Comparing Chinese Culture in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club and Kitchen Go

Chinese Culture Exposed in Joy Luck Club and Kitchen God's Wife  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Traditional Chinese customs are described in great detail in Amy Tan's books. This rich culture adds interesting and mesmerizing detail to the intricate stories of both The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife.    Traditions are apparent throughout all of the stories in The Joy Luck Club. One of the first instances is in the story from Ying-Ying St. Clair entitled "The Moon Lady." Ying-Ying is describing the Festival of the Moon Lady, a festival dedicated to the lady who lives on the moon and once a year comes down to earth to grant your secret wish--something you want but cannot ask. This excerpt describes proper traditional dress (ornate clothing saved for special occasions), delicious foods such as rabbits feet and mooncakes (saved for special occasions), fireworks, and family gathered all together. This is one of the most richly detailed and culturally authentic stories in the novel.    The other story that strikes the reader as containing vivid culture and tradition is Lindo Jong's "The Red Candle." This story, like Winnie Louie's, describes in great detail the customs of arranged marriages. Lindo Jong begins by talking about the village matchmaker coming to her housewhen she was two years old. The matchmaker, Huang Taitai, looked her over and said, "An earth horse for an earth sheep. This is the best marriage combination." Lindo says that Huang Taitai looked right through her and saw that she would be a perfect wife--a strong, hard, good worker, eager to please her elders in their old age. Lindo describes what happened next:    This is how I became betrothed to Huang Taitai's son, who I later discovered was just a baby, o... ...s not considered a sufficient departure for the deceased.    Traditional Chinese customs are described in great detail in Amy Tan's books. This rich culture adds interesting and mesmerizing detail to the intricate stories of both The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife.    Works Cited Conrad, Tammy S. "Creating an Asian-American Mythology: Storytelling in Amy Tan's Fiction". Tammy S. Conrad's Thesis. 1998. Available:   <http://english.ttu.edu/faculty/conrad/thesis.html. Huntley, E.D. Amy Tan: A Critical Companion. Westport, CT, Greenwood Press, 1998 Tan, Amy. The Kitchen God's Wife. New York, Ballantine Books, 1991. Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Vintage Contemporaries. New York: A Division of Random House, Inc. 1993. Wu, Shelley. "What is Chinese Astrology" Available: http://www.chineseastrology.com/wu/whatis.html