Who would have thought that during Amy Tan's childhood her parentsstrongly encouraged her to pursue a career as a surgeon or concert pianist("The Joy...")? Certainly, the criticsand fans of Amy Tan would find that hard to believe after she's led such a successfullife as a writer. Tan grew up in afamily of Chinese immigrants with strong cultural beliefs. Amy Tan had a rough relationship with hermother as she was growing up, and those difficulties …showed first 75 words of 1138 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1138 total…Tan connects her own relationshipwith her mother and the three daughters her mother had to leave behind inChina. It is apparent that Tan learnedmore about herself and her culture through the writing of this novel. After her strong realization that she knewnothing of her past, Tan went to China and talked to her relatives to learnmore about her mother, and her ancestors. Tan's use of language and words is evident in The Joy Luck Club.