Abstract Due to the different cultural traditions, there are many kinds of differences in the marriage concepts between Chinese and Americans. As the representative works of Chinese writers who are the second generation of immigrants, The Joy Luck Club is the best sample to research the differences in marriage concepts between Chinese and Americans. The conflicts among the characters mainly reveal the three differences in marriage concepts: the method of choosing a spouse, the purpose of marriage and family status. Whereas the differences can be explained by various theories, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, which has a considerable influence in the field of intercultural theories, offers one of the most powerful explanations for these differences. Therefore, this thesis analyzes the reasons for the differences in marriage from three of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions: inpidualism vs. collectivism, long-term vs. short-term orientation and power distance. This thesis aims to promote the communication and understanding between the two countries and establish a more harmonious world.54290

Keywords: cultural difference; The Joy Luck Club; marriage concepts; cultural dimensions theory

摘要由于各自迥异的文化传统，中美婚姻观出现多方面的差异。而《喜福会》作为第二代移民华裔作家的英文代表作，是研究探讨中美婚姻观差异的极佳范本。作品里人物之间的矛盾体现出的中美婚姻观念差异主要有择偶方式、结婚目的和家庭地位的不同。尽管多种理论可以解释这种差异，但霍夫斯泰德的文化维度理论在跨文化理论方面具有相当大的影响力，是解释中美婚姻观念差异强有力的理论基础，所以本文以文化维度理论为依据主要从个体主义与集体主义、长期导向与短期导向和权力距离三个维度分析产生中美婚姻观念差异的原因，旨在促进两国文化交流，加深了解，构建更加和谐的世界。

毕业论文关键词：文化差异；喜福会；婚姻观；文化维度理论

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

3. Major Differences in Marriage Concepts in The Joy Luck Club 3

3.1 Choosing a Spouse 3

3.2 The Purpose of Marriage 4

3.3 Family Status 6

4. Major Reasons for the Differences 7

4.1 Inpidualism vs. Collectivism 8

4.2 Long-term vs. Short-term Orientation 9

4.3 High Power Distance vs. Low Power Distance 10

5. Conclusion 11

Works Cited 13

1. Introduction 

The Joy Luck Club is one of the international best-selling novels. Amy Ruth Tan, the author of this novel, is born in 1952 Oakland, California; she is the second generation of a Chinese immigrant family. As a Native American, she cannot get rid of her Chinese complex. She has not only personal experience of American culture but also a deep understanding of Chinese traditional culture. Because of her special origin and experience, she always has a unique perspective and style, so The Joy Luck Club presents several vivid examples of the contrast between different cultures. The Joy Luck Club explores the relationships of Chinese mothers and their Chinese-American daughters in the United States. The four mothers suffer different hardship that forces them to leave China; and the four daughters face their own struggles in their everyday lives. The four mothers immigrate to America to pursue a better life and realize their American Dream. However, the mothers’ dreams about their life in America can never come true. Especially, after they have their own daughters, how to deal with mother-daughter relationships becomes one of the biggest challenges they meet in America. The mothers are born and grow up in China, while their daughters are born in America and educated by American cultures. The former represent Chinese culture, and the latter represent an opposite culture, which may naturally cause conflicts between them. What makes the readers pleased is that the mothers and their daughters have consensus at last because of love and understanding.