“You never really know a [wo]man until you understand things from his [her] point of view, until you climb into his [her] skin and walk around in it.”—Harper Lee

When a person seeks to learn and ultimately comes to understand another’s viewpoint, that person gains greater understanding and insight into their own worldview. Harper Lee succeeded in opening the eyes of her readers into the injustices suffered by African Americans through the obviously falsely accused character of Tom Robinson in her famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Similarly, Amy Tan opened the curtains on the world of the Asian-American experience through the publication of her novel The Joy Luck Club and the subsequent movie that was made based on her book.

I sat in the darkened theater and was mesmerized by the unfolding of the story that takes place in settings so foreign to me that they may as well be happening on another planet. Having the opportunity to see into a culture that is so unfamiliar to me was fascinating, but it became even more fascinating when I saw myself in one of the characters. I sat up in my seat and thought, “My goodness, that’s me!” Then suddenly, the story was not only about first and second-generation Chinese immigrants making a new life in America. This story was about the universal themes of the common tug of war between mothers and daughters of all cultures. Mothers who want their daughters to have the opportunities they never did, and the daughters trying to pull away and forge their own identities. This conflict plays out through the telling of stories from each of the characters’ points of view. It is in the telling of these stories that the limitations and the sometimes impossibility of reconciliation amongst the generations is revealed. (Adams)

For Amy Tan it was when she entered into her mother’s world by listening to her that she gained insight into her own world and grew in understanding of her identity. It was through these explorations into her mother’s past that Tan grew to admire rather than try to disown the contributions her mother made into her life and the woman she is. (Champion) Amy Tan was born in Oakland, California to Chinese American parents. Her father and brother both died within 8 months of each other leaving her mother to raise Amy and another brother alone. After briefly living in Switzerland, Amy and her family moved back home to the Bay Area in California, and Amy entered the college chosen by her mother and, at her mother’s insistence, she majored in pre-med with the expectations of going onto medical school. Amy withdrew from majoring in pre-med when she transferred to a different college and decided to major in English and linguistics causing further angst between her and her mother. However, when she later became successful as a business writer, her mother took great pride in her accomplishments. In the 1980’s, Amy delved into reading contemporary fiction and joined a writer’s workshop through the University of California in Irvine, and this opened up the world of creative writing and led to the works for which she is known. (Amy Tan)

Amy Tan explored the themes of competing viewpoints amongst mothers and their daughters in her writings at a time when those mothers were brought up in a way their daughters despised and were trying to break free from. (Braendlin) These mothers were raised in a traditional patriarchal society in which their worth was measured by “the loudness of their husband’s belch,” and they were determined that would not be the criteria that would determine their daughters’ worth. These mothers yearned for their daughters to rise above their station in life and to never experience sorrow as they did. But more than that, these mothers wanted their daughters to understand their good intentions for them. This is beautifully described in the introductory story, “Feathers From A Thousand Li Away,” that begins the tale of The Joy Luck Club. (Tan)

Ultimately, it is understood that both mothers and daughters have an underdeveloped sense of their own identity and self-worth. The mothers are bound to the expectations of a world that no longer exists, and the daughters are bound by expectations to achieve their mothers’ hopes. The mothers are looking for their identity and self-worth in their daughters’ lives, while the daughters are desperately trying to break free so they can forge their own existence and experience Chi—to feel truly alive, full of breath and energy. Both mothers and daughters are trying to break free from the world they were born into, but in the end, both mothers and daughters are forced to return to the world of their origins before they can move on. (Shear)

This reminds me of the many accounts of the children of holocaust survivors who struggle because their parents are unable to talk about the past. Without knowing the past, they cannot understand their present, and they have a limited sense of who they are and who they are meant to be. It is the same with the characters in The Joy Luck Club. The mothers are hesitant to disclose their pasts, but until they do, their daughters are doomed to unwittingly repeat the same patterns of dysfunction. It is as the mothers tell their stories and the daughters listen to their memories that meaning is forged not out the events that happened but upon the events that are happening now as each is able to embrace that meaning. (Xu)

The story of The Joy Luck Club begins at a Mahjong table with Jing-mei taking her expected place at the table replacing her mother who recently died. Around the table are her mother’s closest friends who she knows as her Aunties. Jing-mei learns that her half-sisters long thought dead are still alive in China, and her Aunties encourage her to travel to China so she can find them and tell them the stories they need to know about their mother. Jing-mei is shaken as she realizes that she did not know her mother well enough to tell her mother’s stories. This claim causes anguish among her Aunties whose fears are raised that their own daughters may not know them either. (Singer) Reaching back to the past and coming to understand the stories that shaped her mother into someone she thought she knew was a painful experience for Jing-mei. It was especially painful as she realizes and then accepts the fact that her perceptions about her mother were misinformed. It is incredibly sad that she can never connect with the person she now knows and understands her mother to be because her mother has passed on. However, with her new knowledge she courageously makes that journey to China to find her sisters and tell them about their mother.

