American Literature

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is perhaps one of the greatest novel created in modern literature. It is an intense story which tackles the relationship of mothers and daughters divided by the old and the new. The story revolves around four Chinese women who took their dreams to America in order to leave their old ways in China. As they reach the land of milk and honey, they try to raise their daughters with the mixture of strength of the traditional Chinese way and the liberties introduced by the Western culture. Miscommunication is expected between mother and daughter for having two different backgrounds but in the end, it is the relationship between them that will endure as they pass upon their daughters all that they too have learned from their own mothers.
    The movie adaptation of Amy Tans novel provided the creative emotions instilled in the story. It showed sorrow and hope in a simplified way that still touches the hearts of the audiences. Though the book was not completely followed, the more linear view of the screenplay concentrated on each mother and daughter one from the other. As we know in the book the division of chapters was based on time and character. The same was not strictly followed in the movie but the adaptation did help well in simplifying and focusing on the different themes of the book. The movie kept its purpose and clearly depicted proper areas like the miscommunication between mother and daughter, the lessons they wish to impart and the hope and aspirations every mother wishes for their child. The cinematography provided a proper image of different areas, places and times. It provided visually the old days in China and the new life created in America. Watching the movie made it more realistic though less imaginative.
    As first observed the movie did not follow the flow provided in the novel, the first division is supposed to revolve on the story of the mothers Suyuan Woo, Ann Mei Hsu, Lindo Jong and Ying Ying St. Clair. But the movie rather placed the story in a way that each mother and daughters story interacted with each other. The first part of the movie revolved on Suyuan and her persuasion to her daughter June to be a piano prodigy. The next story enters regarding Lindo Jong and her old days in China being set by a matchmaker since the age of two and how she cleverly escaped her husband. In the book the second chapter was on the story of Ann Meis Scar  (Tan, 42) and not Lindo Jongs story. Also it will be noticed that the movie did not show the story of Ying Ying and the moon lady (Tan, 67) rather it skipped straight to the story when she met her bad womanizing husband and how she killed her son. It is also good to note that in the book Ying Ying only conceived a child, which she had for abortion in revenge against her bad husband, but in the movie what was shown was how she killed her son by drowning him on the tub.
    Again it can be noticed in the movie that the different divisions of the book are placed into one linear story, example of this is the story of mother and daughter Ann Mei and Rose Hsu. My favorite part of the movie was the story of Ann Mei Hsus mother being disowned by her grandmother for being a fourth concubine of a rich old man (Tan, 44). She was brainwashed by her family to hate her mother but once her grandmother was so sick and almost dying, her mother returned in order to give the greatest sacrifice any daughter cam make. She cut a part of her flesh and placed it in a soup to make her mother well. But my most favorite scene in this part was when Ann Meis mother sacrificed herself for her. She killed herself in order to give strength to Ann Mei. The part when Ann Mei shouted so loud and released her voice in her mothers funeral was so empowering (Tan, 240), it showed how much stronger she has becomed and how she removed all the oppressions that the other wives of the rich old man has given to her mother. The story could not be depicted any better in film as it was made. See this part of the book (Tan,42) is in a separate chapter, but in the movie this is soon followed by Rose Hsu Jordans story of losing her own voice to her husband and how she has regained it from the story that her mother told her (Tan, 185). Also I cant seem to avoid but notice that the movie did not include the tragedy of the Hsus in losing a son Bing and how Ann Mei lost her faith in God.
    The cutting of so much part of the book is understandable as in any movie adaptation of any novel, the story is made shorter and focus on the more interesting parts of the book with a hope of not destroying its themes. It is quite hard to fit a full novel in a two-hour film and expound on every part without confusing the audiences. The only important part is that the screenplay is adapted with justice to the story and with permission from the author. Even if the movie were not the exact replica of the book, I would say that it still created that sullen effect of capturing the viewers hearts and understanding the tragedy and happiness created by the characters relationships and differences. It is not hard to even add The Joy Luck Club as one of your favorite movies as it affects your way of thinking and makes you reflect more about our relationship to our own mothers. The actors were quite good and fascinating. Tamlyn Tomita portrayed the arrogant Waverly very well and I might say that even though Russell Wong played a small role as Ying-Yings bad husband, he indeed played a good part of being a womanizing alpha man.
    In all the movie was indeed really good and the magnificent story of Amy Tans Joy Luck Club could have never been captured in film any better than it did.