The following character descriptions for the film version of "Joy Luck Club" were written by Prof. Sienkewicz for his Freshman Seminar at Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois. If you have comments or suggestions about this material, you may contact Prof. Sienkewicz at toms@monm.edu.

"Joy Luck Club"

a film based upon a novel of the same name, by Amy Tan

Main Characters

MOTHERS

Suyuan Woo

She abandons her twin daughters in China.

An-mei Hsu

Her mother was a fourth wife in China. She affirms her mother's worth at her funeral.

Lindo Jong

At a young age she was promised in marriage by her mother and this decision affected permanently affected her relationship with her mother.

Ying-ying St. Clair

She married a rake in China and kills her infant son.

DAUGHTERS

Jing-mei "June" Woo

She never marries and plans to travel to China to meet her half-sisters.

Rose Hsu Jordan

She marries into a wealthy American family, has a daughter, and is separated from her husband.

Waverly Jong

A successful businesswoman who is divorced from a Chinese man and is now living with a non-Chinese man named Richard, who she plans to marry.

Lena St. Clair

Her insensitive and miserly husband has insisted upon a relationship based upon financial equality in which Lean pays more than her fair share.