The Representation of Trauma in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club

Sayed, Samar

doi:10.21608/tjhss.2023.194575.1179

The Representation of Trauma in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Samar Sayed

المعهد العالى الدولى للغات و الترجمة

10.21608/tjhss.2023.194575.1179

Abstract

Amy Tan is one of the most recognized Chinese - American authors. Her novels, short stories and essays are packed with details about how she grew up as a first-generation American showing what it means to be a part of the Chinese culture.

The main aim of the present paper is to analyze and investigate Amy Tan's The joy luck club in the light of the psychological approach. The novel is regarded as an interlocking collection of traumatic narratives.

This paper employs the psychological approach in order to delve into the traumatic impact of the Sino-Chinese war on the first-generation Chinese immigrants in the United States of America. It also draws upon such psychological concepts as repression and the relation between memory and trauma. It revolves around a number of Chinese - American mothers who narrate their traumatic experiences to their daughters and warn them of falling victim to depression. In the novel Amy Tan mingles her real wistful memories into myths.

The paper comes to the conclusion that trauma narrative is a writing technique that can help survivors of trauma in recovering from their psychological problems. Amy Tan's novel does not propagate sadness and pessimism. Rather, it calls for the strength to survive traumatic experiences, regardless of how difficult and complicated they are. Thus, the present study aims at highlighting the aspects of psychology-traumatic approach in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club as one of the remarkable Asian-American novels that portray the life of the Chinese immigrant families.

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