Women of the Joy Luck Club

I feel that each story is individual.  All the mothers have told the beginning of their stories. Most of these stories were not happy go-lucky stories. Instead, they were sad, and usually did not end well. They have been, burnt, married off, and have lost children. This already shows they have things in common. These women have endured hardships that we cannot even fathom, that they did not deserve.  China had its issues with the war, and its culture practicing traditions from several centuries before. However, most of these cultures did not benefit anyone but their own families. Yet, we see in one story that even the mother does not want to conform to these cultural practices.  There is a lot of referral to ancestors, loyalty and duty. Most of these women, do not want to follow their customs, they want something better. They want something more.  They are hopeful that it is out there. They are on a search for joy and contentment. One can see that they would do things that would keep them hopeful.  They are the members of the Joy Luck Club. It is a place to play mah jong, gossip and enjoy. They did this instead of crying over their sad situations. They did not sit and say that this was the way it had to be. These women are all intelligent. These women are all family oriented. They love their families. They are loyal to their families, and would do almost anything for these families. However, one can tell that they are not necessarily content with how their daughters have been americanised. I believe that they feel that their daughters have forgotten who they truly are, and where they are truly from.