The Plight And Choices Of Chinese American Women

The Joy Luck Club tells stories about the complicated process from quarrels,misunderstanding and conflicts to mutual understanding and acceptance between the daughters who were raised up in America and the mothers who immigrated to America from their native culture in China.From perspective of ethical literary criticism,this thesis analyzes the confrontation of ethical awareness between mothers who grow up in Chinese native culture and daughters who were born in America.Such confrontation and the conflict between mainstream society and marginal group cause Chinese American women’ ethical dilemma: the mothers’ traumatic memories impede their integration to American mainstream society,the daughters’ ethical confusion impede the cultivation of a healthy mother-daughter relationship.This thesis also illustrates mothers’ introspection on their ethical identity and daughters’ reconstruction of their Chinese American ethical identity.Under the relativity of ethical value criteria,the two generations need to understand each other within the cultural differences and the ethical order differences to integrate culture and stride over dilemma through dialogue.Such is the inspiration revealed from analyzing The Joy Luck Club from perspective of ethical literary criticism.