eat. Mrs. Woo takes thismetaphor to heart, and wants to live with that in mind. She plans to stretch herself out so that she can reach America, and her life, and more importantly her daughter's life, will be far more beautiful in America.

Unfortunately, the swan is taken away from her by customs agents upon entering the United States, so she is left with a single feather. This feather represents the hopes she has for herself and her daughter, as well as all the work that went into bringing them there and forming a better life.

Mrs. Woo purchases a swan in Shanghai that she attempts to bring to America. The vendor tells her that the swan was formerly a duck who stretched its neck too far and became a swan; it became far too beautiful to eat. On the way to the US, Mrs. Woo tells the swan that she will have a daughter who will lead a life far better than what she (the daughter) could have had in China, as she won't be measured by her husband's belch (in other words, she won't only be valued by what she offers to her husband) and will speak English well. Mrs. Woo believes that the swan symbolizes her daughter, as the swan went on to live a better life than what was expected. 

When Mrs. Woo arrives in the US, the swan is taken away from her by immigrations officials, but she is left with a single feather as a memory. She keeps intending to tell her daughter what the swan feather means. She wants to say to her daughter, "This feather may look worthless, but it comes from afar and carries with it all my good intentions." However, as the mother can't speak perfect English, she keeps putting this expression of her feelings and her hopes off. The feather symbolizes all the dreams and hopes Mrs. Woo has for her daughter, but the daughter isn't necessarily aware of how her mother feels.

The single feather that Mrs. Woo has in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan represents all the hopeful goals that she has as she leaves China and travels to America. These hopeful thoughts are meant for a daughter that is yet unborn. “I will give her this swan, a creature that became more than what was hoped for."

Mrs. Woo purchases the swan from a dealer who tells her a story about the duck who wanted to stretch its neck to become a goose but it became a swan. This story is a symbol for Mrs. Woo wanting to seek a better life for the daughter she planned to have. Her daughter will have all the advantages in life that Mrs. Woo never had. She carries the swan on her trip to America only to have the animal confiscated as she goes through customs. She is left with the solitary feather which she keeps until it the right time to give it to her daughter. The feather is a symbol for all of the mother’s hopeful dreams for her daughter. "This feather may look worthless, but it comes from afar and carries with it all my good intentions."