Chinese Culture In The Good Earth And The Joy Luck Club

While Chinese culture has continued to grow and develop, some customs and tradition will remain the same. The Chinese culture has a huge part in The Good Earth and The Joy Luck Club that can be compared and contrasted. Both books are set in China, but in different time periods. The culture in China has always had a direct effect on the social conducts within the Chinese people. However, over time these are bound to change.
A person’s daily life is always affected by the surrounding culture of where they live. Sometimes, the culture can be brought or passed on to one. In The Joy Luck Club, as the families live in the United States, the mothers make it their duty to pass down the Chinese culture to their daughters. At times, it can be hard for the daughters to grasp their mothers’ stories since the customs they have lived with are different than the ones in modern day America. When June Woo travels to China, she uncovers the cultural connection that she has ignored from her mother for years. Waverly also struggles with connecting her Chinese heritage with the
Some traditions were lost and social standards changed as time went on. In The Good Earth, girls were pressured to bind their feet to keep them small and to stop them from growing. Comparatively, in The Joy Luck Club, there was little to no mention about foot binding or the approval of small feet. In The Good Earth, Wang Lung would often burn incense for the gods, hoping for good fortune. Ancient China was commonly known for worshiping the gods which was also seen in The Joy Luck Club. However, this book also included the relationship between the women and God. For example, An-mei went to the ocean shore with her bible and prayed to God, reflecting on the death of Bing. Even though this was not set China, this shows the development of Christianity within the Chinese people and the acceptance of