Negotiating Identity through Superstition: Cultural Conflict in Amy Tan’s the Joy Luck Club

Mrs. N. Sangeetha Rani. and Dr. S. Anitha
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Mrs. N. Sangeetha Rani.: Ph.D. Research Scholar (Part-time), Department of English, V.V. Vanniaperumal College for Women, Virudhunagar, Affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University
Dr. S. Anitha: Research Supervisor, Associate Professor of English, V.V. Vanniaperumal College for Women, Virudhunagar, Affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2025, vol. 9, issue 3s, 3499-3504

Abstract: This paper explores the intersection of superstition, cultural conflict, and identity formation in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, focusing on how superstitious beliefs function as a site of negotiation between generations and cultures. In the novel, Tan presents a nuanced portrayal of Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters, who often struggle to reconcile inherited cultural values with their lived experiences in the United States. Superstition, deeply embedded in the mothers’ understanding of fate, family, and morality, is frequently dismissed or misunderstood by their daughters, who are shaped by Western ideals of autonomy and rationality. However, these beliefs are not merely relics of an outdated worldview; rather, they serve as powerful symbols through which the characters navigate identity, memory, and belonging.Through close textual analysis, this paper argues that superstition acts as both a source of cultural continuity and a point of contention that exposes the deeper tensions of diasporic life. While some daughters resist these beliefs as irrational or oppressive, others come to reinterpret them as meaningful connections to their heritage and familial bonds. This dual role of superstition—both divisive and unifying—reveals the complex processes by which identity is negotiated across cultural and generational boundaries. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that Tan uses superstition not simply as a cultural detail but as a literary device that dramatizes the broader themes of assimilation, inter-generational understanding, and the formation of hybrid identities within the Asian American experience.

Date: 2025
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