《喜福会》中母爱主题的文化阐释攀枝花学院外国语学院.docx

《喜福会》中母爱主题的文化阐释攀枝花学院外国语学院.docx

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《喜福会》中母爱主题的文化阐释攀枝花学院外国语学院

攀枝花学院本科毕业论文

《喜福会》中母爱主题的文化阐释

学生姓名：

邓友成

学生学号：

200320207020

院（系）：

外国语学院

年级专业：

2003级英语本科5班

指导教师：

袁彬讲师

二〇〇七年五月

ACulturalInterpretationofMaternalLoveintheJoyLuckClub

DengYoucheng

UndertheSupervisionof

YuanBin

SchoolofForeignLanguagesandCultures

PanzhihuaUniversity

May2007

Contents

Abstract.……………………...................................………………..............…………I

KeyWords…………………………………………………………………....………...I

摘要……....................................................…...................................………..………..Ⅱ

关键词……......................……...........................………………...……..............…….Ⅱ

Introduction…………………………………………………………………….……...1

I.ConflictsBetweenMothersandDaughtersintheJoyLuckClub…………...……3II.MaternalLoveintheJoyLuckClub…….......................………………...…………5

III.CulturalDialogue,CommunicationandUnderstanding…..…….………..…....….8

Conclusion……………………………………………………………….……….…..10

Acknowledgements…………………………………………….………………..…...11

Bibliography……………………………………………………………….…...…….12

Abstract

TheJoyLuckClubiswrittenbyAmyTan，afamousChineseAmericanwriter.Inthenovel,shepresentsthestoriesoffourChinese-immigrantwomenandtheirAmerican-borndaughters.EachofthefourChinesewomenhasherownviewoftheworldbasedonherexperiencesinChinaandwantstoshareherexperienceswithherdaughter,andtheyneverceasetotrytobuildabridgeovertheculturaldifferencesandconflictsbetweenthemandtheirdaughterswiththeirmaternalloveofvariousforms.Atfirstthedaughtersdon’tunderstandtheirmothersandtheChineseculturethattheirmothersrepresent,butastimeelapses,thedaughtersbegintounderstandandappreciatetheirmothers'pastandaccepttheirmothersintheend.Infact,itisthematernallovetheJoyLuckClubmothersextendtotheirdaughtersthatfinallymakestheirdaughtersunderstandthemandtheChineseculturethattheyrepresent.Inthissense,thematernallovenotonlysymbolizesChineseculture,butmoreimportantlyservesasabridgeoverthemothersanddaughters,andoverChinesecultureandAmericanculture.

KeyWords

TheJoyLuckClub;conflicts;understanding;culture;maternallove

摘要

《喜福会》是美国著名的华裔女作家谭恩美的代表作品。

在小说中,她呈现给读者的是四位中国移民母亲与她们女儿之间的故事。

这四位母亲都有着自己的世界观，她们的世界观又是立足于她们的中国生活经历。

她们想把自己的经历一一讲述给女儿,并努力通过母爱的表达在她们与女儿的文化差异和冲突之间建立起沟通的桥梁。

起初女儿们不能理解她们的母亲及其代表的中国文化,但随着时间的流逝,女儿们开始理解她们的母亲,同情她们母亲的悲惨过去并最终接受了她们的母亲。

事实上，正是《喜福会》中母亲给予女儿们无微不至的母爱才最终使得女儿们理解了她们的母亲及其代表的中国文化。

因而,《喜福会》中的母爱不仅是中国文化的象征,更重要的是母女理解与沟通的桥梁，也是中美文化交流的桥梁。

关键词

《喜福会》；冲突；理解；文化；母爱

Introduction

AmyTan’stheJoyLuckClubisamasterpieceinChinese-Americanliterature.TheJoyLuckClubmothersandtheirdaughtershavebeenthefocusofresearcheversincethepublicationofthisbook.SomeresearchersputtheemphasisontherelationshipbetweenthemothersanddaughterswhilesomeothersbelievethatitisthewritingstylethatmakesAmyTan’stheJoyLuckClubasuccess.Forthereareconflictsthathavebeenvividlydescribedinthisbook,someresearchersmaketheconflictsintheJoyLuckClubthethemeoftheirthesis.However,inthisthesis,maternallovewillbethetheme,anditwillbeinterpretedfromaculturalpointofview.

ThroughthestoriesoftheJoyLuckClub,thesecret-ladenlivesoffourChineseimmigrantmothersandtheirAmerican-borndaughtersareshowninfrontofthereaders.Thedaughtersrejecttheirmothers’seeminglyconstantcriticismofeverythingtheychoose,fromhusbandstohairdos.Theyviewtheirmothers’warningsasirrelevant,andtheiradviceasintrusive.Thedaughtersdonotknowwhathasinspiredtheirwarningsandadvice:

thehardshipstheirmotherssufferedinChinabeforecomingtotheUnitedStates.Thus,asthemothersseeit,theirdaughtersareflailingintheirmodernAmericancircumstances,unabletousewhatis“intheirbones,”thefamily’sinheritanceofpainthatledtotheirdeterminedstrengthforsurvival,whichtheirmotherstrytobequeaththem.Themothers,meanwhile,watchwithheartacheastheirdaughters’marriagesfail,astheyexpectlessandlessandsoacceptlessandless.Conflictshavebecomesomethingthatpreventstheunderstandingandcommunicationbetweenmothersanddaughters.Infact,alltheconflictsarecausedbyculturaldifferences.TheJoyLuckClubmothershaveacceptedandbeendeeplyinfluencedbyChineseculture,whiletheirdaughtersarebornandgrowupintheUnitedStatesandknowlittleaboutChineseculture.WhattheyhaveacceptedistheAmericanmainstreamculturewhichissomehowcontradictorywithChineseculture.

