Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
The Joy Luck Club begins with a story about a woman, a waterfowl of dubious origin, and a dream of a better life:
The old woman remembered a swan she had bought many years ago in Shanghai for a foolish sum. This bird, boasted the market vendor, was once a duck that stretched its neck in hopes of becoming a goose, and now look! – it is too beautiful to eat.
On her journey she cooed to the swan: "In America I will have a daughter just like me. But over there nobody will say her worth is measured by the loudness of her husband’s belch. Over there nobody will look down on her, because I will make her speak only perfect American English." (I.Prologue.1-2)
But the immigration official confiscate the swan (or is it a duck?) and the woman is left with only a feather. She keeps hold of the feather, though, in the hopes of one day presenting the it to her daughter.
So: what does all this talk of birds and feathers mean for the story of Joy Luck Club?
The first thing that about this tiny stop that sends blips across our symbolism radar is the transformation of the bird in the Shanghai market. It begins as a humble duck, tries to transform itself into something more majestic—a goose—and ends up as a truly lovely swan. (Think "The Ugly Duckling," but in reverse.)
This story of metamorphosis-through-sheer-willpower reflects the journeys of the mothers' generation in this novel. These four women try to transform themselves by emigrating, but become something different (and more interesting) than what they hoped. This lesson about striving is one that's passed down to their daughters: the daughters in this novel are taught to better themselves.
But what about the ending of the story, where the swan in the woman's possession is replaces/reduced to a mere feather?
That suggests that the mothers in this novel can't give their daughters everything. Specifically, they can't provide their daughters with everything from China. Their daughters will never have the entire swan of Chinese culture, but they'll have access to its essence.
Or, on a more pessimistic note, the swan could be said to represent the hopes the mothers had for their daughters...and the feather could be said to represent the diminished hopes. After all, the mother says to the swan that,
"In America I will have a daughter just like me. But over there nobody will say her worth is measured by the loudness of her husband’s belch. Over there nobody will look down on her, because I will make her speak only perfect American English." (I.Prologue.2)
But in America, as the mothers in Joy Luck Club find out, their daughters are judged by their husbands. They are looked down upon. Life as a first-generation American is difficult...even when you speak "only perfect American English."