Ones cultural background can affect the way they speak, live, and for an author, the way
they write. Amy Tans works are direct reflections of this impact. As an Asian-American
author, Tan uses the cultural values of Chinese women in American culture in her novels.
In order to fully understand Tans writing I believe one first needs to understand not only
Tans personal background but, the Chinese culture of which she is a product.
Chinese culture is a male dominated culture that leaves women little freedom. Their only
job is to make their male spouses content. Living with their traditional culture in American
society, Chinese-American women suffer a conflict of culture. While their American
husbands are active and assertive, they are passive and place their happiness entirely on the
goodness of their spouses. In many cases, this passiveness can be seen as a weakness.
Amy Tans personal background involves a constant struggle between cultures. Her
tumultuous life began in 1952 in the predominantly white neighborhood of Oakland,
California. Her parents immigrated to America just before the communist revolution in
China in the late 1940s. Her father, John Tan, worked as an electrical engineer and an
assistant minister at various Baptist churches. Her mother was a homemaker, taking care of
Amy and her two brothers. Both of Amy Tans parents expected a lot out of their children,
especially when it came to work and money. Amy was expected to become a neurosurgeon
by trade and a concert pianist by hobby.3 When Amy Tan was fifteen years old, her father
