A Study Of The Joy Luck Club From The Perspective Of Post-colonial Feminism

Amy Tan is a widely recognized Chinese American writer. Since the publication of her first novel The Joy Luck Club, which depicts the mother-daughter relationship in the Chinese American community, Tan has received the popularity among both critics and general readers. From her specific identity as a Chinese American, most of her works focus on the lives and emotions of Chinese American women, and lots of vivid female images are thus constructed. The Joy Luck Club is narrated from the angles of four pairs of mothers and daughters respectively, thus provides each of them with a chance to reveal their authentic emotions and living status.This thesis adopts the newly rising postcolonial feminism to approach The Joy Luck Club and intends to capture the Chinese American women's efforts to break through the interwoven suppressions of race, gender and class and regain their subjectivity and rights of voicing, through which their "other" image turn into "self.The thesis is divided into five parts.The first part gives a brief account of the stereotypes of the Chinese American women, and the influence of Amy Tan's works. As an ethnic minority, Chinese Americans receive severe contempt and exploitation in the American history. The situation of the Chinese American women, as both the "other" in gender and the object of patriarchal oppression is even worse. The prostitute image, the Shy Lotus Blossom and the Dragon Lady image, which are related to the popular Chinese American stereotypes all reflect the marginalized position of the Chinese American women. The rising of Chinese American literature and the popularity of several Chinese American female writers contribute to the breaking of stereotypes. Amy Tan is one of the popular Chinese American writers, and the relationship between Chinese American mother and daughter is her major concern. Accordingly The Joy Luck Club serves as a good example of breaking the stereotypes of the Chinese American women.The second part deals with the postcolonial feminist theory and presents the aphasia of Chinese American mothers and daughters respectively. Both...