The Joyluck Club
...prestigious colleges such as Berkeley and Santa Cruz, but later dropped out of the doctoral program, …”deciding that she needed to do something other than continuing to be a student…” (Huntley 6). D. Professions and Occupations 1. In the course of Amy Tan’s life she worked as a switchboard operator, carhop for an A&W franchise, bartender and pizza maker at the Round Table. 2. She also worked as a language Development consultant to the Alameda County Association for Retarded individuals (Huntley 7). 3. Uncomfortable with all the jobs Amy obtained, she quit and …“decided to curb her working hours by delving into jazz piano lessons and writing fiction instead…” (Wilson 2737). E. Chinese Authors that influenced Amy Tan 1. Eurasian sisters, Edith and Winnifred Eaton (Huntley 28). III. Author’s Milieu A. Events that affected Amy Tan’s writing. B. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 1. The Chinese formed the largest Asian immigrant group, and they became the first Asians to experience institutionalized discrimination. 2. The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by congress banning most Chinese Immigrants to Enter the United States. 3. Only businessmen, diplomats teachers, and students were allowed to enter The United States (Huntley 21). C. The Chinese Revolution 1. By the twentieth century China was ruled by the Qing dynasty and was corrupt and weak. 2. China “needed to follow the example of Western powers and move toward modernized republic system of government” (Moss 229). 3. In the year 1911, the Qing Dynasty was finally put to an end, with the leadership of Dr. San Yat-sen. 4. The period that followed the conquer of the Qing Dynasty came known to be China’s Republican Era (Moss 229). D. Japanese invasion of China 1. The Republican Era, was an era when Japanese occupation of china was inaugurated (Moss 229). 2. Japan demanded its ‘Twenty-one Demands’, which required China to make sacrifices and compromises in territory and authority. 3. “Japan was granted some Chinese holdings as well as limited control of certain regions of China” (Moss 230). 4. By 1931 the Japanese had gone too far, occupying the mineral-rich northern province of Manchuria and overtaking port cities in Shanghai and much of its railways, this escalated the Sino-Japanese War. 5. Chinese armies were prepared to fight to the death, and often did. The war continued from 1937 to 1945, this united the Chinese people, and enabled their spirits to be stronger (Moss 230). 6. On September 1, 1945 the Japanese retreated from Chinese soil. The Chinese overcame the Japanese. 7. “This civil war brought further destruction to China and instigated large-scale Chinese immigration to America” (Moss 230). E. Women in Republican China 1. “Women were tremendously limited in terms of opportunity, social status, and education” (Moss 230). 2. Not until after the war, the status of women improved, they were granted the same rights as men had. F. The anti-Chinese movement 1. The anti-Chinese movement, brought discrimination to Chinese citizens (Moss 230). IV. Author’s Body of Work A. “What the Library Means to Me” 1. An essay Amy Tan wrote when she was eight years old, this essay was about her dreams of becoming a successful writer when she was grown ( Huntley 4). A. The Joy Luck Club ; 1989 B. The Kitchen God’s Wife ; 1991 1. According to Sabine Durrant, The Kitchen God’s Wife is mesmerizing and enthralling (Wilson 2737). C. The Hundred Secret Senses ; 1995 D. Juvenile 1. Illustrated by Gretchen shields E. The Moon Lady ; 1992 F. The Chinese Siamese Cat ; 1994 G. Short Stories 1. “The Rules of the Game” V. Scholarly Analysis A. The Joy Luck Club B. Symbols 1. Amy Tan wrote The Joy Luck Club, for her to find ‘harmony between self and the world’ (Wang 3357) 2. Amy Tan uses Ying-Ying’s stories to show how women were treated in a feudalist society. C. Characterization 1. “Tan’s characters, regardless of their cultural orientation or age, speak with authority and authenticity…” (Dorris 91) 2. The characters Amy Tan all have the elements of Chinese-American culture, the characters bring back the culture of the Chinese people that have been forgotten. (Dorris 91). D. Style 1. After reading The Joy Luck Club, an individual is changed, more aware of the captions and headings a book encompasses, more interested in mother and daughter relationships (Doris 91). 2. Amy Tan writes from her heart and past experiences (Dorris 91). 3. “Tan has begun to create what is, in effect, a new genre of American fiction” (Schell 92). 4. Amy Tan’s writing are straight for...