Mother-Daughter Relationships in the Joy Luck Club and One Hundred Secret SensesIn life, many things can be taken for granted - especially the things that matter most. more for you. You may not realize it until you lose everything. As I walk down the road to end my teenage years, I have slowly discovered a greater understanding of my mother. The type of bond that exists between mothers and daughters is difficult to describe. This is probably the biggest roller coaster of emotions I will ever have the chance to experience in my life. But, for those of us lucky enough to survive this journey in one piece, it is an incredible learning experience that will influence your entire future. In Amy Tan's novels The Joy Luck Club and A Hundred Secret Senses, she describes the relationships between mothers and daughters reflecting on the life experiences of her own parents. Four mothers, four daughters, four families... whose stories change with the four winds depending on who is “telling” the stories. In 1949, four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, began getting together to talk, eat dim sum, and play mahjong. As June's mother says: “The idea was to organize a gathering of four women, one for each corner of the mahjong. table" (Joy p.32) Being together in indescribable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Instead of sinking into tragedy, they choose to come together and lift their spirits." To despair was to wish to find something already lost. Or prolong what was already unbearable." (Joy p.134) In other words, why sit and continue to think about the tragedy, it is better to let the past go and move on. In The Joy Luck Club, Tan examines the sometimes painful, often t... ... middle of paper ...... sounds a closer relationship with their families Works Cited and Viewed "Biography of Amy Tan Modules." Discover the Authors. GaleNet. “Criticism, Amy Tan” Discover the Authors, Gale Research Inc, 1996. Buck, Claire. “Amy Tan.” . Shear, Walter. "Generational Differences and Diaspora at the Joy Luck Club." 1996Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Mass Market Paperback, 1994Willard, Nancy. Vol.6, Nos. 10-11, July 1989, p. 12. (on GaleNet)* Amy Tan's interview was done on the cover of a hardcover copy of The Joy Luck Club.