Bonds between Mothers and Daughters in Breath, Eyes, Memory and the Joy Luck Club

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Bonds between Mothers and Daughters in Breath, Eyes, Memory and the Joy Luck Club

Breath, Eyes, Memory and the Joy Luck Club both describe the bonds between mothers and daughters. The relationships between the mother and daughter depicted in BEM and JLC is largely influenced by a foreign culture conflicting with the American culture. However, that is where the similarities end for the two novels. After reading the Joy Luck Club, my interest in Chinese culture was increased due to the fact that it is a deep-rooted culture very old and with a powerful philosophy. After reading Breath, Eyes, Memory, I have no interest in learning more about Haiti. The culture seems very dark, depressing and void of intelligent thought.

For many immirgrants, leaving home is not an easy task. For Sophie leaving everything that she has ever known was not very easy for her. It is also very difficult to remove someone or something for an envoirment that they a grown very acustom too; however not ever knowing you mother and the only way that you can see her is by leaving you homeland and everyone you have know there. For a daughter to not know her mother is a very difficult sittuation. Having a sister I know the bond that a mother and her daughter have. In many ways they are each others confidants.

For Sophie there were many things that she knew and that was fine with her; however like I said before you did not know her mother and that gave her enough reason to leave everything to go to new york. When the oppourtiny finally came Sophie she had to suck it up and leave on a plane bound for the New World. Meeting Her mother for the first time was very difficult for Sophie; however the most hardest thing to deal with was the tremendous chang...

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...an because they would be of the same culture. The change from living some where that is dominated by one culture to moving to a neighborhood that has a variety of cultures, is going to take it's toll. For example it was unheard of that a young girl would not listen to her mother, but in America, were individuality is stressed more it was common for young girls to try and find their own way.

In conclusion problems always arrive during immigration. In my opinion immigration would be more successful if people realized how much they had in common with others rather then how they are different. It would also run more smoothly if we realized that people are going to be effected by the new culture and that change is inevitable.

Works Cited:

Danticat, Edwidge. Breath, Eyes, Memory. New York: Vintage, 1994.

Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Putnam, 1989.

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