Comparing Chinese Culture in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club and Kitchen Go

Chinese Culture Exposed in Joy pot Club and Kitchen Gods Wife Traditional Chinese customs are described in great detail in Amy Tans books. This rich culture adds interesting and hypnotic detail to the intricate stories of both The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen Gods Wife. Traditions are apparent throughout all of the stories in The Joy Luck Club. One of the firstborn instances is in the story from Ying-Ying St. Clair entitled The Moon Lady. Ying-Ying is describing the Festival of the Moon Lady, a festival dedicated to the lady who lives on the moon and once a form comes down to earth to grant your secret wish--something you want but cannot ask. This excerpt describes proper traditional dress (ornate clothing saved for special occasions), delicious foods such as rabbits feet and mooncakes (saved for special occasions), fireworks, and family gathered all together. This is one of the most richly detailed and culturally authentic stories in the novel. The other story that strike s the reader as containing vivid culture and tradition is Lindo Jongs The Red Candle. This story, like Winnie Louies, describes in great detail the customs of arranged marriages. Lindo Jong begins by talking about the village marriage broker coming to her housewhen she was two years old. The matchmaker, Huang Taitai, looked her over and said, An earth horse for an earth sheep. This is the best marriage combination. Lindo says that Huang Taitai looked right through her and saw that she would be a consummate wife--a strong, hard, good worker, eager to please her elders in their old age. Lindo describes what happened next This is how I became betrothed to Huang Taitais son, who I later discovered was just a baby, o... ...s not considered a sufficient departure for the deceased. Traditional Chinese customs are described in great detail in Amy Tans books. This rich culture adds interesting and charm detail to the intricate stories of both The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen Gods Wife. Works Cited Conrad, Tammy S. Creating an Asian-American Mythology Storytelling in Amy Tans Fiction. Tammy S. Conrads Thesis. 1998. Available <http//english.ttu.edu/faculty/conrad/thesis.html. Huntley, E.D. Amy Tan A Critical Companion. Westport, CT, Greenwood Press, 1998 Tan, Amy. The Kitchen Gods Wife. New York, Ballantine Books, 1991. Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Vintage Contemporaries. New York A Division of Random House, Inc. 1993. Wu, Shelley. What is Chinese Astrology Available http//www.chineseastrology.com/wu/whatis.html