MOTHER DAUGHTER BOND IN AMY TAN’S JOY LUCK CLUB

Abstract

Mother daughter bond is a long-lasting relationship. Conflicts and contradictions may prevail but an unseen strong chord of love and understanding holds them together. Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club reflects its author’s memories of her mother and grandmother who have come across paths of bitterness and mental trauma. As the author herself has witnessed and experienced many of the incidents mentioned in The Joy Luck Club, she has efficiently woven the story with expressive words and comprehensible emotions. The author highlights that the bond between a mother and her daughter remains strong amidst linguistic and cultural barriers. The novel is evident to the notions of many critics that virtues and characteristics are passed on from one generation to another through parent child relationship and especially daughters are highly influenced by their mothers. Similar ideas are advocated by the attachment theory and psychoanalytical perspective of Oedipus complex and Electra complex.