The Joy Luck Club Lesson Plan

Is there an antagonist in The Joy Luck Club?

The antagonistic forces in The Joy Luck Club are mostly intangible. There is no “villain” in the traditional sense. Instead, the characters find themselves fighting against fate, pessimism, and traditional gender roles. In the section titled “The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates” the daughters struggle with pessimism and fatalism. Many of them believe they do not have control over their own destinies. Rose, for instance, believes she is fated to get divorced and be unhappy. Jing-mei believes she is not destined for greatness. Waverly is pessimistic about her relationship with her mother, believing her mother is always criticizing her...