喜福会中母爱主题的文化阐释学士学位论文.docx

喜福会中母爱主题的文化阐释学士学位论文.docx

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喜福会中母爱主题的文化阐释学士学位论文

ACulturalInterpretationofMaternalLoveintheJoyLuckClub

《喜福会》中母爱主题的文化阐释

Abstract

TheJoyLuckClubiswrittenbyAmyTan，afamousChineseAmericanwriter.Inthenovel,shepresentsthestoriesoffourChinese-immigrantwomenandtheirAmerican-borndaughters.EachofthefourChinesewomenhasherownviewoftheworldbasedonherexperiencesinChinaandwantstoshareherexperienceswithherdaughter,andtheyneverceasetotrytobuildabridgeovertheculturaldifferencesandconflictsbetweenthemandtheirdaughterswiththeirmaternalloveofvariousforms.Atfirstthedaughtersdon’tunderstandtheirmothersandtheChineseculturethattheirmothersrepresent,butastimeelapses,thedaughtersbegintounderstandandappreciatetheirmothers'pastandaccepttheirmothersintheend.Infact,itisthematernallovetheJoyLuckClubmothersextendtotheirdaughtersthatfinallymakestheirdaughtersunderstandthemandtheChineseculturethattheyrepresent.Inthissense,thematernallovenotonlysymbolizesChineseculture,butmoreimportantlyservesasabridgeoverthemothersanddaughters,andoverChinesecultureandAmericanculture.

KeyWords

TheJoyLuckClub;conflicts;understanding;culture;maternallove

摘　要

《喜福会》是美国著名的华裔女作家谭恩美的代表作品。

在小说中,她呈现给读者的是四位中国移民母亲与她们女儿之间的故事。

这四位母亲都有着自己的世界观，她们的世界观又是立足于她们的中国生活经历。

她们想把自己的经历一一讲述给女儿,并努力通过母爱的表达在她们与女儿的文化差异和冲突之间建立起沟通的桥梁。

起初女儿们不能理解她们的母亲及其代表的中国文化,但随着时间的流逝,女儿们开始理解她们的母亲,同情她们母亲的悲惨过去并最终接受了她们的母亲。

事实上，正是《喜福会》中母亲给予女儿们无微不至的母爱才最终使得女儿们理解了她们的母亲及其代表的中国文化。

因而,《喜福会》中的母爱不仅是中国文化的象征,更重要的是母女理解与沟通的桥梁，也是中美文化交流的桥梁。

关键词

《喜福会》；冲突；理解；文化；母爱

Introduction

AmyTan’stheJoyLuckClubisamasterpieceinChinese-Americanliterature.TheJoyLuckClubmothersandtheirdaughtershavebeenthefocusofresearcheversincethepublicationofthisbook.SomeresearchersputtheemphasisontherelationshipbetweenthemothersanddaughterswhilesomeothersbelievethatitisthewritingstylethatmakesAmyTan’stheJoyLuckClubasuccess.Forthereareconflictsthathavebeenvividlydescribedinthisbook,someresearchersmaketheconflictsintheJoyLuckClubthethemeoftheirthesis.However,inthisthesis,maternallovewillbethetheme,anditwillbeinterpretedfromaculturalpointofview.

ThroughthestoriesoftheJoyLuckClub,thesecret-ladenlivesoffourChineseimmigrantmothersandtheirAmerican-borndaughtersareshowninfrontofthereaders.Thedaughtersrejecttheirmothers’seeminglyconstantcriticismofeverythingtheychoose,fromhusbandstohairdos.Theyviewtheirmothers’warningsasirrelevant,andtheiradviceasintrusive.Thedaughtersdonotknowwhathasinspiredtheirwarningsandadvice:

thehardshipstheirmotherssufferedinChinabeforecomingtotheUnitedStates.Thus,asthemothersseeit,theirdaughtersareflailingintheirmodernAmericancircumstances,unabletousewhatis“intheirbones,”thefamily’sinheritanceofpainthatledtotheirdeterminedstrengthforsurvival,whichtheirmotherstrytobequeaththem.Themothers,meanwhile,watchwithheartacheastheirdaughters’marriagesfail,astheyexpectlessandlessandsoacceptlessandless.Conflictshavebecomesomethingthatpreventstheunderstandingandcommunicationbetweenmothersanddaughters.Infact,alltheconflictsarecausedbyculturaldifferences.TheJoyLuckClubmothershaveacceptedandbeendeeplyinfluencedbyChineseculture,whiletheirdaughtersarebornandgrowupintheUnitedStatesandknowlittleaboutChineseculture.WhattheyhaveacceptedistheAmericanmainstreamculturewhichissomehowcontradictorywithChineseculture.

However,duetothematernalloveoftheJoyLuckClubmothers,themothersanddaughtersfinallyunderstandeachother.ThematernalloveintheJoyLuckClubhelpsthedaughtersunderstandtheirmothers;furthermore,itssignificanceliesinthatitservesasabridgeofculturalunderstandingbetweenChinesecultureandAmericanculture.

