Literature Analysis #3

Prompt: Although much of the plot of each story revolves around men, The Joy Luck Club as a whole centers on the relationships between mothers and daughters. How would the book differ if the Chinese characters were fathers and sons instead?         

Like a lot of mothers and daughters in reality, there were very many miscommunications shared between mothers and daughters throughout the book The Joy Luck Club. I think that many of the conflicts that these mothers and daughters had were because of the variation between their cultures, the mothers being Chinese and the daughters being American. If instead of the characters being mothers and daughters, they were fathers in sons, then the book would completely change. The arguments between a mother and her daughter is different from a father and sons for several reasons. First off, they are less influential than women. Another reason would be that men would have less conflict. Lastly, men are slightly emotional.

My first reason is that men are less prominent than women. It was June’s call to take over her mother’s legacy and fulfill her wish after Suyan’s death. June was influenced by her mother and legacy to fly to China to find her long lost sister to give them Suyan’s message. Men do not typically influence others or even have a sense of control over someone. This is why it would be a diverse book if the women were instead men.

          Another reason to think why the book would change if the Chinese characters were men instead, is that men seem to have less conflict with others in general. When Waverly Jong gets overwhelmed by her mother’s constant pressure for chess in the chapter called Rules of the Game, is one example. She breaks in emotion one day with her mother and asks her why she has always tried to take credit for her accomplishments. Waverly lost passion for chess just because of her mother’s selfishness because of these conflicts.

          The last reason the book the book would be different if it revolved around men is because men are not as emotional as women. They do not express or show their feelings like women tend to do. They do not have any breakdowns or go from being happy to mad or sad in seconds like women. Lena is confused from her mother’s actions and state of mind in the chapter The Voice from the Wall. Lena’s mom, Ying-Ying suffered from losing a baby, she would cry and not say much. She even claimed to see the future, which affected Lena’s life because they never interacted throughout Lena’s childhood. This barrier between them creates diversity.

In conclusion, I think this book would be different if the women were replaced by men because of three reasons. First women are more influential than men. Also men tend to have less conflict than women. And finally, men are generally less emotional. I thought this book was inspirational because it shows the readers to be grateful for the people and things in our lives because you never know when you could lose it all. It taught me it’s better to enjoy my life instead of constantly fighting because one day you can’t turn back the clock when you miss it all. It is better to solve a problem than to have words that are left unsaid.