INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU

KEMENTERIAN PENDIDIKAN MALAYSIA

KAMPUS IPOH, 31150 HULU KINTA
PERAK DARUL RIDZUAN

TSLB3203
MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE
Name : NIK HUSNA BINTI NIK MOHD RAFEI
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: SYAMSINA ZAHURIN BINTI SHAMSUDDIN
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Content

Page

Acknowledgement i

Academic Writing 1-3

References 4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Assalamualaikum, first of all I want to thank Allah Almighty for giving me a

chance to accomplish this assignment. This assignment gives me a lot of information
about how to search certain information using all the materials.

Secondly, I want to give my appreciation to Madam Syamsina Zahurin Binti

Shamsuddin for her kindness gives me guidance and help to make this project.
Without her, I cannot successfully finish this assignment.
 I also want to give my appreciation to both of my parents, Nik Mohd Rafei bin
Nik Hassan and Norma binti Che Musa @ Yusoff for giving me morale support to
finish this project. For my friends thank you so much for your help and support.

Lastly, thanks a lot to the people who give me a lot of inspiration and morale
support to encourage me to finish this assignment.

The novel I have studied is The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. There are many
multicultural elements that can be found in the novel suchlike social issues, family
relationship, gender issue, value system and belief system. This novel is about
conflicts between Chinese immigrant mothers and their American raised daughters.
After Suyuan’s death, Jing-mei, her daughter has take over her place playing
Mahjong during their regular gathering. The story begins when the mothers recall
memories of their previous life and daughters recollect memories in their childhood.
However, at the end of the story, the daughters and mothers have reconciled and
Jing-mei has proven that hope can be real.
 One of the multicultural elements found in the novel is social issues. The issue
that I found in the novel is the miscommunication between two generations. Since
young, the American daughters has interpret and understand their mothers flowery
language the wrong way. They could not understand their mothers’ belief and culture
as they are raised the American way, the free and direct style. The mothers have
raised their daughters the American way but expect them to think the Chinese way.
For example, “why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then
why don’t you learn to play chess.” (chapter 5, page 99). This quotation is expressed
by Waverlyn to Lindo, her mother, about her discomfort on her mother bragging her
around for being the chess champion. On the other hand, Lindo is actually proud of
her daughter and trying to express her pride and love by showing off but
unfortunately her daughter see it another way and embarrassed with her action. In
our society, miscommunication often happened. According to an article by Lisa
McQuerrey (2019), misunderstand the words or actions have the potential to create
conflicts. It may be a simple thing at first, however if we do not resolve it earlier, it can
bring a huge disaster and destroyed ones relationship. Therefore, communication is
the key to have a good relationship.

Next element is family relationship. The family relationship that I found in the
novel is mother-daughter relationship. The difference in belief and culture always
make the daughters disobey and rebel with their mothers. According to Warangkana
Sehwised (2007), the conflict between four pairs of mother-daughter are identified by
different cultural backgrounds of Chinese mothers and American daughters. Although
they have disagreement and different view on certain things, the mother-daughter
relationship does not end,instead, their bond become stronger. For instance, “In
America I will have a daughter just like me. But over there nobody will say her worth
is measured by the loudness of her husband’s belch. Over there nobody will look
down on her, because I will make her speak only perfect American English.” (Chapter
1, page 1). This shows that the mother, Suyuan is determined to raise a strong,
independent, great daughter and forget everything in the past. However, as the
mothers grow old, they seem to still have a strong fond to their former culture than
the new culture and trying to make their daughters think like a Chinese girl which
have occur many disagreement between them.

Some of the problem they have to deal with are the problem of obedience
between Suyuan and Jing-mei Woo, problem of marriage and lack of respect to the
elders between Lindo and Waverlyn Jong, the status of women in the family between
Ying-ying and Lena St. Clair and lastly the problem of divorce between An-mei and
Rose Hsu Jordan. The daughters does not want to resolve or relate the problems
with the Chinese tradition because they found it is so old-fashioned. Therefore they
have come to disagreement with their mothers. This element is interrelated with the
social issues happening in the novel. When the mothers only want to create the best
version of them with both American and Chinese inside them, they daughters have
misunderstand and thought their mothers want them to have faith and belief in
Chinese culture. Despite the arguments in the mother-daughter relationship, they
have come together with a solution and answer to the riddle and problem they are
facing. In the society, a bond between mother and daughter are stronger than it
seems. Even if they face a big argument and do not talk to each other for a long time,
they will still be together at the end because that is how fond and strong the mother-
daughter bond.

Lastly, the value system I found in the novel is Chinese culture vs American
culture. The immigrant mothers are still practicing Chinese culture even though they
had left China for a long time and try to train their American daughters, Chinese
culture in them. However, the daughters does not like the idea and want to do things
in American culture. According to an article by UKEssays (1970), while the mothers
have a hard time teaching the aspects of life in Chinese, the daughters have already
well adapted to the American culture and have lost their Chinese values. For
example, “I wanted my children to have the best combination: American
circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these things do not mix?”.
(Chapter 15, page 254). Lindo Jong trying to put some Chinese values inside
Waverlyn but she insisted that she can manage her life on her own. Waverlyn
thought her mother does not like her lifestyle as it is totally against her mother’s style.
They always come up with argument and disagreement because of different
perception in culture. However, Lindo realize that American and Chinese culture can
not be mix together. In the Chinese culture, the children must be obedient however,
she notice Waverlyn has become a very independent which connect to the American
culture. In our society, culture cannot be mix and we cannot force others to adapt and
practice ones culture. The value of one culture must be wholeheartedly accepted
without any force and pressure so the beauty in ones culture can be discovered and
valued.

In a nutshell, the novel portrayed many elements that can be discuss and reflect
in our life suchlike the conflicts, bond, love, hope, culture and sacrifice. In the novel,
the mothers really hope that their daughters can treasured the Chinese trait inside
them. At the end of the story, Jing-mei has fly to China to meet her half-sisters and
this event has shown that the mothers hope can still be fulfilled.

(1091 words)

REFERENCES

Bookrags. (2020). The Joy Luck Club Quotes. Retrieved from

http://www.bookrags.com/notes/jlc/quo.html#gsc.tab=0

Essaybot. (n.d.).  Chinese Culture vs. American Culture in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck
Club. Retrieved from https://www.essaybot.com/sample/essays/detail?
id=108312
Essayworld. (2018, September 29). Miscommunication in Joy Luck Club. Retrieved
from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Miscommunication-in-Joy-Luck-
Club/106840

Litcharts. (2015, July 24). The Joy Luck Club Themes: Mother-Daughter

Relationships. Retrieved from https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-joy-luck-
club/themes/mother-daughter-relationships#:~:text=The%20main%20focus
%20in%20The,despite%20generational%20and%20cultural%20confli

McQuerrey, Lisa. (2019, March 6). How Does A Lack of Communication Cause
Conflict in The Workplace?. Retrieved from
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/lack-communication-cause-conflict-workplace-
10470.html

Sparknotes. (2020). The Joy Luck Club. Retrieved from

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/joyluck/summary/

Tan, Amy. (1989). The Joy Luck Club. New York :Putnam's

UKEssays. (November 2018). Cultural Differences In The Joy Luck Club English
Literature Essay. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-
literature/cultural-differences-in-the-joy-luck-club-english-literature-essay.php?
vref=1

S. Warangkana. (2007, May). A Study of Conflicts Between Mothers and Daughters

in The Joy Luck Club. Srinakharinwirot University.
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