Notes on The Joy Luck Club

vThe purpose

The Joy Luck Club is a place where a group of women can come together once a week to play mahjong.  It was created as a place to exchange stories.
vSeven narrators are featured throughout the novel: Jing-mei Woo, Lena and Ying-ying St. Clair, An-mei Hsu and Rose Hsu Jordan, and Lindo and Waverly Jong.

The memories and stories of each of the mother’s take place in either China before their move to America, or in San Francisco after their emigration.
Their daughters only have memories that occurred in either San Francisco or Oakland.
The time frame of the novel spans from the 1920s, all the way to the 1980s.

Characters
The Woo Family
•Jing-mei Woo: The newest member of the Joy Luck Club
•Suyuan Woo: Founder of the Joy Luck Club
•Canning Woo: Suyuan’s husband and the father of Jing-mei
•Wang Chwun Yu & Wang Chwun Hwa Chwan: Suyuan’s twin daughters from her first husband

The Jong Family
•Lindo Jong: A member of the Joy luck club
•Waverly Jong: Lindo’s youngest child.  Has always been in competition with Jing-mei
•The Jong: Lindo’s second husband, and the father of three of her children
•Vincent Jong: Lindo & Tin Jong’s second child
•Winston Jong: Lindo & Tin Jong’s first child, killed in a car accident at 16
•Huang Tyan-yu: Lindo Jong’s first husband when she lived in China.  It was an arranged marriage
•Huang Taitai: Tyan-yu’s mother who made Lindo’s life miserable while they were married
•Marvin Chen: Waverly’s first husband and the father of Shoshana
•Shoshana Chen: Waverly’s four-year-old daughter
•Rich Schields: Waverly’s white fiancé, which is why their engagement remains secret

Hsu Family
•An-mei Hsu: A member of the Joy luck club
•Rose Hsu: The youngest of An-mei and George Hsu’s three daughters.  Married to Ted Jordan
•Bing Hsu: The youngest of An-mei and George Hsu’s 7 children
•George Hsu: An-Me’s husband the father of Rose
•An-mei’s mother: Through her unfortunate upbringing, she was taught to sacrifice everything for her family
•Popo: An-mei’s grandmother.  Disowned An-mei’s mother when she married Wu Tsing.
•Wu Tsing: A wealthy Chinese merchant.  Anmei’s mother became his third concubine.
•Second Wife: Wu Tsing’s first concubine.  Dominates the household in Tientsin
•Syaudi: The son of An-mei’s mother and her second husband
•Ted Jordan: Rose’s estranged husband

vSt. Clair Family
•Ying-ying St. Clair: A member of the Joy Luck Club
•Lena St. Clair: The only child of Ying-ying and Clifford St. Clair
•Clifford St. Clair: Ying-ying’s second husband
•Ying-ying’s Amah: Her childhood nursemaid
•Harold Livotny: Lena St. Clair’s husband

v Possible themes

The Challenges of Cultural Transitions
•The Joy Luck Club consists of Chinese woman who came to America in hopes of a better life.  Their daughters have an incomplete knowledge of the Chinese language, leading to these barriers between mother and daughter.  In order to understand the meaning of the club, one must understand the history of Chinese culture.
The Power of Storytelling
•In order to learn from another’s mistakes and guarantee that you will never make those same mistakes, one must understand the situation.  It can help others better understand the meaning of life, along with so many other things.
The Problem of Immigrant Identity
•The daughters in the novel begin to struggle with their identity, questioning whether they identify more with their Chinese or American heritage.  As each of them grow older, they grow a desire to learn more about the Chinese culture.