However,duetothematernalloveoftheJoyLuckClubmothers,themothersanddaughtersfinallyunderstandeachother.ThematernalloveintheJoyLuckClubhelpsthedaughtersunderstandtheirmothers;furthermore,itssignificanceliesinthatitservesasabridgeofculturalunderstandingbetweenChinesecultureandAmericanculture.

.ConflictsBetweenMothersandDaughters

intheJoyLuckClub

ConflictisthemainplotintheJoyLuckClub.Becausethetwogenerationsarebornandgrowupindifferentculturalenvironments,theJoyLuckClubmothersandtheirdaughtershavemanyconflicts.ThemothersaredeeplyinfluencedbythetraditionalChineseculture,whiletheirdaughtersarebornandgeteducatedintheUnitedStates,whosecultureisacompletelydifferentone.ThustheJoyLuckClubmothersanddaughtercanneverunderstandeachother.ThedaughtersatfirsthaveastrongprejudiceagainsttheirmothersandtheChineseculture.BornintheUnitedStatesandbroughtupinAmericanmainstreamculture,theyinevitablyholdaprejudiceagainsttheirmothersandtheChineseculture.TheybelievethatAmericancultureissuperiortoChineseculture.Intheireyes,theirmotherssymbolizebackwardnessandignorance.Theyaredissatisfiedwiththeirmotherswhousetoothpickinpublic.Theyareashamedoftheirmotherswhoopenjarstosmelltheinsidesingrocerystoresandtheyareangrywiththeirmotherswholiketousethemtoshowoff.NaturallythefourdaughterstrytoidentifythemselveswithAmericanmainstreamculture.BothRoseandLenamarryAmericansorwhattheirmotherscallWaiguoren.TheyadmiretheAmericansandtheirculturesomuchthattheyarewillingtomakesacrificefortheirAmericanhusbands.Waverlythinksthathermother’sChineseoutlookwouldmakeherlosefacewhensheattendsherwedding,sosheconspireswithherbeautyparlortodressuphermotherinanAmericanstyle.TheJoyLuckClubmothersintervenesomuchintheirdaughters’lifethatthedaughtersfeeltheirmothers’loveisnotembracingbutsuffocating.Waverly,achessprodigythinksshehasgrownclevererthanhermotherwhogivesher“invisiblestrength.”Lenafearsbeingdrawnintohermother’smadnessandconsolesherselfbyimaginingotherswhohavealifeworsethanhers.Rose,whosemothercannotletgoofthememoryofhersonwhodrowned,nowbelievesthatbyhopingforless,oneisn’tvulnerabletoloss.AndJunebelievesitishermother’simpossiblyhighexpectationsthatmakeherfeelthateventoday,sheisafailure.

Ontheotherhand,fortheJoyLuckClubmothers,theyalsocannotunderstandsomebehaviorsoftheirAmerican-borndaughters.Theirbehaviorsaresodifferentfromtheirmothers’culturethattheirmothersevenfeeldistainabouttheAmericanculture.Ying-yingcan’tbearthego-DutchrulebetweenLenaandherhusband.Undertherule,thecoupleonlypaysfortheircommonlifeexpendituresthatbothofthemhavetouseintheirdailylife.Iftheywanttobuysomepersonalcommodities,theymustpayforthemselves.Thisisnosurpriseinthewesterncountries,especiallyintheU.S.ButaccordingtotheChinesecultureinwhichtheirmotherswerebornandgrewup,it’sunacceptable.AmarriedChinesecouplecannotcalculatethefamilyfinancialexpendituresoclearly;theymustsharetheburdentogether.When（Jing-mei）WooquarrelswithhermotherSuyuan,SuyuansaysinChinese,“Onlytwokindsofdaughters,thosewhoareobedientandthosewhofollowtheirownmind!

Onlyonekindofdaughtercanliveinthishouse.Obedientdaughter!

”（Tan124）.BecauseinChineseculture,childrenmustobeytheirparentswithoutanyexcuse.SowhenJunemakeshermotherangry,SuyuanburstsouttheseChinesecharacters.Duetotheculturaldifferences,theJoyLuckClubmothersanddaughtershavemanybarriersincommunicationandunderstanding,andthesebarrierscannotbeelatedinashortperiod.Forquitealongtime,theJoyLuckClubmothers,wholiveintheUnitedStatesasminoritygroups,areoverwhelmedbyAmericanmainstreamsociety,buttheymakegreateffortstomaketheirdaughtersunderstandthemandtheChineseculture.Theychatwiththeirdaughtersabouttheirpastexperiencesandimpartmaternallovetotheirdaughters,patientlywaitingforthemomentwhentheirdaughterscanunderstandandrespectthemandtheChineseculture.Finallythankstotheirmaternallovetheyimpartedtotheirdaughtersandthesamebloodthatflowsintheirbodies,theJoyLuckClubmothersareabletomaketheirdaughtersknowandunderstandthemandtheChineseculture.

.MaternalLoveintheJoyLuckClub

Everymotherlovesherchildorchildren.AlthoughtheJoyLuckClubmothersareverystrictwiththeirdaughters,theystilllovetheirdaughters.AndthematernallovethefourmothersimparttotheirdaughtersisjustatypicalChineseone.ThematernalloveofChinesemothersisnotasdirectasthatofAmericanmothers.Chinesemothersdonotkissandhugtheirdaughtersandsay“Iloveyou”tothemliketheirAmericancounterparts.（YuLongyu173）.TheJoyLuckClubmothersallloveth