I.ConflictsBetweenMothersandDaughters

intheJoyLuckClub

ConflictisthemainplotintheJoyLuckClub.Becausethetwogenerationsarebornandgrowupindifferentculturalenvironments,theJoyLuckClubmothersandtheirdaughtershavemanyconflicts.ThemothersaredeeplyinfluencedbythetraditionalChineseculture,whiletheirdaughtersarebornandgeteducatedintheUnitedStates,whosecultureisacompletelydifferentone.ThustheJoyLuckClubmothersanddaughtercanneverunderstandeachother.ThedaughtersatfirsthaveastrongprejudiceagainsttheirmothersandtheChineseculture.BornintheUnitedStatesandbroughtupinAmericanmainstreamculture,theyinevitablyholdaprejudiceagainsttheirmothersandtheChineseculture.TheybelievethatAmericancultureissuperiortoChineseculture.Intheireyes,theirmotherssymbolizebackwardnessandignorance.Theyaredissatisfiedwiththeirmotherswhousetoothpickinpublic.Theyareashamedoftheirmotherswhoopenjarstosmelltheinsidesingrocerystoresandtheyareangrywiththeirmotherswholiketousethemtoshowoff.NaturallythefourdaughterstrytoidentifythemselveswithAmericanmainstreamculture.BothRoseandLenamarryAmericansorwhattheirmotherscallWaiguoren.TheyadmiretheAmericansandtheirculturesomuchthattheyarewillingtomakesacrificefortheirAmericanhusbands.Waverlythinksthathermother’sChineseoutlookwouldmakeherlosefacewhensheattendsherwedding,sosheconspireswithherbeautyparlortodressuphermotherinanAmericanstyle.TheJoyLuckClubmothersintervenesomuchintheirdaughters’lifethatthedaughtersfeeltheirmothers’loveisnotembracingbutsuffocating.Waverly,achessprodigythinksshehasgrownclevererthanhermotherwhogivesher“invisiblestrength.”Lenafearsbeingdrawnintohermother’smadnessandconsolesherselfbyimaginingotherswhohavealifeworsethanhers.Rose,whosemothercannotletgoofthememoryofhersonwhodrowned,nowbelievesthatbyhopingforless,oneisn’tvulnerabletoloss.AndJunebelievesitishermother’simpossiblyhighexpectationsthatmakeherfeelthateventoday,sheisafailure.

Ontheotherhand,fortheJoyLuckClubmothers,theyalsocannotunderstandsomebehaviorsoftheirAmerican-borndaughters.Theirbehaviorsaresodifferentfromtheirmothers’culturethattheirmothersevenfeeldistainabouttheAmericanculture.Ying-yingcan’tbearthego-DutchrulebetweenLenaandherhusband.Undertherule,thecoupleonlypaysfortheircommonlifeexpendituresthatbothofthemhavetouseintheirdailylife.Iftheywanttobuysomepersonalcommodities,theymustpayforthemselves.Thisisnosurpriseinthewesterncountries,especiallyintheU.S.ButaccordingtotheChinesecultureinwhichtheirmotherswerebornandgrewup,it’sunacceptable.AmarriedChinesecouplecannotcalculatethefamilyfinancialexpendituresoclearly;theymustsharetheburdentogether.When（Jing-mei）WooquarrelswithhermotherSuyuan,SuyuansaysinChinese,“Onlytwokindsofdaughters,thosewhoareobedientandthosewhofollowtheirownmind!

Onlyonekindofdaughtercanliveinthishouse.Obedientdaughter!

”（Tan124）.BecauseinChineseculture,childrenmustobeytheirparentswithoutanyexcuse.SowhenJunemakeshermotherangry,SuyuanburstsouttheseChinesecharacters.Duetotheculturaldifferences,theJoyLuckClubmothersanddaughtershavemanybarriersincommunicationandunderstanding,andthesebarrierscannotbeelatedinashortperiod.Forquitealongtime,theJoyLuckClubmothers,wholiveintheUnitedStatesasminoritygroups,areoverwhelmedbyAmericanmainstreamsociety,buttheymakegreateffortstomaketheirdaughtersunderstandthemandtheChineseculture.Theychatwiththeirdaughtersabouttheirpastexperiencesandimpartmaternallovetotheirdaughters,patientlywaitingforthemomentwhentheirdaughterscanunderstandandrespectthemandtheChineseculture.Finallythankstotheirmaternallovetheyimpartedtotheirdaughtersandthesamebloodthatflowsintheirbodies,theJoyLuckClubmothersareabletomaketheirdaughtersknowandunderstandthemandtheChineseculture.

II.MaternalLoveintheJoyLuckClub

Everymotherlovesherchildorchildren.AlthoughtheJoyLuckClubmothersareverystrictwiththeirdaughters,theystilllovetheirdaughters.AndthematernallovethefourmothersimparttotheirdaughtersisjustatypicalChineseone.ThematernalloveofChinesemothersisnotasdirectasthatofAmericanmothers.Chinesemothersdonotkissandhugtheirdaughtersandsay“Iloveyou”tothemliketheirAmericancounterparts.（YuLongyu173）.TheJoyLuckClubmothersalllovetheirdaughtersinaChineseway.

First,justasthewomanintheprefaceoftheFeathersFromAThousandLiAwaycooestoherswan,

InAmericaIwillhaveadaughterjustlikeme.Butovertherenobodywillmeasuredby

theloudnessofherhusband'sbelch.Overtherenobodywilllookdownonher,because

IwillmakeherspeakonlyperfectAmericanEnglish.Andoverthereshewillalwaysbe

toofulltoswallowanysorrow!

Shewillknowmymeaning,becauseIwillgiveherthis

swan—acreaturethatbecamemorethanwhatwashopedfor.（Tan3）.

theJoyLuckClubmothersputhighexpectationsupontheirdaughters.Theyhopetheirdaughterswillbecomesuccessful.Theybegintoplanfortheirdaughters’futuresincetheyarechildren.Theydon’tcarewhethertheirdaughtersliketheplanornot,becauseintraditionalChineseculture,sonsanddaughtersmustobeytheirparents,andtheycannotrebelagainsttheparents.Iftheydothis,itisfilialimpiety,andtheywillbecriticizedbythefamilymembersand