| Abstract: | Literature provides a significant cultural archive through which the emotional, social, and historical dimensions of migration are articulated. Unlike historical records or demographic studies, literary narratives illuminate the intimate realities of migration by foregrounding the voices of women who negotiate displacement, marriage, motherhood, identity, and family life across geographical and cultural borders. The novel The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (1989) demonstrates that marriage and child rearing are not merely private domestic experiences but are deeply shaped by migration, colonial histories, patriarchy, and the transnational movement of people. It provides one of the most influential literary explorations of mother–daughter relationships in migrant communities. Through narratives of Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters, Tan examines intergenerational conflict, language, memory, and bicultural identity. The novel demonstrates that parenting within diaspora involves continuous negotiation between preserving ancestral traditions and enabling children’s integration into host societies. |
