Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Chua opens the memoir with a discussion of the distinction between Chinese and Western parenting to lay out the cultural differences she will discuss throughout the text. This section also introduces one of the major conflicts of the text: the struggle between determinism and self-determination. Chua’s discussion of the Zodiac and the meanings of her daughters’ names suggests that she considers these systems to be accurate predictors of her daughters’ personalities and aspirations. However, she does emphasize the necessity of hard work and a meritocratic approach, underscoring the ideals of the virtuous circle: one must work hard to continue to earn good things. She believes that, while Zodiac signs determine someone’s personality, anyone can be made to become a high achiever.

This section also introduces the theme of Cultural and Generational Tensions. Chua does not shy away from discussions of generational trauma, which plays a major role in creating tension between herself and her daughters. She describes her grandparents’ immigration to the Philippines, noting that this was an essential move to protect both her mother’s and father’s families. Her father’s parents fared well, and Chua and her sisters certainly benefited from their investments. Her mother, however, suffered during Japanese occupation: “[S]he lost her infant brother, and I’ll never forget her description of Japanese soldiers holding her uncle’s jaws open, forcing water down his throat, and laughing about how he was going to burst like an overfilled balloon” (15). Chua’s matter-of-fact tone while relating this scene of torture conveys that, rather than letting generational trauma hold her family back, Chua believes it should fuel their ambition to honor her family’s struggle by being even higher achievers. Chua’s mother was motivated by the horrific events of her childhood and worked hard to elevate herself from her desperate circumstances. Nowhere in this section does Chua marvel at her mother’s accomplishments; she simply accepts them as what’s expected. This tendency to take extraordinary effort for granted emphasizes the difference between Western and Chinese cultures. It also shows her ability to compartmentalize her emotions, a trait she learned from her parents, whose stoicism in the face of hardship is a model for her own.

According to the three-generation model of immigrant families Chua describes in Chapter 5, the first generation (Chua’s parents) is most likely to experience hardship while the third generation (Chua’s daughters) is most likely to experience privilege. Chua’s parents are members of the Silent Generation (born 1928-1945), and Chua was born in 1962, which makes her a Baby Boomer. Sophia (born 1993) and Lulu (born 1996) are millennials. While the immigrant experience gives a unique generational dynamic to families relative to non-immigrant families in American culture, Chua’s tripartite generational model also reflects American generational beliefs about mental health and trauma. The Silent Generation did not have a concept of mental health that acknowledged the damaging effects of violence, war, poverty, and abuse. Mental health was still largely a taboo subject for Baby Boomers, though the rise of the psychiatric profession and the 1980 adoption of the clinical diagnosis of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) opened the discussion for acknowledging the long-term impacts of both large-scale and personal trauma. As a generation raised with more mental-health awareness and treatment options, Millennials, such as Chua’s daughters, are generally more comfortable recognizing and expressing concern about mental health issues. Thus, while the third generation of immigrants likely faces fewer material hardships than their first- or second-generation relatives, their financial stability does not necessarily equate to a lack of trauma or struggle.