Amy Tan is a Chinese American author and speaker who is best known for writing “The Joy Luck Club”, a novel that explores the lives of four Chinese immigrant mothers and their four American-born daughters Tan has written numerous novels and short stories, as well as numerous essays on cultural, historical, and social issues. Tan’s work has explored themes of displacement, racial identity, and tradition. Her work has earned her numerous awards, including numerous best-selling books, literary awards, and a National Humanities Medal in 2014.
In general, an essay topic on Amy Tan could explore any of the themes found in her work, such as racial identity, tradition, or displacement. Here are five interesting essay topics that dive deeper into those themes:
1. Exploring how displacement is experienced by the mothers in The Joy Luck Club and how that experience is passed down to their daughters in the novel.
2. Analyzing the themes of tradition and cultural identity in Tan's novel The Kitchen God's Wife.
3. Examining how race and ethnicity affects the characters in Tan's short story, "End of the World", and how the characters navigate their identities in a society that values whiteness.
4. Investigating the themes of race, identity, and assimilation in Amy Tan's novel The Valley of Amazement.
5. Looking into the idea of the racial “other” and its implications in Tan's short story, "Fish Cheeks".