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Stories from the Heart: The Joy Luck Club 爱．冲突．喜福会

课文朗读

课文讲解 

繁體中文譯本

From Greek myth to Shakespeare, conflict between parent and child has long been a staple of great literature. Amy Tan’s “The Joy Luck Club” is a modern retelling of this age-old theme. The best-selling novel explores the relationships between four Chinese mothers – Suyuan, Lindo, Ying-ying and An-mei – and their American-born daughters – June, Waverly, Lena and Rose. As each of the women recall their pasts and reflect on their present circumstances, we get a touching look at how they overcome generational and cultural misunderstandings.

从希腊神话至莎士比亚，父母与孩子之间的冲突议题一直是经典文学的主要题材。谭恩美所著的《喜福会》，以现代叙事手法来表现古老的主题。这部畅销小说围绕着四位母亲（宿愿、灵多、莹影与安美）与她们在美国土生土长的女儿（珠恩、薇芙莉，莉娜与萝丝）的关系。这些女人逐一回忆自己的过往并审视自己的现况，在这过程中读者也能看到她们如何克服两代之间的隔阂及文化差异之温馨过程。

The novel opens with June learning she has twin sisters living in China whom she never knew. After she is urged to visit them and tell them about Suyuan, who has recently passed away, June comes to re-examine her relationship with her mother. As she prepares to set off, she realizes how Suyuan encouraged her and showed her love. This allows her to forgive her mother for seemingly never being satisfied with her achievements.

小说一开头描述珠恩得知自己有两个住在中国且素未谋面的双胞胎姐姐。她受托去探访两位姐姐并告诉她们近日才过世的宿愿（三人的生母）的一切；这个过程让珠恩重新检视母亲和自己的关系。在她要动身出发之际，她才明白过去宿愿鼓励与爱她的方式。由于母亲在过去似乎从没有对她的表现表示过满意，这番顿悟也让她原谅了母亲。

As a child, Waverly gave up chess to get back at her mother, Lindo. She didn’t succeed, however, because her mother is as strong-minded as she is. Now, as an adult, Waverly blames Lindo’s constant criticism for ruining her marriage. Waverly confronts her mother, leaving Lindo, who believes she is merely being truthful, baffled and saddened. Eventually, though, mother and daughter make up, realizing how alike they actually are.

小时候，为了报复母亲灵多，薇芙莉放弃了西洋棋。但她却没有成功，因为母亲的强势与她自己如出一辙。如今，长大成人的薇芙莉把自身婚姻的失败，归咎于灵多长期对自己的挑剔批评。于是她直接和母亲摊牌，而认为自己不过是实话实说的灵多事后感到困惑且委屈。但最后母女俩人大和解，也了解彼此其实是如此相似。

Vocabulary

单词发音

recall [rɪˋkɔl] v. 回想，回忆

reflect on 深思; 反省

circumstance [ˋsɝkəm͵stæns] n. 情况，环境；情势

get back at  复仇, 报复 to take revenge on

ruin [ˋrʊɪn] v. 使毁灭；毁坏

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单词发音

staple [ˋstep!] n. 主要成分；主题

retell [riˋtɛl] v.〔以不同的方式或语言〕重讲; 复述

generational [͵dʒɛnəˋreʃən!] adj. 一代的, 世代的

misunderstanding [ˋmɪsʌndɚˋstændɪŋ] n. 误解

urge [ɝdʒ] v. 催促；力劝

set off 出发 to start on a journey

achievement [əˋtʃivmənt] n. 成就，成绩; 达成；完成

strong-minded [ˋstrɔŋˋmaɪndɪd] adj. 意志坚强的

confront [kənˋfrʌnt] v. 勇敢地面对；正视

truthful [ˋtruθfəl] adj. 诚实的；讲真话的

baffle [ˋbæf!] v. 使受挫折; 使困惑

sadden [ˋsædn] v. 悲哀，悲痛

make up 和解, 言归于好 to resolve a quarrel

课文朗读

课文讲解 

After escaping from an abusive marriage, Ying-ying gives up hope for love to avoid suffering further heartbreak. From then on, she goes through life like a “ghost,” never feeling happiness and re-marrying a man whom she lets make all the decisions.

莹影逃出了痛苦的婚姻后便不再对爱情怀有任何憧憬，以免再次心碎。从此以后，她过着犹如「幽魂」般行尸走肉的生活，再也感受不到快乐，之后她再婚，对象是一个她任由其全权做主的男人。

Ying-ying’s daughter, Lena, is weak-willed like her mother and becomes trapped in a loveless relationship with a controlling man. Desperate to keep Lena from going through what she did, Ying-ying tells her the story of her first marriage, hoping it will help her daughter to break out of her situation. It works, and Lena finds the strength to confront her husband.

莹影的女儿莉娜和母亲一样，是一个没有主见的人，她与一名控制欲强的男子陷入一段没有爱的婚姻关系里。心焦如焚的莹影为了不让女儿步入自己的后尘，便告诉她自己第一次婚姻的往事，希望能帮助女儿脱离困境。她的方法奏效，让莉娜找到了面对丈夫的力量。

An-mei’s daughter, Rose, also lacks self-confidence and is being dominated by her husband. Ever since her daughter was young, An-mei has tried to pass on Chinese wisdom to her, telling her she must be more assertive. But Rose has never understood, rejecting her mother’s advice for the “American Way.”

