Movie Analysis: The Joy Luck Club

The movie The Joy Luck Club, a movie based off of the book by Amy Tan, is over loaded with psychological concepts. The movie is surrounded by an Asian woman, Jun, whose mother, Suyuan, died but started a social club with some friends. The movie consists of these Asian women and their daughters telling their story of coming up and moving from China to America. Jun is told of two sisters she never knew she had in China so she goes to see them in the end of the movie. Their stories are deep and full of tragedy but in the end there is happiness for each of them. On the side of the fill of each story they all carry a bit of psychological aspect. Some psychological concepts this movie showcase is Intelligence, Emotions, and Child Development.

The first concept is to be explained is Intelligence. It has been said that Asian parents often push their parents to be the best and then some. As Asian-Americans parents, who have children in America, they try to make and mold their children to be as "American" as possible. They push them and push them hard at school, extracurricular activities, and other things that the parents would like them to do, no matter how much their children hate it. However, being an American child with that constantly weighing on you shoulders can lead to cultural and social problems, especially in this day and age. Asians are smart because of a drive they have. In the movie Waverly tells her story about how she grew up and how her mother would push her to be the greatest but her mother would always take the credit for her accomplishments. She was a chess champion, a genius at what she does. Her mother, Lindo, would always try to trophy her off at any given moment. Waverly got tired of it, though.

Waverly has exercised her Logical-Mathematical and Spatial Intelligence (from Howard Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences) as a child. That is why she was so good with chess. She felt that she could do well at anything. This is how she felt when she excelled. Intelligence ties in with this because Waverly is intelligent. Asians, especially the mothers, stress the importance of academics on their children. However, they tend to loose confidence of their abilities even though they are great at Math or Science. In a Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2000, Asian countries score the highest. In America, though, it does not change. Asian-Americans excel more so than other Americans. In the movie all of the daughters appear as though they do very well in academics. Waverly, was the only one who seemed as though she has done the best. That could be due to her mother, Lindo.

This, however, brings me the next concept that seems appropriate at this point which is Child Development. As stated before Asians push their children beyond their expectations. It is normal for an Asian to have a parent who expects much out of them. Throughout the movie these mothers tell their story of how harsh their childhood has been. They were bound by the cultures and beliefs of their family and all the sadness and sorrow it comes with. They pledge to raise their children a better way and that is by living an American life with an Asian backdrop. The parents have an Authoritarian parenting style, especially Suyuan and Lindo. They actually competed against each other by being a better parent and in result having a better daughter. Suyuan's daughter, Jun, was a Piano genius. Lindo's daughter, Waverly, was a chess genius. Both grew up to be successful at what they do (not chess or piano). They were tough parents. Suyuan forced Jun to play the Piano after a recital she participated in did terribly. Suyuan felt embarrassed after what she did so she wanted better from Jun. Lindo pushed Waverly to be the greatest at chess. After she got tired of the showcasing her mother did, she lost confidence in herself after Lindo gave her harsher treatment. Ever since then she acted as if nothing Waverly does can please her. With this authoritarian parenting strategy these children became the best they can be but they had a somewhat, unhappy childhood. That it is expected when using authoritarian parenting. Children often withdraw themselves from others and keep to themselves. They strive to do great but often reject social activities. Even though Jun and Waverly grew up with authoritarian parents they seem to be socially fit. Waverly gets married twice (but the first time was solely to impress her mother). They are happier as adults. They learned to cope with social difficulties.

The last psychological concept is Emotions. This movie is totally surrounded in emotions. One character in the movie experienced a terrifying rollercoaster of emotions. Ying Ying grew up in China and fell in love with a man she thought she loved. Going off of Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love she had a fatuous love while his love was infatuation at first and then turned empty. He was a flirtatious man and Ying Ying realized it after they got married and had a child. When he stopped showing up to see her she became a little insane. When he finally came home he brought another woman to have relations with. She grew more insane. So insane, in fact, that she drowned their baby. She was tragically, mentally scarred. The love of her life harmed her and she killed her baby. She moved to America, remarried, and had another child but she would fall into a spell now and again. The experience she had changed her life. The guys she fell in love with was a sexually active man. In the movie he and Ying Ying went to a banquet together and several women (and a man) approached him and greeted him. He was a playboy. He talks, eats, and sleeps sex. It could be that Ying Ying was sexually attracted to him as well. They even snuck off to have sex in another room. She let emotion get in the way of her life. A love she thought she was sure off took away her virginity, her time, her innocence, and her sanity. She vowed not to let that happen to her daughter but in a slightly different way it did. Asian women have certain gender roles to adopt and that is whatever the man says. However these women from the movie feel as though China has little love to offer its deserving women. America, on the other hand, offers some love and then some. An Asian woman can do a lot more in America instead of being a house wife who cleans and cooks all the time in China. Chinese culture requires their women to do these things. So it is natural to pass these things on in America but it is a choice. Ying Ying took advantage of the American freedom.

Overall the movie can leave you thinking on a multiple aspects. The movie is loaded with psychological concept that revolves around the Asian culture. There is much to be learned from this because the mothers are raised in China but raised their own children in America. So many questions can be asked about these two major culture clashes. They all have a happy ending and assumed to live happily ever after but still surrounded by psychological issues.

Citations

1. Le, C.N. Asian Nation. 6 May 2008

2. Wood E., Samuel, Ellen Green Wood, Denise Boyd. The World of Psychology Vol. 2: Cognitive Functioning. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2007

3. Wood E., Samuel, Ellen Green Wood, Denise Boyd. The World of Psychology Vol. 3: Human Development. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2007

4. Wood E., Samuel, Ellen Green Wood, Denise Boyd. The World of Psychology Vol. 4: Motivation, Emotion, and Health. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2007