Amy Tans The Kitchen Gods Wife Essay - 1222 Words

Amy Tans The Kitchen Gods Wife Amy Tans The Kitchen Gods Wife is the story of a relationship between a mother and daughter that is much more than it seems. This touchingly beautiful narrative not only tells a story, but deals with many of the issues that we have discussed in Women Writers this semester. Tan addresses the issues of the inequality given women in other cultures, different cultures expectations of women, abortion, friendship, generation gaps between mothers and daughters, mother-daughter relationships, and the strength of women in the face of adversity. Tan even sets the feminist mood with the title of the book, which refers to a woman in Chinese Mythology who cared for a selfish man who became a†¦show more content†¦Ching also made the life-altering decision to travel to America to escape the oppressive society of China. So does Winnie. Much of Winnies story is revealed to her daughter only at the end of the novel through the intervention of Auntie Helen, but brings the mother an d daughter to a higher level of understanding of each other and their respective customs. One can only imagine a similar exchange between Tan and her own mother, an experience obviously worthy of publication. One of the most striking parts of the novel (that is also similar to previous discussions in Women Writers) deals with abortion. Winnie, after having two children, refuses to bring any more lives into the world because of her abusive husband. She feels for her first two children, Yiku and the late Danru, with such passion, that she aborts her babies rather than subject them to a tortured life with her evil and dominating husband, Wen Fu. Winnie later tells her daughter, Pearl, I cried to myself, this is a sin - to give a baby such a bad life! . . . In my heart, I was being kind (627). This situation recalls to mind Maxine Hong Kingstons short story, No Name Woman, a story in which a similar thing happens for similar reasons. In Kingstons story, the narrators aunt throws herself as well as her newborn baby into a well to escape a future of ridicule and oppression, not from an abusive spouse, but from aShow MoreRelated A Comparison of Themes of Amy Tans Kitchen Gods Wife and Joy Luck Club581 Words   |  3 PagesSimilar Themes in  of Kitchen Gods Wife and Joy Luck Club       Amy Tans two novels, The Kitchen Gods Wife and The Joy Luck Club, represent a unique voice that is rarely heard in literature. Tan is a Chinese-American woman who tells stories of old China that are rich in history and culture. Both novels have at least one strong central female character who is trying to inform her daughter about their Chinese heritage and familial roots.    The plot ofThe Joy Luck Club displays this ideaRead More A Comparison of Women in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club and Kitchen Gods Wife877 Words   |  4 PagesStrong Women in The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen Gods Wife  Ã‚        Ã‚   One of the common themes in both The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen Gods Wife is strong women. All the women in both generations in each book gain strength through different experiences. These experiences range from a war-ravaged China to the modern day stresses of womanhood. Though different experiences have shaped each woman, they are all tied together by the common thread of strength.    The Joy Luck Club portraysRead More Comparing Chinese Culture in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club and Kitchen Gods Wife1102 Words   |  5 PagesChinese Culture Exposed in Joy Luck Club and Kitchen Gods Wife  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Traditional Chinese customs are described in great detail in Amy Tans books. This rich culture adds interesting and mesmerizing detail to the intricate stories of both The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen Gods Wife.    Traditions are apparent throughout all of the stories in The Joy Luck Club. One of the first instances is in the story from Ying-Ying St. Clair entitled The Moon Lady. Ying-Ying is describing theRead More Comparing the Theme of Abandonment in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club and Kitchen Gods Wife737 Words   |  3 PagesTheme of Abandonment in Kitchen Gods Wife and Joy Luck Club      Ã‚   One of the themes included in both The Kitchen Gods Wife and The Joy Luck Club is that of abandonment. In The Kitchen Gods Wife, the character of Winnie Louie is abandoned by her mother when she was a young child. In The Joy Luck Club, Suyuan Woo has to abandon her twin daughters on the road as she is escaping war-torn China.    In The Joy Luck Club, Suyuan Woo is forced to abandon her twin daughters at the side of theRead More Comparing Tradition and Change in Amy Tans The Kitchen Gods Wife and The Joy Luck Club3168 Words   |  13 PagesTradition and Change in The Kitchen Gods Wife and The Joy Luck Club  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the novels The Kitchen Gods Wife and The Joy Luck Club, author Amy Tan conveys the message of tradition and change. Each novel contains sections about mothers talking and relating their stories to their daughters. The daughters in The Joy Luck Club hear stories about loss and happiness, and joy and hate. Each of the four mothers tell these stories to their daughters as lessons, or offerings for theirRead MoreAmy Tan s The Joy Luck Club And The Kitchen God s Wife Essay1609 Words   |  7 PagesJonathan Nguyen Period: 3A February 25, 2016 LWA: Amy Tan Born on February 19, 1952, in Oakland, California, Amy Tan is introduced to the world as an American novelist. Amy Tan is known for being a worldwide artist, as she published two of her famous novels, The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God’s Wife. Often, people would think that successful people had a great start at a young age; yet, Amy Tan had experienced a rough childhood until she later became successful. Both of her parents, John andRead MoreEssay about The Mother Daughter Relationship in The Kitchen Gods Wife3315 Words   |  14 PagesThe Mother Daughter Relationship in The Kitchen Gods Wife      Ã‚  Ã‚   Relationships mold peoples thoughts and the way they live their lives. One very important relationship is the relationship between parents and their children. Parents are the first teachers of children. The most significant lesson one learns from them is love. When a baby is first born it instantly will feel love from the mother. A mother loves and nurtures her baby while it is still in her womb making the relationshipRead MoreAmy Tan: A Brief Biography757 Words   |  3 PagesAmy Tan is an American Chinese writer most notably known for her critically acclaimed novel The Joy Luck Club, amongst many others. Amy Ruth Tan was born on February 19, 1952, in Oakland California to John and Daisy Tan. Both of Amy’s parents were Chinese immigrants who fled from China to escape hardships. Amy’s mother, Daisy, divorced her abusive husband and left behind three daughters before immigrating to the United States and marrying Amy’s father, John. The marriage produced three children,Read More The Bonds of a Language Essay1070 Words   |  5 PagesThe Bonds of a Language Amy Tan is the author of several novels including The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God’s Wife. She was born in the United States to parents who immigrated to California from China (Gruber 35). In her article entitled â€Å"Mother Tongue†, Tan focuses on the English shared between her mother and herself versus the English that she speaks with everyone else, and how it has affected her outlook on language. Through her examples, she presents to the audience theRead Moreâ€Å"Your Only Shame is to Have Shame†1543 Words   |  7 Pagesthey feel, and by writing they feel they go somewhere else. Amy Tan, a Chinese American, struggled with her true identity which influence her works which mainly focus on identity, the Chinese American dream, and family struggles. Amy Tan had a childhood full of ups and downs, and they are all part of her stories and poems. She overcame many obstacles in her life and learned many lessons that are all reflected in her works. Many of Tan’s works are about personal experiences she had and about her family