A HEART THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES, NO LIMITS….

2008-34340

People in this generation are still not able to recognize the importance of mothers. They
neglect mothers who provide the most powerful influence on a child’s life, and are the most
important role models for positive change in our society. Let us not forget that it is the mother to
whom we seek for comfort and advice. It is them we first think of when we are in trouble.
As we seek to improve the society, let us start by taking better care of our mothers. This will
enable them to provide better homes for all of us, and ensure the survival of our society. They are,
in fact, the real heroes of the family—their work is vital but often unseen. They deserve a greater
appreciation.
Amy Tan voiced out mother’s concern and demonstrated possible solutions to problems of
mother-daughter relationships through her novel The Joy Luck Club. What made her novel unique
were the 4 parables introducing each of the 4 sections. These parables depict or are overshadowing
the theme for each of the sections. It seems that Tan was retelling the parable in a more creative
version without destroying the basic strength of the said parable.
First of which was about a duck, who tried in vain stretching its neck to become a goose.
Exceeding all hopes, it transformed into a beautiful swan.
The parable symbolizes the importance of aiming high. People without any ambitions are as
good as boats aimlessly drifting with the tide without rudder or port -throwing away time with no
serious purpose. They are not aware that success is up to them for they already have a good deck of
cards. All they have to do is to learn how to play it.
Huge ambition, education and health: these maybe essential but why do some still fail to
stand up and live in mediocrity instead? For unlike the swan, they do not put themselves in the
attitude for successful achievement.
Take heed of an aimless life. Take heed, too, of a sordid aim. God has not created us with
aspirations and longings for heights to which we cannot climb. Live upward. The unattained still
beckons us towards the summit of life’s mountains. One should set his aim so high that it will
require patient years of toil to reach it. Our daily, or should I say, hourly motto must be to aim
higher.
In Tan’s version of the parable, a mother took the place of the duck and dreamt of the
American Dream (believing that America offers guaranteed life of opportunity). But she was only
half successful: her daughter might be well respected but she became too Americanized with which
provided the root of their conflict.
Albeit the movie did not put a great emphasis on the remaining 3 parables, I would still
include them in the discussion to give some justice.
Moving to the second section, the introductory passage was about a mother warning her
daughter of the dangers of leaving the house. The girl rebelled by riding her bike down the street
and before she reaches the corner, she falls from her bicycle.
This depicts theme for the 2nd selection that is Rebellion. In the story, the daughters of the
Joy Luck Club members suffered the consequences of failing to follow their mom’s instructions and
advices.
For the third section, the anecdote was about the conflict between a mother who is very
traditional and a modernized daughter. The superstitious mother found a way to rectify the wrong
without making her daughter unhappy
Generation gap is the third theme. This was clearly portrayed by Tan all throughout the
story. The mothers’ generation included social aspects such as: economic depression, nuclear
families, early marriage, and basic education. As society changes and evolves, their daughters grew
up in a completely different culture -- in a robust economy, varied family structures, delayed
marriage, immediate focus on a career, and higher education. Their disparity may have caused some
of the mother-daughter conflicts.
The final parable stars a grandmother regretting her negative outlook for having tasted the
harsh realities of life. She hopes for her granddaughter to cause her mother a happy and hope-filled
life.
For the entire novel, all of the Chinese mothers have experienced terrible things during their
life times, and now expect to find malevolence everywhere they turn. As a result, they border on
bitterness like the grandmother in the parable; and like the grandmother, they want their own
daughters to have a better life -- to laugh and live with hope.
As was the objective of novel, we can easily come to a conclusion that resolution of these
struggles requires the efforts of both mothers and daughters. Daughters always need their mothers to
be parents. Mothers, on the other hand, need great understanding and forgiveness from their
daughters given the inequities in some of society’s expectations (For instance, society expects
women to be good mothers; if they fail, they are considered “bad women.” Mothers, rather than
fathers, are held responsible for good parenting).
In conclusion, all four mothers possess the heart of a true mother. A heart filled with nothing
but love: Love that suffers all things and is kind, love that accepts responsibility, love that marches,
love that is ready to bleed but for a great cause.