Subordination and Passivity in Female Relationships: "The Red Candle," "Scar," and "The Moon Lady" Anonymous 12th Grade

Over the years, literature has played a vital part in explaining and relating various aspects of a multitude of societies and cultures, and feminine status is one of the most common subjects of analysis to date. Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club is no exception; Tan’s multiple characters go through varying dilemmas and situations, most of which relate to the Chinese culture they are each a part of. In the novel, all of the narrators are female, and thus there are multiple instances in which a character realizes the burdens that Chinese women battle; however, certain relationships highlight this issue most distinctly. By examining the interactions and experiences of various characters in the chapters “The Red Candle”, “Scar”, and “The Moon Lady”, as well as the part Chinese culture plays in this, one realizes the significance of female status in Tan’s The Joy Luck Club as a whole.

In “The Red Candle”, the issue of sexism is first introduced when Lindo Jong reflects on her betrothal to Tyan-yu at the age of two years old. She describes how the matchmaker “bragged” about her to Tyan-yu’s mother, Hung Taitai, almost as if she were selling materialistic goods. Lindo has no say at all in her eventual marriage to Tyan-yu, further...