It is a bittersweet ending to the novel, but also heartening to realize that when people can accept and embrace their origin then they can find a place of belonging and gain an understanding of who they are in the world and what they have to contribute to the greater good.

Works Cited

Adams, Bella. “Identity-In-Difference: Re-Generating the Debate About Intergenerational Relationships in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club.” Studies in the Literary Imagination 39.2 (2006). 4 April 2020.

“Amy Tan.” Contemporary Literary Criticism 257 (2008). 4 April 2020. < https://link-galecom.ucrproxy.mnpals.net/apps/doc/H1102480000/GLS?u=mnaucrgodd&sid=GLS&xid=89717e97&gt;.

Braendlin, Bonnie. “Mother/Daughter Dialog(ic)s in, around and about Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club.” Vers. vol. 120. 1999. Gale Literature Resource Center. Critical Essay, excerpt. 4 April 2020. < https://link-galecom.ucrproxy.mnpals.net/apps/doc/H1100018664/GLS?u=mnaucrgodd&sid=GLS&xid=f49ef0c7&gt;.

Champion, Laurie. “Amy (Ruth) Tan.” Gale Literature Resource Center 312 (2005). 4 April 2020. <https://go-gale-com.ucrproxy.mnpals.net/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T002&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=6&docId=GALE%7CH1200012496&docType=Biography&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=LRCDLB&prodId=GL&gt;.

Shear, Walter. “Generational Differences and the Diaspora in The Joy Luck Club.” Gale Literature Resouce Center (1999). 4 April 2020. < https://link-galecom.ucrproxy.mnpals.net/apps/doc/H1100018661/GLS?u=mnaucrgodd&sid=GLS&xid=c4ad64b9&gt;.

Singer, Marc. “Moving Forward to Reach The Past: The Dialogics of Time in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club.” Journal of Narrative Theory 31.3 (2001): 324-352. 4 April 2020.

Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: G.P. Putnam and Sons, 1989.

Xu, Ben. “Memory and The Ethnic Self: Reading Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club.” MELUS 19.1 (1994): 3+. 4 April 2020. < https://link-galecom.ucrproxy.mnpals.net/apps/doc/A18607679/GLS?u=mnaucrgodd&sid=GLS&xid=84522179&gt;.

May 28, 2017—the date I finally achieved my goal of a sub-three hour half marathon. It doesn’t seem like a big achievement knowing that an average runner aims for a two hour finish time. However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about distance running is that there is no reason to ever compare myself to another runner. The only person I’m competing against is me, and the only real comparison is my results from the last time I did this distance on this particular course. This was my seventh half marathon. Results from my previous half marathons ranged from 3:53 to 3:08.

So, based on this, a goal of a sub-three hour half marathon was reasonable for me, but I had a bigger goal in mind. In each of my previous half marathons I did great in the beginning and then fell apart at some point and suffered through to the end.

• Half marathon #1—I did okay the first half, but then fell apart physically and emotionally during the second half.

• Half marathon #2—I was on target for a sub-three hour finish when my left hamstring began to spasm and I had to hobble through the last two miles.

• Half marathon #3—this was the year after my full marathon. I was devastated that the finish line was torn down, so I needed to go back and experience the finish line. I had a severe case of plantar fasciitis, so I had to walk the course.

• Half marathon #4—I was doing well up until mile 9 when my right calf seized up, and did not let loose for the rest of the race. I limped through the last four miles.

• Half marathon #5—My training was going really well until the last few weeks before the race. I broke a toe, so I wasn’t able to run for two weeks while that healed up. Then the Monday before the race, I had to be taken to the ER due to a severe bout of vertigo. I should have pulled out, but I decided to do it anyway even though I was still experiencing dizziness. It was grueling.

