Grand Valley Review Volume 5 | Issue 2 Article 30 1-1-1990 Book Review: The Joy Luck Club Roberta Simone Grand Valley State University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gvr Recommended Citation Simone, Roberta (1989) "Book Review: The Joy Luck Club," Grand Valley Review: Vol. 5: Iss. 2, Article 30. Available at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gvr/vol5/iss2/30 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@GVSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Grand Valley Review by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@GVSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. T These stories soar and sing-two words we told the best stories. And each week, been passed on a1 that are keys to the tone of the whole an­ we could hope to be lucky. lhat hope was Simultaneously, we thology. In fact, those words-and words our only joy. And that's how we came to desires to be free synonymous-echo throughout: Sylvia call our little parties joy Luck" (25). their mothers, to Watanabe's "Talking to the Dead" ends, But as the Japanese army approached Chinese, even thm "And she sings, she sings, she sings; and the city, Suyuan fled on foot with her baby and something uc the last words in Kingston's excerpt from twin daughters to find her Army Officer they cannot. 01ina Men are, "I have heard the land sing. husband. The babies had to be aban­ lhe book is div I have seen the bright blue streaks of doned with "hope for luck; and Suyuan of four stories, eac spirits whisking through the air." The final awoke delirious in a hospital to learn that bolic fable. In the image in Linda Ty-Casper's "Hills, Sky, and her husband was dead. After searching from a Thousand L Longing• is "a peregrine flying without unsuccessfully for the babies, she and her where things beg1 wings.· Though the stories are not univer­ new husband became refugees in San their childhoods i1 sally optimistic, most are; the gaze of the Francisco, where she began a new version mothers, tales of people renected here is upward, the mood of the club, with three women from the ranged marriages : generally joyful. It's a glorious collection. Chinese Baptist Church, which she joined and privilege, of v out of polite gratitude for the two dresses the fourth section, William Osborn given to her by the missionary ladies of Western Skies," the the refugee welcome society. Together, cape from China, 1 these transplanted Chinese, their hus­ new world, their I band<; and children would make a new ex­ because, as Ying-'Y tended family; the club would become my daughter. She Amy Tan, The joy Luck Club, New York: Americanized enough to include stock in­ same body. Ther• G. P. Putnam, 1989. vestments, which, unlike mahjong, "relied that is part of mit on luck more than skill" and allowed born, she sprang f everyone to be winners, "so everyone can fish, and has been During the bombing of Kweilin, as have some joy." (30) Mter Suyuan's sudden since. All her life, Suyuan tells her daughter Jing-Mei Qune), death, the "aunties" pool their investment though from anot she gathered together three other young earnings to send June to China to meet must tell her every women to play mah jong, for, "How long her newly found half-sisters, whom is the only way to can you see in your mind arms and legs Suyuan had relentlessly searched for by pull her to where s hanging from telephone wires and starv­ mail. Such is the bare frame for this All of the mothers, ing dogs running down the streets with remarkable novel, the first and last of the States, while ada(: half-chewed hands dangling from their sixteen stories that compose it. taking advantage jaws? (24) The only way to survive the hor­ The rest of the stories are told by the ror and the loss of family was to hold on other mothers and daughters of the "new tunities, have stru to some tradition, to seek joy wherever family": Lindo and Waverly Jong, Ying­ dignity of their cu one could find it: • ...we decided to hold Ying and Lena St. Clair, and An-Mei and and wisdom of the parties and pretend each week had be­ Rose Hsu. Throughout the entire novel, we culture that sees 1 come the new year ....Each week we could see the mothers' concern that their his­ their traditions as o forget past wrongs done to us. We ... tories be transmitted to their daughters, In the two 1 laughed, we played games, lost and won, jtL'it as their spirits and bodies had already daughters speak Malignant Gates· 72· es. And each week, been passed on at the children's births. own childhoods and their mothers' fears JCky. lhat hope was Simultaneously, we learn of the daughters' for and expectations of them. At age six, ,t's how we came to desires to be free and independent of Waverly jong learns from her mother the y Luck" (25). their mothers, to be American and not "art of invisible strength" (89) and be­ e army approached Chinese, even though, through fear, guilt, comes a child chess champion. june Woo n foot with her baby and something unnamed and mystical, is pushed and prodded to be anything that ad her Army Officer they cannot. will get her into Ripley's book, for Suyuan es had to be aban- The book is divided into four sections believes that you can be anything you lr luck," and Suyuan of four stories, each preceded by a sym­ want to be in America: • ... you can be hospital to learn that bolic fable. In the first section," Feathers prodigy ... • (132). But june is American ad. After searching from a Thousand Li Away," from "the East, and as strongly believes that her birthright e babies, she and her where things begin," the mothers tell of allows her to be ordinary. She works hard me refugees in San their childhoods in China and their own at not playing the piano well. Rose Hsu began a new version mothers, tales of concubinage and ar­ jordan remembers the day when her ·ee women from the ranged marriages at childhood, of wealth young brother drowned at a family beach rch, which she joined and privilege, of war and separation. In outing and her mother lost her belief that le for the two dresses the fourth section, "Queen Mother of the faith and fate were the same things. And missionary ladies of Western Skies," the mothers tell of their es­ Lena St. Clair listens to her mother's fear of :1e society. Together, cape from China, their adjustment to the the lack of balance in the crowded apart­ l Chinese, their hus­ new world, their lives up to the present, ments leaning out of the steep hills, where ;vould make a new ex­ because, as Ying-Ying explains, •... I love "A man can grab you off the streets, sell club would become my daughter. She and I have shared the you to someone else ...• (106). gh to include stock in- same body. There is a part of her mind In "American Translation" the 11like mahjong, "relied that is part of mine. But when she was daughters are grown and while still trying n skill" and allowed born, she sprang from me like a slippery to justify their Americanness to their ners, "so everyone can fish, and has been swimming away ever mothers also realize their Chineseness and ' After Suyuan's sudden since. All her life, I have watched her as the strength of their mothers' influence. pool their investment though from another shore. And now I Rose Hsu jordan talks to a psychiatrist une to China to meet must tell her everything about my past. It about her failing marriage, but her mother I half-sisters, whom is the only way to penetrate her skin and senses and communicates bcuer than he lessly searched for by pull her to where she can be saved" (242) . can, without explanations. Lena St. Clair :bare frame for this All of the mothers, refugees in the United comes to see that her marriage is not the first and last of the States, while adapting to new rules and equal, despite a strict sharing of bills, compose it. taking advantage of surprising oppor­ when her visiting mother puts a vase on a stories are told hy the tunities, have struggled to maintain the table poorly designed in his youth by l daughters of the "new dignity of their culture and the authority Harold, and both crash to the floor and d Waverly jong, Ying­ and wisdom of their parenthood in a new shatter. Waverly jong fears that her Ciair, and An-Mei and culture that sees them as outdated and mother will object to her marriage to red­ 10ut the entire novel, we their traditions as out of place. haired, freckled Rich, whose warm­ concern that their his­ In the two middle sections the hearted American manners seem rudeness tted to their daughters, daughters speak. In "The Twenty Six at her mother's Sunday dinner: when and bodies had already Malignant Gates" they remember their Lindo dispraises her best dish, he tells her . 73 it can be fixed just fine by adding soy little kingdom from among the four sets of your son." (118) Ar sauce. June Woo, the only unmarried tiles. And thematically the families both nia, two years a daughter, still working on being a failure, cooperate with each other-come migrated there in 1 tries to take the worst crab, one without a together for companionship and joy-and experience.