喜福会中的文化冲突

Amy Tan was a famous American-Chinese writer. The Joy Luck Club, as her first wor k,become successful as soon as it was released.
However, their daughters were born in and grew up in America. They were affected b y the American culture and education. Different backgrounds and languages had made them misunderstand each other even hurt each other. Because of the differences in ed ucation and valuation towards equality and family, the mothers and daughters became estranged while they should have been the closest persons. In the end, when the dau ghters finally understood the “Chinese-style Maternal Love” that their mothers have given to them, the collision of two obviously different cultures are easing. The paper a nalyzes the cultural differences from the aspects such as Chinese traditional thoughts, cultural clash and cultural fusion shown in the movie.
This paper is the discussion about the the mother-daughter collision between Chinese and American cultures, it is divided into three parts:
I. The conflicts between Chinese and western culture
From a cultural perspective, the first part of the film through the relationship between the four pairs of mothers and daughters, present the two kinds of collisions between Chinese western culture and conflict, the second part describes the relationship between the mother and daughter from the conflict to the final combination. The differences between Chinese traditional ideas and American values are one of the main causes of the conflict between Chinese immigrant mothers and their American daughters. This paper is mainly discussed from the conflict and combination of the Joy Luck Club ", so as to deepen the readers' understanding and acceptance of the work.
1. The word "family" is endowed with different meanings. In China's traditional ideas, the family represents the absolute power of parents to their children. The child is a parent's subsidiary, and the parents must be absolutely obedient with children living in the control of their parents. At the same time, the family also means that the relationship between the parents and children and the child is the continuation of family life, bearing the honor of the family.And the independent and individualistic values of American traditional culture encourages individuals to struggle, emphasize self realization and independent consciousness.
2.Chinese people attach great importance to the family's collective strength, the American people believe in individualism; family is the whole world of mother . She find their own life through her daughter’s life and expected through her daughter's achievements to compensate for their own frustrated life, and her daughter is convinced that "I am what i am" and refused to intervene. The relationship between Chinese mother and American daughter, which reflects the conflict and contradiction of the different values of the Chinese family's "mutual dependence" and "individual struggle" of American culture. Home for the two generations of mother and daughter is a completely different concept
II.The fusion of Chinese and western culture
In fact, the conflict between mother and daughter is only a representation, the implication is sincere expectations from mother to daughter , mutual love and
friendship between mother and daughter . In the view of the mother, the daughter of their life is the continuation of their daughter is their hope, the daughter of their various attempts on the wish. Daughter's success is his own success, his pride. They want to in accordance with the Chinese traditional ethics, asked her daughter learn toe, life, future and marriage, everything must be to listen to the mother's arrangement. Is the daughter of the deep love and the mother daughter is full of expectations: they never let daughter from his suffering, but also to let the daughter received a good education, have the equal happy marriage, under the painstaking care of the mother away from trouble and sorrow. But the fact is China disappointed mother, daughter to pursue the is discipline of American style of individual rights, freedom and independence is particularly disgusted with mother, unable to stand the mother widespread and pervasive motherly love, can not accept mother didn't respect of daughter's own wishes your bossy ways, think mother does not accept themselves, think they always picky, think oneself regardless of how can let mother satisfied The relationship between mother and daughter, there is a contradiction and harmony. In childhood, the mothers demand more of the daughters making them feel injured. In adulthood, the mother also used their life experience, unlocked the secrets for her daughter, helped them know themselves and understood their own, and built up their confidence. Between the mother and the daughter eventually become a partner. Women should be aware of self-esteem, the mother told her daughter this truth. Only self-esteem, love can also be loved.。