• Half marathon #6—Another case of a hamstring spasm in the last few miles.

My bigger goal was to actually feel good and enjoy the entire race, and to be able to function afterwards. This was much more important to me, and I would have gladly slowed down and held back and accepted a finish time of greater than three hours to feel decent at the end. And, I am thrilled that in addition to a 2 hour 50 minute finish time for the 2017 Med City Half Marathon (28 minutes faster than the last time I did this distance on this exact course in 2015, and an 18 minute personal best overall); I can truly say that I have never enjoyed a race experience more. I felt good the whole way, and I was still able to spend time with my family the rest of the day with minimal pain.

Now is the time I assess how I did. Could I have done better? Honestly, no. I do not regret one thing about this race nor the training leading up to it. So, what did I do right? I think it boils down to three things:

1. Nutrition

2. Consistency with running

3. Heart-rate Training

Nutrition

I started using Isagenix products in August 2016. I use their protein shakes twice per day, take their vitamins, and used their performance fueling for my long runs. As a result, I lost more than 20 pounds during training, and the fueling (which consisted of a protein shake with Amped Power pre-race, a scoop of Amped Hydrate in each of my water bottles on my fuel belt, which I sipped on throughout the race, and two Amped Fuel gels, which I took at miles 4 and 8, and then a protein shake post-race). I have never felt healthier.

Consistency with Running

In past years, I began running in late February or early March and carried through until November when all of my races were finished for the year and the harsh winters of Minnesota were on the horizon. It was usually at that time of year when I developed some sort of injury that prohibited me from running—plantar fasciitis, a sprained toe, tendonitis, etc. I did strength training and spinning classes during the winter, but when I began running again, it was such a shock that everything I gained the previous year was gone and I had to start over from square one as if I’d never run a mile.

This past year, I joined the Chatty Chicks running group; and the promise of time with friends who also enjoy running and coffee kept me going even as the days grew colder, icier, and darker. I discovered that with a headlamp, ice cleats, and layers and layers of running tights and shirts and jackets and gloves and hats and face masks, I can keep going. It also helps that there was the option of an indoor track when conditions grew dangerously icy! I’m truly grateful to this group of ladies who welcomed me into their flock and enthusiastically cheered me on during this race.

Heart Rate Training

There were a couple of the Chatty Chicks who used heart rate training for the Twin Cities Marathon. I joined them for one of their training runs…okay I didn’t actually make it the whole distance. I escaped and did about 4 ½ miles; however, I actually ran the entire 4 ½ miles. I’ve never done that! I’ve always used a run/walk method. With heart rate training, you go low and slow: a slow pace to keep your heart rate low. I decided to give this method a try as I trained for the 2017 Med City Half Marathon, and it worked.

Another thing I did during training was I did not race during my training cycle. In the past I would do 5K’s, 10K’s, 15K’s in an effort to “build up” to the half marathon distance. I learned that I was working too hard and tearing my body down. That’s why I fell apart during my big races. This time I only allowed myself to do one 10K in support of a friend whose son was battling brain cancer. Other than that, I kept my focus on the training plan.

The Race: Med City Half Marathon 

The weather conditions were absolutely perfect on race day. Even with minimal sleep the night before, I felt great. Besides, does anyone sleep well the night before a race?

For miles 1-6, which are mostly hills, my strategy was to walk up the hills and run down in an effort to conserve my strength and energy. This worked beautifully.

For miles 7-10, I ran/walked with a 2:1 interval (2 minute run:1 minute walk). There were a few places I pushed myself to run further, and was pleasantly surprised that I was able to.

For miles 10-11.5, I walked the majority of this section as it is a bit of an incline, and I was getting tired.

For miles 11.5 through the Finish, I was familiar with the course so I planned out the sections I would run and the sections I would walk, and when I turned the final corner and saw the Finish line about a ½ mile away I burst into tears as I realized that I was having the race experience I wanted. I had no idea what my time was at that point. I didn’t allow myself to scroll to that information on my watch, and I’m glad I didn’t know because it was such a wonderful surprise to see the clock above the Finish Line was at my target time.

Throughout the race I daydreamed about texting my hubby “sub-three!” and it felt so good to do just that.

Now that this goal is accomplished I’m in that lull when I just don’t know what to do with my life. Oh yes I do. Rest and recover this week, and next week? Begin training for my fall half marathon, of course!

“…And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1