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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

In her Auntie An-mei’s home,

在安梅阿姨的家中，

Jing-Mei reluctantly takes her seat

菁妹很不情願地 在麻將桌的東位坐下。

at the eastern corner of the mahjong table.

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

坐在北位、南位、 西位的都是她的阿姨，

long-time members of the Joy Luck Club.

也是喜福會的老會員。

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

這群移民家庭的成員， 每週都會聚會來交換八卦、

feast on wonton and sweet chaswei, and play mahjong.

盡情吃餛飩和甜叉燒、打麻將。

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

然而，喜福會的創辦人， 菁妹的母親素媛，才剛過世。

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

最初，菁妹對於繼承母親 在麻將桌上的位置十分掙扎。

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

但，當她的阿姨揭露出 素媛一生深埋的秘密時

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

菁妹發現，她對她的母親 及她自己所知甚少。

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

譚恩美的第一本小說 《喜福會》於 1989 年出版，

this gathering at the mahjong table is the point of departure

在書中，這場麻將聚會是

一連串相關小插曲的起點。

for a series of interconnected vignettes.

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

這本書本身的結構某種程度上 模仿了這種中國遊戲的形式。

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

麻將要玩四圈， 每一圈至少要四張牌，

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

這本書也被分為四部分， 每一部分有四章。

Alternately set in China or San Francisco,

背景在中國和舊金山之間切換，

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

每一章都訴說了 喜福會四位女家長之一

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

或她們在美國出生的女兒的故事。

These stories take the reader through war zones

這些故事帶讀者穿過中國戰區及鄉村，

and villages of rural China, and into modern marriages

進入現代婚姻和餐桌上的緊繃聚會。

and tense gatherings around the dinner table.

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

這些故事的主題包括 生存和失去、愛和缺乏愛、

ambitions and their unsatisfied reality.

野心和無法滿足野心的現實。

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

在其中一個故事裡， 林阿姨的夫家充滿敵意，

of her promised husband,

因此她策劃逃離，

ultimately leading to her arrival in America.

最終，她到達了美國。

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

在另一個故事中， 徐家在海灘上渡假的日子

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

在羅絲被自己背負的母親責任 壓到喘不過氣時，變成了惡夢。

The resulting tragedy traumatizes the family for years to come.

造成的悲劇讓這個家庭 在接下來的歲月裡背負著傷痛度日。

These tales illustrate the common divides that can form

這些故事描繪世代和文化間

between generations and cultures, especially in immigrant families.

經常會出現的分裂， 特別是在移民家庭中。

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

這些母親都在中國經歷過苦日子，

and they’ve worked tirelessly to give their children

她們辛勤工作，是為了讓 孩子在美國有更好的機會。

better opportunities in America.

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

但無法滿足的家長希望和高期許，

卻讓這些女兒感到頹喪。

and high expectations.

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

菁妹在和她母親的朋友一起 打麻將時就感受到了這種壓力。

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

她擔心：「在我身上，她們看見 她們自己的女兒，同樣的無知，

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

同樣不關心她們帶來 美國的所有真相及希望。」

Time and again,

這些母親一再地努力提醒女兒 不要忘記她們的歷史和遺產。

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

Meanwhile, their daughters struggle to reconcile

同時，她們的女兒則拼命想要

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

在母親對她們的看法 及她們真正的自我間找到平衡。

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

有些故事問道： 「我的女兒認識我嗎？」

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

其他故事則回應： 「為什麼我母親無法理解？」

In her interrogation of these questions,

譚在質疑這些問題時

Tan speaks to anxieties that plague many immigrants,

說到了讓許多移民苦惱的焦慮，

who often feel both alienated from their homeland

這些移民通常覺得疏離家鄉，

and disconnected from their adopted country.

同時又和收容他們的國家沒連結。

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

但，譚將這四位母親 及其女兒的故事交織在一起，

Tan makes it clear that Jing-Mei

清楚闡明菁妹和她的同儕

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

透過她們母親傳給她們的價值觀

through the values their mothers passed on to them.

才找到力量來處理她們當前的問題。

When "The Joy Luck Club" was first published,

當《喜福會》剛出版時，

Tan expected minimal success.

譚對成功的期望很低。

But against her predictions, the book was a massive critical

但和她的預測完全不同， 這本書不但大受好評，

and commercial achievement.

商業銷售的成績也很出色。

Today, these characters still captivate readers worldwide.

現今，這些角色仍然 讓全世界的讀者著迷。

Not only for the way they speak to Chinese American

不僅是因為角色訴說 華裔美國人及移民經歷的方式，

and immigrant experiences,

but also for uncovering a deeper truth:

也因為它揭露出更深沈的真相：

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

我們都需要被所愛的人看見與了解。