People should find their own cultural identity and feel proud and empowered by their origin and identity. However, it is important to recognize that once people immigrate and immerse themselves in a new culture, it is more difficult for them to clearly define who they are and what their origins are. This is the case in The Joy Luck Club, written by Amy Tan, which describes the lives of four Chinese women who immigrated to America and their four daughters who grew up in America. The novel emphasizes that it is difficult not only for immigrants but also for their children to find their true cultural identity in a new country. The story of The Joy Luck Club was later adapted into a feature film of the same name directed by Wayne Wang in 1993. The film and novel are much the same; there are some commonalities between them, and of course, there is also a little difference. A detailed comparison of the novel and the film clearly reveals that in both cases the theme is conveyed vividly and successfully through the strong characterization of the main characters and the revelation of their thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, just like the novel, the film draws on the power of the symbol of Mahjong as a traditional Chinese game to show how mothers respect their traditional Chinese culture. However, despite all the similarities, the film does not spend as much time as the novel showing the impact of Chinese superstitions on Chinese lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayThe first similarity between the novel and the film is that they both effectively develop and express the theme of cultural identity. The author and director develop the theme by telling the stories of 8 different characters and describing their characteristics and mental activities. In the movie. When Rose Hsu discusses her marriage with her mother, An-Mei, An-Mei realizes that her daughter can't quite find her identity. An-Mei admits that although she “was raised the Chinese way”; that is: “[She was] taught to desire nothing, to swallow the misery of others and to eat her own bitterness,” she tried to teach her daughter in the American way . However, “even [she] taught [her] daughter otherwise, but she still came out the same way” (Wang, 1993). This explains why Rose does not have a happy marriage, since she has learned to live neither the Chinese nor the American way. Although her mother tried her best to teach her how to be a true American, she still fails to discover her cultural identity because her mother's characteristics affect her. In ancient Chinese society, women were expected to silently swallow insult and humiliation because they had the lowest status in society. People often say that mothers are the roots of girls, so An-Mei's personality definitely affected Rose and made her doubt her own cultural identity, even though she was raised American. In the novel, Lindo shows her lack of awareness of her cultural identity by questioning how she raised her daughter Waverly. She blames herself when she says, “It’s my fault she’s like that.” I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How would I know these two things don't mix? » (Tan, 254). This quote reflects the fact that Chinese-style education does not adapt well to the American situation, leading to cultural conflict. Lindo has a lot of trouble finding histrue cultural identity. Due to her Chinese background and lack of knowledge of cultural identity, she raises her child, Waverly, in a way that also leads to a cultural identity crisis. Through the vivid depiction of such scenes in the novel and film, the author and director succeed in developing and expressing the theme of cultural identity crisis among immigrants. Besides the theme, another similarity between the film and the novel is that they both rely on the power of the symbol of Mahjong as a traditional Chinese game to show how mothers respect and remember their traditional Chinese culture. Just like in the novel, in the film the characters play Mahjong in the club with June Woo's narration in the background at the beginning of the film (Wang, 1993). The narrator explains the reason why these Chinese mothers play Mahjong in America. They hope that they can gain some happiness and luck by playing this traditional Chinese game. The novel also contains a similar quote that explains why they play Mahjong, told by June Woo's mother, An-Mei Woo: "We had fun, we laughed, we played games, lost and won, we told the best stories. And every week, we could hope to be lucky. This hope was our only joy. a part of traditional Chinese culture. They never try to forget the culture and show a kind of respect because they see in Mahjong a magical power that brings them joy and bridges the gap between the new Western culture and the Chinese culture they carry in their bones. However, even though the film was made and filmed based on the novel, it is still not completely identical to the novel. Despite all the similarities, the film does not spend as much time as the novel showing the impact of Chinese superstitions on the lives of the Chinese people. In the novel, Lena, who is one of the girls raised in the United States, admits that her mother Ying-ying has the ability to see negative things everywhere. When Ying-ying sees that there are leftover rice in Lena's bowl, she prophesies that Lena will marry a bad man in the future. Even though such a prophecy is just a superstition, Lena tends to remember it years later when she grows up. Lena says: “I remember something else she saw when I was eight. My mother looked into my bowl of rice and told me I would marry a bad man” (Tan, 151). Ying-ying is a typical Chinese woman who believes in superstitions. Everything she says about Lena's future husband is based on superstition, because a mother cannot predict what kind of person her future son-in-law will be by looking at her daughter's bowl of rice. This quote reflects the fact that Ying-ying's absurd prediction actually affects her daughter a lot, as she plays an important role in Lena's life. She fears that the prediction will come true when she is young. She believes that her obsession with her mother's superstitious prediction ultimately got her a bad husband: Harold, a man with a miserly heart. However, in the film, there are no scenes showing Ying-ying's belief in superstition. Additionally, nothing in the film shows how this superstition affects Lena's life. Therefore, comparing the novel and the film, the novel gives more details about some Chinese superstitions than the film and describes how these superstitions can influence people. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Given the limitations of time and resources, it is completely normal for a film not to include all the details of the novel; however, convey a theme.