安美的女儿萝丝也是个没有自信、被丈夫牵着鼻子走的人。从小，安美就试着将中国老祖宗的智慧传授给女儿，告诫女儿做人要更果决些。但是萝丝一直都不明白母亲的用心，一意抗拒母亲所建议的「美式作风」。

An-mei tells Rose how, as a young girl, she found her strength. She was the daughter of a woman with a low position in a large household. When threatened by another scheming wife, she and her mother stood up for themselves, winning a higher status. Rose is given courage by this story and, realizing that she should have listened to her mother’s advice all along, she stands up to her husband.

于是安美告诉了萝丝自己小的时候是如何找到自我的力量。她的亲生母亲在大户人家的夫家里地位低贱。在她们母女两人被另一个城府深密的姨太算计、处境岌岌可危时，她和母亲奋起力争，为自己在家里赢得了更高的地位。这则故事赋予了萝丝新的勇气，也让她明白自己当初早该听从母亲的忠告，于是她勇敢地面对自己的丈夫。

Vocabulary

单词发音

abusive [əˋbjusɪv] adj. 虐待的

dominate [ˋdɑmə͵net] v. 支配，统治

pass on 传递 transmit (knowledge or skills)

assertive [əˋsɝtɪv] adj. 果断的; 自信的; 武断的，独断的

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单词发音

avoid [əˋvɔɪd] v. 避免

weak-willed ['wɪk'wɪld] adj.〔人〕优柔寡断的 lacking strength of will

trap [træp] v. 困住

controlling [kənˋtrolɪŋ] adj. 有控制欲的

desperate [ˋdɛspərɪt] adj. 〔由于处在绝境而〕拚命的﹐不顾一切的

go through  经历 to suffer

break out 脱逃  escape

ever since  从此  since then

scheming [ˋskimɪŋ] adj. 惯耍阴谋的；诡计多端的

stand up for 捍卫; 保卫; 维护  defend

all along  从开始起就  from the beginning; throughout

stand up to 敢于面对  to confront fearlessly; face up to

课文朗读

课文讲解

Tan’s inspiration for “The Joy Luck Club” comes in large part from her own relationship with her mother. Just like the characters in the book, American Tan was born to Chinese immigrants. Growing up, she constantly fought with her mother and deliberately rebelled. When Tan eventually realized that this conflict was based on misunderstanding, she started to listen to her mother’s life stories. This helped her to understand her mother as well as herself and became the basis of the book.

谭恩美写《喜福会》的灵感绝大部分取材于自己和母亲的关系。正如书中的角色，谭恩美也是中国移民的第二代。在成长的过程中她和母亲的争执不断，也曾故意反抗叛逆。在谭恩美终于意识到自己和母亲的冲突源于误解时，她开始倾听母亲的生命故事。这个过程促进了她对母亲的理解同时也让她更懂得自己，而这种体会也成为了这本书的雏形。

Although the novel explores relationships between Chinese mothers and American daughters, it carries a universal appeal. Everyone can relate to the problems between parent and child that arise from generation gaps. The book also deals with themes relevant to men and women alike, such as coming to terms with the past and struggling for identity.

尽管这部小说探讨的是中国母亲与美国女儿之间的关系，仍能引起大众的共鸣。因为每个人都能从父母和子女之间的代沟问题找到共通之处。本书也处理与男女息息相关的议题，好比如何接受过去，并寻求自我价值。

First published in 1989, “The Joy Luck Club” spent 75 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, eventually selling millions of copies and earning glowing praise for its author. The novel has since been translated into 23 languages and even adapted into a successful movie.

《喜福会》出版于1989年，蝉联纽约时代杂志畅销排行榜75周，销售了百万册以上，且为作者赢得佳评。后来该书还被翻译成23种语言并改编成一部卖座的电影。

There’s no better time to watch or read “The Joy Luck Club” than in this month of Mother’s Day. The story reminds us that no matter what separates us from our parents or children, our mutual bond of love will always hold us together.

再也没有比这个月的母亲节更适合观赏或阅读《喜福会》了。这个故事提醒了我们：不管什么原因造成父母与子女的分离，共有的亲情永远都会是彼此之间的连系。

−by James Laughton-Smith

Vocabulary

单词发音

deliberately [dɪˋlɪbərɪtlɪ] adv. 故意地，蓄意地

rebel [ rɪˈbɛl] v. 反叛；反抗

relevant [ˋrɛləvənt] adj. 有关的

come to terms with 妥协; 与…达成协议  to begin to accept and deal with something difficult or unpleasant

mutual [ˋmjutʃʊəl] adj. 共有的，共同的

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单词发音

eventually [ɪˋvɛntʃʊəlɪ] adv. 最后，终于

universal [͵junəˋvɝs!] adj. 全体的; 一般的

arise from  由...引起

glowing [ˋgloɪŋ] adj. 热情的

adapt [əˋdæpt] v. 改编

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