Abstract

The Joy Luck Club is the first works of Amy Tan. The novel attracted many readers and drew attention of the critics immediately after its publication. This novel describes the experience of four pairs of Chinese mother and daughter living in the United States. This thesis will be based on the novel The Joy Luck Club to make an in-depth study of the evolution of cultural identity of Chinese-American women images. It will draw upon feminist theory and tries to explore the change of the women images, which makes an important influence on the reconstruction of Chinese-American women images. The new women images are vivid and independent.The study will focus on the detailed analysis of the novel, revealing the special meanings of Chinese-American women images in it.

Key Words:  Chinese-American literature  reconstruction  women images

摘 要

  《喜福会》是美国华裔女作家谭恩美的处女作。小说一发表就得到了读者的喜爱和评论界的关注。小说描述了四对华裔移民母女在美国的生活经历。本文将立足于谭恩美的《喜福会》，以女性主义为视角，深入研究美籍华裔女性身份的变化，以及其对于重建女性形象的影响，新的女性形象独立生动。本文将以对该作品的详细分析为重点，揭示在小说中作家赋予美籍华裔女性形象的特殊含义。

关键词：华裔文学 重建 女性形象

1 Introduction
The Joy Luck Club is about the four Chinese immigrant women and their daughters who grew up in the United States with their own stories. The title of the novel The Joy Luck Club is the name of a mahjong party where the four mothers played and chatted. These four women moved to the United States for decades, but  the traditional Chinese thinking mode remained in their mind. They educated their daughters in a traditional Chinese way.
This novel has shaped three kinds of women images. Firstly, old traditional Chinese women: those who lived in the mainland China,lost themselves and became a victim of society. Secondly, migratory women: those who were born in  mainland China and later moved to the United States for various reasons. They were deeply influenced by the New Culture Movement. The sense of freedom and independence has begun to awaken in them. They dared to fight against fate. Not only did they carry on the traditional virtues, strength and thriftiness, but also retain the confidence, determination and intelligence. Thirdly, there are “ABC” women who represented the American- Chinese women’s ideal, connecting two cultures. They showed their spirit of oriental culture, but also had the independence and self-awareness of an American. They entered into the mainstream American society with a unique personal charisma.