Essay on Joy Luck Club Timed Write

In the novel Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Suyuan is the mother of  June, she teaches June more about the significance of her Chinese traditions through their conflicts and her death which helps her better understand more about her mother and how much she taught her before she died. When Suyuan is bragging about June’s talent to Waverly and her mother, Suyuan states“ ‘Our problem worser than yours. If we asked Jing-mei wash dish, she hear nothing but music. It’s like you can’t stop the natural Talent’ “ (Tan 148-149). In Chinese culture leaving a legacy is a huge value in tradition which was what Suyuan was trying to prove to June. Suyuan challenged her all of the time so she could find out what type of prodigy she would become because it was a tradition for them to find their prodigy. Suyuan finally realized that June was not suitable for this tradition, and her American background showed that she lacked hard work, Suyuan made it her goal to create a child prodigy. She wanted to show off her child prodigy to everyone and Junes' achievements eventually became Suyuan’s achievements as well.

This tradition made their relationship very negative and forceful towards June because her mother was more like a coach to her, instead of being more like a mother figure in her life. After Suyuan always embarrasses June in public she eventually learns what it means to be Chinese “But today I realized I've never really known what it means to be Chinese. I am thirty-six years old. My mother is dead and I am on a train, carrying with me her dreams of coming home. I’m going to China” (Tan 305). June didn’t realize what it meant to be Chinese until after her mother died she learned what it meant which made her eager to learn more. June talks about how she and her mother were developing an American culture instead, but as she learns more she begins to want to keep part of her Chinese heritage within her. At the end of the novel, June carries out her mothers' dreams and hopes of keeping their Chinese tradition in their family. June first considered her mother to be forceful towards her and that she was a bad mother. June eventually notices that her mother did everything she did out of love and care towards her and to keep their traditions alive. June learned all she knows of the traditions and Chinese culture from Suyuan, their complicated relationship led her to be more American instead of keeping her Chinese heritage. In the end, her mother dies but teaches June about her Chinese Heritage, this leads June to get more involved in the Chinese culture to carry on their legacies.