Lisa See is a very thorough writer and she has studied the history and culture of China, doing loads of research for her books which gives her novels a unique touch of realism. Although her novels are fictional, there's always an almost biographical sense that the stories she shares with us are true. And it's not even a far cry, since as Lisa See tells us in her Acknowledgements; some of her characters are in deed based on real people, either historical or individuals who she has met and interviewed during her research trips to China.
WARNING: Plot revelations (quite minor ones, though)
Dreams of Joy is a sequel to Shanghai Girls, where the life of two sisters working as Beautiful Girls in Shanghai in the 1930's is followed. The sisters, Pearl and May enjoyed life to it's fullest, partying and having fanciful dinners, until the Second Sino-Japanese War causes their lives to change dramatically. Their father, who has gambled all his wealth, tells them that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have travelled from Los Angeles to find Chinese brides. Through many struggles the sisters are able to escape to the USA. May however is pregnant, and due to their situation, the sisters think, it's better if Pearl is claimed as the mother, and Pearl's paper son-husband the father. The child is named Joy.
Dreams of Joy begins right where Shanghai Girls ended. The secrets of the family are revealed to Joy, which has dramatic consequences. Joy's assumed father, Sam, has hanged himself since the American authorities got a lead of him being a communist. The relationship between Joy and her parents (and also grandparents) is described as fairly traditional (at least traditional according to Chinese customs) but also very loving. Therefore, when Joy finds out that her assumed mom and aunt have actually deceived her in the worst way, by lying to her about which one is her real birth mother, Joy finds herself feeling that she no longer belongs in LA’s Chinatown.
Joy had been going to a college in Chicago, where she had met other Chinese students. There Joy learned more about the communism in China, which her family had always regarded negatively. Believing strongly that Communism is the ideal set for a state, and longing to find his birth father, Joy embarks on her journey to the People's Republic of China.
Not to reveal too much, I will not give a complete summary of the plot. Instead, let us consider the major themes in this novel, which in my opinion are: love (a reoccurring theme in Lisa's novels), idealism/communism, family (also a common theme for Lisa), famine.
In her usual prompt way, Lisa describes the situation in China in the 1950's, when China was under the control of the infamous Chairman Mao Zedong. Since the novel is written partly from the perspective of Joy, and partly from the perspective of Pearl, her mother who follows her path to China to save her only child, we get two opposite looks on the situation. Joy, as an idealistic communist, has come to China not only to find her father, but to help rebuild the People's Republic of China. As a great believer in communism, Joy sees everything through communism glasses, whereas Pearl is a reborn Christian, who having lived in the USA for long had learned to share the western ideals of democracy.
The Great Leap Forward is still regarded as Mao's greatest failure. During this period an estimate of 16-46 million Chinese died, some slaughtered by the government as rightists, some due to sickness caused by the inhuman circumstances of living especially in the Communes, and many due to famine. Joy lives, works and marries into a Commune, at first seeing the Green Dragon Village as an ideal commune, although the water causes her to suffer from severe diarrhea. The people of the village work in the fields, six days a week, often 10-14 hours a day. At the beginning everything does seem to go well; there's enough food for everyone, they have a lot of activities to fill their free time with, and the people, the comrades, seem very united in spirit.
However, as the Great Leap Forwards proceeds, problems of communism and Mao's leading strategies start to come to light. Due to new sowing techniques instructed by the leaders and drought, there is not enough food for everyone. Most of what has been sown, is sent away to the cities. What is left, is regulated by the Brigade Leader, who of course sees to it, that he gets enough food. The famine in China during the Great Leap Forward got so bad, that people resorted to the most desperate actions.
One might ask, why other countries didn't come to help. Lisa See answers this question in her novel by stating that the stories of runaway Chinese weren't taken seriously. So once again, it was easier to look the other way and pretend that nothing terrible was happening. This only reminded me of the fact, that there are still a lot things going on that we are not told about, one might point out the situation in North Korea for example. Or even China as it is today; censorship is still pretty harsh there.
See also discusses the question, why the peasants and others didn't rise to repel (like Germans didn't during WWII*). One big reason of course was the manipulation done by Mao through various propaganda acts. Most Chinese probably at least in the beginning were in favour of communism, seeing it as a great counterblast for the feudalism. As it became clear to them, how wrong things had gone with Mao’s plans, it was already too late: they were starving and too scared, since Mao executed most rightist elements, sending most of them to labor camps, from where there was no return.
This novel stirred up a lot of thoughts and emotions in me. Most of all I felt great sadness towards humankind in general; how is it possible that this kind of things keep on happening time after time, even today. Don’t we ever learn? It also made me think about the question, whether another state is allowed to force democracy on another state. Of course we westerns think that democracy is the best, but so thought the Christians too as they forced their religion on everyone else through blood and tears. Who are we to say, that other countries should embrace democracy, considering the wars and other inhumanities we’ve had here?
It also amazes me that China is still a Communist state. Even more, my jaw dropped as I read what a Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping said in the 1970’s, when most of the effects of the Great Leap Forward were already clear: “Mao was 70 percent correct and 30 percent wrong”. I mean, what the heck? Do millions and millions of people dying of hunger really fit into 30 percent? I can admit, that the basic idea of communism is in a way pretty idealistic, but since there seems to be no way to realize them purely, with everyone really working equally much as equals… Well, we’ve seen what happens then.
All in all, Dreams of Joy became my number one favourite novel from Lisa See (shared position with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) for its unbelievably touching descriptions of life in the People’s Republic of China and did what a great politically coloured book should do: made me actually think about politics, about what’s right and wrong.
*I do know there were quite many repel organizations that tried to stop the Nazis, but their members were still too few considering how many could have tried to prevent the happenings during WWII, since not all 60 million Germans were Nazis to their hearts.
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