A hero is a person who sacrifices himself for a greater cause or purpose. Both of my chosen characters, An-mei and her mother, qualify as a hero because of their desire to go beyond the ordinary range of experience in order to recover what has been lost and discover some life-giving elixir (Campbell). The purpose of the hero’s journey is for the hero to use the knowledge and experience that he has gained, in order to return with a greater purpose in life. In the novel, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, two ambitious characters battle the stages of the hero’s journey together, where they take risks, and deviate from their ordinary lives. As a result of embarking on the journey together, they give their life to each other for a greater cause, and…show more content… An-mei didn't live with her mother and was forbidden to mention her mother’s name because it would be like spitting “on [her] father’s grave” (43). Despite others telling her not to, An-mei leaves her old life, and joins her mother in Tientsin. When An-mei leaves home, she steps away from the comfort of her ordinary world and ultimately accepts her spiritual deed, to help her mother in the next life they have together through sacrifice. As a result of sacrificing her past comforts for the journey to the unknown, An-mei matures emotionally. On the other hand, even though An-mei’s mother is considered worthless by her family when she returns home, by coming home she sacrifices her dignity in exchange for a better life for her daughter. Through all her hardships, she takes the punishments from her family gracefully, and her selfless attitude is studied carefully by An-mei. Some may argue that this point started her cycle of the hero’s journey; however, one could claim that her cycle already started when she abandons her family. This is outrageous because Campbell states that the reality of a hero “sacrifices [herself] for something,” and “perceived what could be achieved and did it” (Campbell). This defines An-mei’s mother, because she purposely ended her life so that she could strengthen her…show more content… Through this process, An-mei also learns diverse lessons from her mother, key points that she remembers later in life. She finds the deep longing to be able to trust her mother, making her desire to learn more about her. Through mentors along the way, An-mei is able to learn the secrets and challenges that her mother has faced. An-mei’s mother left her family so that she could become a concubine of Wu Tseng and serve him in exchange for a home, but she ended up being tricked by one of Tseng’s wives. She was chosen because of her beauty, and even Yan Chang, her maid says that she “is too good for this family” (255). Even though they are negatively portrayed, An-mei’s growth in love and respect for her mother only increases. An-mei later comments on her life, and states, “...I was raised the Chinese way: I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow other people’s misery, to eat my own bitterness” (232). An-mei’s mother warns her that she must be cautious with other people, because they may take her grief and pain as their joy, feeding off of it. Emotionally, this shows the many temptations that they have, yet both mother and daughter always turn to each other for strength and perseverance as they move on. Additionally, the respect between mother and daughter is clear when An-mei’s mother commits
