Mothers and Daughters in the Joy Luck Club Amy Tan's novel, The Joy Luck Club, explores the relationships and experiences of four Chinese mothers and four Chinese-American daughters . The difference in the education of those women born during the first quarter of this century in China, and their daughters born in California, is undeniable. From the beginning of the novel, you hear Suyuan Woo tell the story of “The Joy Luck Club,” a group founded by some Chinese women during World War II, where “we feasted, laughed, played, lost and won, told the stories more beautiful. And every week we could hope to be lucky. That hope was our only joy." (p. 12) Truly, this was their only joy. The mothers grew up during difficult times in China. Everyone was taught "to desire nothing, to swallow the misery of others, to eat [their] bitterness." (p. 241) Although not many of them grew up terribly poor, they all had a certain respect for their elders and for life itself. All of these Chinese mothers were taught to be honorable, to the point of sacrificing their own lives to fulfill the promise of a family member. Instead of daughters, who «can promise to come to dinner, but if she wants to watch her favorite movie on TV, she no longer has a promise» (p. 42), «For the Chinese, fourteen carats are not real gold.. . [my bracelets] must be twenty-four carats, pure inside and out." (p. 42) Toward the end of the book, there is a clear line between the differences of the two generations. Lindo Jong, whose daughter Waverly does not he doesn't even know four Chinese words, he describes the complete difference and incompatibility of the two worlds he tried to bridge for his daughter, American circumstances and Chinese character. He explains that there is no lasting shame in being born in America and that as a minority you are first in line for scholarships. More importantly, she notes that “In America, no one says you have to maintain the circumstances that someone else gives you.” (p. 289) Living in America, it was easy for Waverly to accept American circumstances, grow up like any other American citizen. Being a Chinese mother, she also wanted her daughter to learn the importance of Chinese character. She tried to teach her Chinese-American daughter “How to obey your parents and listen to your mother’s mind.