Jen and Amys Club for Mona Parental Discretion Advised free essay sample

This paper details the cultural struggle of the Chinese-American daughters in Gish Jens Mona in the `Promised Land` and Amy Tans Joy Luck Club to accept and assimilate American culture in tandem with the lessons of their immigrant parents. The lives of the characters within the novels Mona in the Promised Land by Gish Jen and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan are highly influenced by their parents and their generations expectations of children. However the novels girl characters grow up to defy the traditional roles defined by their parents country of origin. China of the 1920s, the time of the girls parents, was a place of caste systems- clear-cut roles, and absolute obedience to ones defined position. If a person was female, the role also required obedience to the male head of household- whether it was a father, husband, grandfather, or uncle. The defiance of this precept meant ultimate dishonor to yourself and your family. We will write a custom essay sample on Jen and Amys Club for Mona: Parental Discretion Advised or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The best example comes from The Joy Luck Clubs mother of An-Mei Hsu, who had gone against her familys wishes and later returned home: Now everyone was standing up and shouting, and I heard my mothers voice crying, An-mei! An-mei! Above this noise, Popos shrill voice spoke.