Submission of women exposed in Joy Luck ClubIs it fair to judge someone based on their gender? In traditional Chinese culture, many judgments were made about a person simply by observing their gender. Women were considered inferior. They had little or no status in society and little was expected of them. They were discriminated against when they tried to defend themselves. Chinese culture was traditionally dominated by men. The man was expected to do most of the work and the woman was expected to stay at home with her mouth shut. This custom leaves an unwanted feeling in a woman's heart. They feel like no one cares, and it's much harder to live with an optimistic outlook on life. In Amy Tan's novel The Joy Luck Club, Ann-Mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, and Ying Ying St. Clair are all women growing up in traditional China, where sexism reigns. They face serious problems that corrupt their lives. Through perseverance and over time, their lives return to normal. Ann-Mei, Lindo and Ying Ying are submissive to men due to their gender and Chinese tradition. Ann-Mei is oppressed in many ways. Her mother is invited to spend time with a wealthy merchant named Wu Tsing. During the night, he enters Ann-Mei's mother's room and rapes her. Despite Ann-Mei's emotional distress, this demonstrates the lack of respect for a woman in China. Ann-Mei's mother is forced into cohabitation due to her lack of power as a woman. She becomes the third wife. As the third wife, she has very little status in Wu Tsing's household. Ann-Mei's family disowns her mother because by becoming a third wife, she brought shame to her family. “When I was little in China, my grandmother told me that my mother was a ghost.” Ann-Mei is told to forget her mother and move on with her life. The fact that Ann-Mei is told to forget her mother because she has become something she can't control is absurd. She was raped and forced into cohabitation. A woman's lack of appreciation causes this feeling of shame for the Mei family. Since rape and polygamy are accepted in China, it makes it seem like what Ann-Mei's mother did was wrong and what Wu Tsing did was right or normal..