Grief In The Joy Luck Club

Research shows that up to 70% of people who have gone through something traumatic, have shown positive psychological growth in their lives (Gregoire). Life after trauma can be hard to regain due to the instability we experience throughout that hard time in our lives. But having a strong, and satisfying relationship or relationships can help to bring people to peace in a slightly more uncomplicated way. This example of dealing with grief is brought to attention in Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club. Due to the turbulent times in Shanghai, China, and then coming together in San Francisco, California, these four women and their daughters rely on each other to get through it all. Each conflict the characters go through, relates back to how they

But in An-Mei’s case, help was not always there when she needed it growing up. An-Mei’s mother was raped by a rich man, and so she left behind her daughter with some cruel relatives, and had to get away. At the time, An-Mei did not see it as her mother was going through a difficult time, she saw it as her mother was abandoning her and that took a big toll on her feelings. Time went by and her mother had come back to try to get her, but her terrifying grandmother poured hot soup on An-Mei so she wouldn’t leave with her mother, forcing her to suffer severe burns. The next time her mom came around, An-Mei decided she didn’t care what her grandmother said or did to her, she was going to be leaving with her mom. More time went by, and An-Mei’s mother had finally sat down to tell her all about the raping and why she had to abandon her like that. An-Mei’s mother commits suicide after telling her the truth about everything she had gone through with the rich rapist man. Now it is time for An-Mei to tell her grown daughter Rose this story many years later. Sara Constantakis, who wrote a part in the Novels for Students book, mentions that An-Mei doesn’t want to tell Rose this story to make her upset, but to make her realize she needs to stand up to her own rich husband who seems to be pushing her around and not let the same thing that happened

At four years old, Lindo Jong’s family had put in a bargain for her to marry this family’s son when the time had come. Ten years later, a natural disaster comes and Lindo’s family runs off and leaves her with her future husband and his family. Little does she know, her “ mother-in-law” was verbally pushing her to have grandchildren, and her husband wanted nothing to do with her and was not interested in having children with her. He has her sleeping on the floor or he will sleep with his back toward her, so she sees he is not interested in trying for a child. Pamela Loos, an author who has written about this piece of literature, make it very clear that Lindo eventually pays a woman to plan a way for her to get to America to start a new life, find a new job, and marry a new man who will be able to treat her better than she was treated in her first marriage (Loos). Sadly, due to this experience, Lindo’s daughter Waverly grows up seeing her mother as a cold hearted woman who just likes to brag and will fight to be better than everyone else. Waverly Jong, Lindo’s daughter, grows up in a whole different manner. She has a hobby of being the best chess player around which her mother constantly brags about, and has an interest in American males, which she worries will not