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  • Essay / Immigrant Challenges That Drive Them to Pursue the American Dream: The Joy Luck Club

    Thousands of immigrants arrive in America each year with the hope that a new life, a better life, awaits them. They come in search of the “American Dream,” the hope that there are better-paying jobs, quality public schools to send their children to, and a safer environment filled with opportunity and choice. Typically, immigrants travel a long journey in hopes of creating a better future for their children so that they can grow up in a country where they only have to worry about getting good grades and qualifying for a decent job. The characters in Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club illustrate these American dreams by providing insight into both their difficult pasts and their hopes for their children. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In The Joy Luck Club, Tan wrote about Chinese immigrant women who are mothers of daughters born in the United States. The book focuses on the relationships between mothers and daughters, who just want to fit in with the rest of their American friends. Mothers always want their children to achieve the best and tend to brag about their daughters' achievements, often exaggerating them. For example, Waverly Jong was a childhood chess prodigy; she won several championships and even made headlines. Her Chinese mother, Lindo Jong, liked to brag about her daughter's victories to anyone who would listen, and she also liked to think that she had played a part in those victories as well. At the end of one particular tournament, she told Waverly, "I lost eight coins this time. Last time it was eleven. What am I telling you? It's better to lose less! " (p. 49). By making this remark, Lindo expresses how responsible she feels for the victories and how much she enjoys being involved in her daughter's life. Lindo's pride in Waverly's accomplishments represents "the American dream" because she clearly didn't say that. comment for attention, even if that's what Waverly assumes. She said this because she was proud of Waverly and felt that her daughter's successes were also her successes. Tan thus reaffirms the idea that immigrant parents want ample opportunities for their children and feel great pride when they do. kids are doing something they haven't even had a chance to do, which is one of the many reasons they come to America. The Joy Luck Club also represents "the American dream" by discussing the fact that many of the mothers immigrated to escape dangerous situations or to find a safer environment. Suyuan woo, Jing Mei “June” Woo’s mother, is experiencing such a situation. Suyuan fled a Chinese town named Kweilin when the Japanese army began bombing and invading. the city. She had to abandon all her belongings, even her twin babies, on the side of the road as she fled. She ends up meeting a man, gets married and moves to the other side of the world, to the United States for a better life. She fled China because she wanted not only herself, but also her future children, to live in a safer environment and with fewer difficulties. She didn't want them to experience what she had experienced. She also tries to make June a prodigy like Waverly Jong, but is unsuccessful as June does not seem interested in any of the proposed activities, including piano. June states, “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America” (p. 141). This expresses Suyuan's belief in America's ability to give everyone a chance to.