her mother tried her best to teach her how to be a true American, she still cannot discover her cultural identity because her mother's characteristics influence her. In old Chinese society, women had to silently swallow insult and humiliation because they had the lowest status in society. People often say that mothers are daughters' roots, so An-Mei's personality definitely influenced Rose and made her question her own cultural identity despite being raised in the American way. In the novel, Lindo shows her lack of knowledge of her own cultural identity by questioning the way she raised her daughter Waverly. He blames himself when he says, “It's my fault that he's this way. I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How would I know that these two things don't mix?” (Tan, 254). This quote reflects the fact that Chinese-style education does not fit well with the American circumstance, leading to cultural conflict. Lindo struggles a lot to find his true cultural identity. Due to his Chinese origins and his lack of knowledge of cultural identity, he breedsher son, Waverly, in a way that leads to a cultural identity crisis of her own. Through the vivid representation of such scenes in both the novel and the film, the author and director manage to develop and express the theme of the crisis of cultural identity among immigrants. In addition to the theme, another similarity between the film and the novel is that they both draw on the power of the symbol of Mahjong as a traditional Chinese game to show how mothers respect and remember their traditional Chinese culture. Just like in the novel, in the film, at the beginning of the film, the characters are shown playing Mahjong in the club with June Woo's narration playing in the background (Wang, 1993). The narrator explains why these Chinese mothers play Mahjong in America. They hope they can get some happiness and luck by playing this traditional Chinese game. There is also a similar quote in the novel explaining why they play Mahjong, narrated by June Woo's mother, An-Mei Woo: “We feasted, we laughed, we played, we lost and we won, we told the stories more beautiful. And every week we could hope to get lucky. That hope was our only joy. ” (Tan,23) This quote demonstrates the symbolic power of Mahjong because it shows the audience even though these Chinese women have already immigrated to America, they still try to find their hope and happiness in something that is a part of traditional Chinese culture. they never try to forget the culture and show a kind of respect because they see in Mahjong a magical power, which gives them joy and bridges the gap between the new Western culture and the Chinese culture, which they have in their bones. However, even if the film is was directed and filmed based on the novel, it is not entirely identical to the novel. Despite all the similarities, the film does not spend as much time showing the impact of Chinese superstitions on the lives of Chinese people as the novel, Lena, does is one of the daughters raised in America, she admits that her mother Ying-ying has the ability to see negative things everywhere. When Ying-ying sees that there is leftover rice in Lena's bowl, she prophesies that Lena will marry a bad man in. future. Even if this prophecy is just a superstition, Lena tends to remember it years later, when she grows up. Lena says: “I remember something else he saw when I was eight. My mother had looked in my bowl of rice and told me that I would marry a bad man” (Tan,151). Ying-ying is a typical Chinese woman who believes in superstition. Everything he says about Lena's future husband is based on superstition because a mother cannot predict what kind of person her future son-in-law will be by looking at her daughter's bowl of rice. This quote reflects that Ying-ying's absurd prediction actually affects her daughter a lot, as it plays an important role in Lena's life. She is worried that the prediction will come true when she is young. She believes that her obsession with her mother's superstitious prediction ultimately brought her a bad husband: Harold, a man with a miserly heart. However, in the film, there is no scene that shows Ying-ying's belief in superstition. Furthermore, there is nothing in the film to show how this superstition affects Lena's life. Therefore, comparing the novel and the film, the novel provides more details about some Chinese superstitions than the film and describes how such superstitions can affect people. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Considering the limitations of time and resources, it is very normal for a film not to include all the details of the novel; however, conveying a similar theme by telling the story and preserving its main elements, such as symbols, is the main task of every.