Similar+Novel

Athem VS. The Joy Luck Club Similarities



Introduction: The Joy Luck Club is a novel which I am reading, but not finish yet. This novel is written by a Chinese American writer Amy Tan, it is focus on four American immigrant families in San Francisco, California, and they organize a club known as 'The Joy Luck Club', This is a party they hold once a week, they usually playing Mah Jong and cook some traditional Chinese food together. At that time, the society is turmoil, the life of the people is poor and decadent, they want to through this club to forget the pain and be happy. In this novel, the author has described the society of China before liberation and the conflict between mother and daughter very detailed. I think there have some similarities to the Anthem. I will compare this two novel from four different aspects Social background, Hidden rules, Control/restraint and Rebellion. Basic Information
 * || Author || country || Publication date ||
 * Anthem || Ayn Rand || Russia || 1938 ||
 * The Joy Luck Club || Amy Tan || United States || 1989 ||

Social background Hopeless, decadent, oppressive
 * Anthem || The Joy Luck Club ||
 * The setting of this novel is a feudal society, the council controls everything, there is many rules, no personal choice, no family. Everyone is be hopeless, decadent, oppressive. || The description of the society of China before liberation is detailed. It is extreme feudal society. At that time, Japanese aggression China, everywhere is war that disturb the people’s life. A lot of people lose their home and to be drifter, they can not be full and warm. This is a despair time, a decadent society. ||

Hidden rules Unfair, feudal 3. Polygamy is very normal, but the widow must can not get married again. || Control/Restraint: The symbol of fedual
 * Anthem || The Joy Luck Club ||
 * # When they was five years old, they will be sent to school for study, until fifteen years old, everyone need to go to work what is distribution by the council.
 * 1) There can not have love between the male and female, babies are made in the palace of mating, it is once a year.
 * 2) Some words is unmentionable, especially like “I”, “We”, “Ego” || # Women can not choose their husband, when they was child, their parents will decided their marriage and they will meet their husband of the first time during the wedding.
 * 3) In a family, all of the right is belong to man, woman only is the machine for procreate and have not any right and status.
 * Anthem || The Joy Luck Club ||
 * In the novel, council control everything, it make a lot of rules, deprivation the freedom and right of the people. Everyone have the same fortune in that society, everything is distribute by the council. The people only can do some thing is allowed, they will be punished if they do some thing is not allowed. For example, they can not say the unmentionable words like “I”, “We”, “Ego”, if someone transgress will be burning. Individual research, invented and love between the men and women is be banned. || In this novel, there have two mothers is the good example of control, they want their daughter do anything what is their own want, that ignore the feeling of the daughter. Suyuan is the mother of June, she always compare June with the other children, so she require June to learn to playing the piano. Another mother is Lindo, her daughter is Waverly, she require her daughter to playing the chess, after Waverly get the champion during the competition, she show off to everyone, but Waverly is really hate that. ||

Rebellion: Break the feudalism, to be independent
 * Anthem || The Joy Luck Club ||
 * After Equality discover the tunnel, he begins to do some research and experiments, he learn a lot of from there and he discover the electricity and invented light. Even though he has been punished already but he did not stop his experiment. In the end, Equality take his invention leave the council and go in to the forest, he fall in love with the Golden One and create a new world belong to them only. || June and Waverly feel weary to do the thing what is not they like gradually; they begin to do it and have a conflict with their mother. ||

====Conclusion: Both in Anthem and The Joy Luck Club, the society is decadent so that the people to be oppressive and hopeless. The hidden rules always is the thing what give the people most pressure and harm. The ruler always control and restraint the people follow their wish, that leading the conflict between the people and the ruler. When I reading The Joy Luck Club, I usually can get some impression and feeling is the same with the Anthem.====

**Link to other Wiki pages:**
Medieval European Society Caste System Council Based Societies Individualism