Upon arrival she finds her husband is still a child around eleven years old, and he makes her sleep on the floor. This example illustrates the view that family is more important than the individual. Also women are discouraged from pursuing an education or career, by being taught to obey their husbands and raise a family. They are taught to do housework and raise children not to have a career. Another aspect of Chinese culture is when a child is successful at something that reflects highly on the family. This is illustrated in The Joy Luck Club when Waverly, Lindo's Daughter, is an extremely talented chess player and her mother brags to all her friends that her daughter is brilliant. However, this does put a lot of stress and strain on a child and eventually caused Waverly to quit playing chess. Success in the children makes the family looked upon highly in the community, and that is very important to the Chinese. One defining thing about the Chinese is that they conform to the values of the family, often sacrificing their individuality, which in Waverly's case is playing chess against her will.
As a Chinese, I strongly feel that the Chinese are sacrificing a big part of their personal happiness, to obey age-old traditions. The Chinese put tradition before individuality; we care about our families. On the other end of the specrum, the Americans have a much different value system. America is an industrial and technology era, with high crime and divorce rates, and a place where everyone is equal, in theory. In America, every individual has the right to choose, and express their individuality. I think most of people in this country do not use this right but .
conform to certain groups. Here, people have a desire to be like the celebrities seen on television. Trying to be like someone cool is easier than being individual. Because of this, America has a sky high divorce rate, half of all marriages end in divorce.