In the novel "The Joy Luck Club," author Amy Tan delved into the dynamics and nature of relationships between Chinese mothers and second-generation Chinese-American daughters. Illustrating through the relationships of four mother-and-daughter pairs, Tan reflected how multiculturalism had contributed to the strain in the relationships of people exposed to different beliefs, values, and viewpoints in life. The novel centered most particularly on the relationship between Suyuan Woo and Jing-mei "June" Woo, whose antagonistic treatment against each other was the result of misperceptions and misunderstandings from the different cultures they had known and grew up with. .

             The antagonistic nature and conflict-filled dynamics of Suyuan and June's relationship reflected Tan's objective, which was to portray through their characters how multiculturalism had created a 'gap' between the two characters, straining their relationship until Suyuan's death. Their relationship was just one of the many conflicts that emerge from multiculturalism, an inevitable social change in American society that led to the hybridization of numerous cultures extant in the society. June's Chinese and American heritage created conflict within her, wherein she was not able to reconcile whether she should be Chinese or American; to reconcile both would result to an altogether different identity. Whichever cultural identity June chooses, she was met with criticisms by her mother-by being 'not too Chinese or American enough.' Similarly, Suyuan's Chinese identity clashed against June's pluralist view of her culture (i.e., both Chinese and American). .

             Given these conditions of the protagonists' relationship, this paper presents a discussion of two emergent themes in the novel, wherein multiculturalism was put into the context of Suyuan and June's relationship in the novel.