Why should you read “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan? - Sheila Marie Orfano

翻译人员: Chloe Ma 校对人员: Lipeng Chen

In her Auntie An-mei’s home,

在安梅阿姨的家中，

Jing-Mei reluctantly takes her seat

菁妹不情愿的坐在了 麻将桌的东侧。

at the eastern corner of the mahjong table.

At the north, south, and west corners are her aunties,

北侧、南侧和西侧 是她的阿姨们，

long-time members of the Joy Luck Club.

喜福会的老会员。

This group of immigrant families comes together weekly to trade gossip,

这群移民家庭 每周会聚在一起聊八卦，

feast on wonton and sweet chaswei, and play mahjong.

吃一顿馄饨和甜叉烧， 打打麻将。

However, the club’s founder, Jing-Mei’s mother Suyuan, has recently passed away.

但是这个俱乐部的创世人， 菁妹的母亲素媛，最近离世了。

At first, Jing-Mei struggles to fill her place at the table.

一开始，菁妹无法融入麻将桌。

But when her aunties reveal a deeply buried secret about Suyuan’s life,

但是当阿姨们告诉了她 素媛人生深藏的那些秘密，

Jing-Mei realizes she still has a lot to learn about her mother, and herself.

菁妹意识到关于她母亲，也关于她自己， 她还有许多要去了解。

In Amy Tan’s 1989 debut novel, "The Joy Luck Club,"

谭恩美 1989 年出版的 首部小说《喜福会》

this gathering at the mahjong table is the point of departure

聚集在麻将桌这一幕， 是这本书的出发点，

for a series of interconnected vignettes.

引出一系列相互链接的小故事。

The book itself is loosely structured to imitate the format of the Chinese game.

这本书松散的结构 模仿了中国麻将的结构。

Just as mahjong is played over four rounds with at least four hands each,

就像是麻将是由 四位玩家打四局，

the book is divided into four parts, each with four chapters.

这本书有四部分， 每部分有四章。

Alternately set in China or San Francisco,

地点设置是在中国或是旧金山，

each chapter narrates a single story from one of the four matriarchs

每章都会讲述一个 来自喜福会四个女当家

of the Joy Luck Club or their American-born daughters.

或是她们美国女儿们之一 的小故事

These stories take the reader through war zones

这些故事带领读者 穿过战争时期的中国农村，

and villages of rural China, and into modern marriages

来到现代婚姻以及 餐桌旁的紧张聚会。

and tense gatherings around the dinner table.

They touch upon themes of survival and loss, love and the lack of it,

故事的主题包括了 生存与死亡，爱与缺爱，

ambitions and their unsatisfied reality.

野心与她们并不满足的现实。

In one, Auntie Lin plots an escape from the hostile family

在一个故事中，林阿姨 （作为童养媳）策划逃离了

of her promised husband,

小丈夫的恶毒家庭，

ultimately leading to her arrival in America.

最终来到了美国。

In another, the Hsu family’s all-American day at the beach turns dire

另一个故事中，徐家的美式沙滩日 演变成了一场大战，

when Rose is overwhelmed by the responsibility her mother assigns to her.

当罗斯被她母亲 安排给她的责任淹没。

The resulting tragedy traumatizes the family for years to come.

最后，这场悲剧的创伤 让徐家人很久才恢复过来。

These tales illustrate the common divides that can form

这些故事刻画了 存在于年龄与文化，

between generations and cultures, especially in immigrant families.

特别是在移民家庭里的 常见代沟。

The mothers have all experienced great hardships during their lives in China,

当母亲们生活在中国时， 她们经历了很多苦难，

and they’ve worked tirelessly to give their children

她们不辞辛苦的工作， 为了给她们的孩子

better opportunities in America.

在美国的更好机会。

But their daughters feel weighed down by their parent’s unfulfilled hopes

但是她们的女儿们 因为父母未被满足的希望

and high expectations.

与高期望而感到压力。

Jing-Mei feels this pressure as she plays mahjong with her mother’s friends.

当菁妹和她母亲的朋友们打麻将时， 她感受到了这种压力。

She worries, “In me, they see their own daughters, just as ignorant,

她担心到，“在我身上，她们看到了 她们自己的女儿，一样的无知

just as unmindful of all the truths and hopes they have brought to America.”

对于她们带来美国的 真相和希望一样的无所谓。”

Time and again,

一次又一次，

the mothers strive to remind their daughters of their history and heritage.

母亲们急切的提醒女儿们 她们的历史与遗产。

Meanwhile, their daughters struggle to reconcile

同时，女儿们 也纠结于怎样结合

their mothers’ perception of them with who they really are.

母亲们眼中的她们 与她们真实的自己。

"Does my daughter know me?" some of the stories ask.

“我的女儿真的了解我吗？” 一些故事中问道。

"Why doesn’t my mother understand?" others respond.

“为什么我母亲不懂？” 另一些故事回答道。

In her interrogation of these questions,

在谭审视下的这些问题，

Tan speaks to anxieties that plague many immigrants,

她讲述了困扰 许多移民家庭的焦虑，

who often feel both alienated from their homeland

他们经常感到 与家乡的疏远

and disconnected from their adopted country.

与新家的隔阂。

But by weaving the tales of these four mothers and daughters together,

但是通过讲述这些感人的 关于四位母亲与女儿的故事，

Tan makes it clear that Jing-Mei

谭明确的表达了 菁妹与她同龄人

and her peers find strength to tackle their present-day problems

通过母亲们传达给她们的价值观 去解决当今时代的问题的力量。

through the values their mothers passed on to them.

When "The Joy Luck Club" was first published,

当《喜福会》第一次发表时，

Tan expected minimal success.

谭并没有期待很多。

But against her predictions, the book was a massive critical

但是与她的预计相反， 这本书广受书评家好评，

and commercial achievement.

也获得了商业上的成功。

Today, these characters still captivate readers worldwide.

今天，这些人物 仍然能打动全球的读者。

Not only for the way they speak to Chinese American

不仅仅是她们讲述的 美籍华人

and immigrant experiences,

和移民经历，

but also for uncovering a deeper truth:

更多的是发掘 深埋的真相：

the need to be seen and understood by the ones you love.

被你爱的人 认真对待和理解的需要。