Storytelling and Asian-American Voices Theme Analysis

Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” challenges the limits of language as she documents the struggles she and her mother have faced as Chinese-American English speakers. Combining direct quotations from her mother with her own expositional accounts of past events, Tan illustrates the multiple ways in which stories can be told, emphasizing a broader understanding of language by her mother than outsiders such as her stockbroker, doctor, and customer service workers give her credit for. This is most evident in Mrs. Tan’s account of Du Yusong, a Chinese political gangster out of Shanghai, who Mrs. Tan describes in great detail. Including his profession, relationship-status, and geographical origin within the city, Mrs. Tan’s story rivals the brief summary of Du Yusong that Tan herself includes in the essay.

However, Tan considers the apparent discrepancy between the vibrant, rich, and interesting stories her mother tells and the fact that such stories might not necessarily fit into the landscape of American literature. This, Tan suggests, is because American literature does not allow space for writing beyond the limits of standard English. While Mrs. Tan’s story is full of vivid detail that communicates an imaginable picture, the rhythm with which she speaks is transcribed into fragmented sentences that often omit particles and “proper” grammar styles characteristic of standard English. Tan’s own experiences writing beyond the confines of “standard English” illustrate both the difficulty of navigating the niche, homogenous literary world of American letters and the idea that a more inclusive literary landscape is possible.