Belonging Essay Joy Luck Club

by au-yeung (student)

Belonging Essay – Joy Luck Club

People often feel like they don’t belong when they move to a different place because they are not familiar with the new surroundings. However, as time passes, they become more comfortable and accustomed to the area and as a result they have a sense of belonging. ‘The Joy Luck Club’ by Amy Tan (explores) creates this sense of belonging when the protagonists travel to America and share stories together. [personal, cultural, historical and social contexts]

Our personal context affects the rate at which we develop a relationship with a group or a place, and thus whether we feel like we belong. This theme is shown throughout ‘The Joy Luck Club’ through stories which are told by the four main characters and their daughters, whilst sitting around a mah-jong table. The remarriage of Betty St Clair and her migration to America from China was a way for her to start a new life and forget her past. At first there is no belonging as she is new to her surroundings, “She has an ankle-length Chinese dress with modest vents at her side. And on top she is wearing a Westernized suit jacket”, juxtaposition of the two types of clothing highlights the awkwardness of her situation. However,as time passes, she familiarises herself with the area and gets to know her husband better, the use of repetitive listing “I wore large American clothes, I did servant tasks, I learned the western ways” shows that due to the help of her husband, the rate at which she feels like she belongs is accelerated. Therefore, …. [personal context and how it affects belonging – as shown by Joy Luck CLub

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The lifestyles and customs of a person affect how they belong to a certain place or group depending on how similar or different they are. The cultural context of Maverly and Jing Mei Woo in the ‘Joy Luck Club’ conveys the theme of belonging through their lifestyles. Jing Mei Woo finds herself metaphorically in a ‘city of leftovers mixed together’, which suggests that she doesn’t belong, as everyone has distinct cultures and lifestyles. Though, this can also mean that they belong together as they were all leftovers from different place which gathered in the same place. The use of repetition in “Even if you put on their clothes, even if you take off your makeup and hide your fancy jewellery, they know just by watching the way you walk, the way you carry your face, you do not belong” emphasises that no matter what Waverly does, people in China will know that she is an outsider due to her lifestyle as an American. Therefore, when cultures are the same, there is a greater chance of belonging. However, even if they are different, as long as they are in the same situation, there can also be a sense of belonging.

Historical context, which refers to the factual and documented evidence of the set time, provides a deeper understanding of the stories told by the character in ‘The Joy luck Club’. During WW2, there were many bombers which bombed China at random times. After the bombings had ended, the simile used to describe the way the people moving back into the city, “we would come back like newborn kittens scratching their way back in to the city”, shows a sign of belonging as everyone travelled back together into a same area.

Thus, the historical context of WW2 in ‘The Joy Luck Club’ sheds light on how characters being separated from their families caused a feeling of isolation, whilst being reunited made them feel a sense of belonging.

The social context of [time period] China in “The Joy Luck Club”, displays how the characters’ lives could change dramatically after marriage. In the olden days, arranged marriages between two couples were common. Lindo was part of an arranged marriage, “An earth horse for an earth sheep”. The symbolism and allusion to the Chinese zodiac , which represents her (sheep) and the husband’s (horse) marriage, suggests that

This shows no sign of belonging as she is forced to give up her life for her husband and her own family started treating her as if she belonged to someone else. The simile “He acted like a big warlord” suggests that he looked down upon Lindo as she was from a lower class family. This shows no sign of belonging as she being lower class does not fit in with the rich class people.

Conclusion

These personal accounts from the characters convey the theme of belonging, as they are constantly travelling to new places and trying to begin a new life. However, even though it seems like there is no sign of belonging, it is created though the help of others, passing of time or if a person’s characteristics are similar to those in the area, as shown in ‘The Joy Luck Club’.

Be more specific – what exact time period was it in China – eg During WW2 in China….

Au-Yeung, Timothy