On the Identity Construction in Fifth Chinese Daughter.docx
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OntheIdentityConstructioninFifthChineseDaughter
ChapterOneIntroduction
ChineseAmericanliteratureworksareincreasinglypopularinrecentdecades.ChineseAmericanwritershaveincreasedsincetheChineseExclusionActwasfinallyabolishedin1943.Fromthenon,ChineseAmericanliteratureattractedmoreandmoreattentionfromtheAmericansocietyandgraduallybecameanimportantpartinAmericanmulti-culturalliterature.InChineseAmericanliterature,alotofChineseAmericanwomenwritersliketheauthorofFifthChineseDaughterJadeSnowWonghavemadetheirinsightfulvoicesheardthroughtheirworks.
JadeSnowWonghasbeenpraisedas“themotherofChineseAmericanliterature”byMaxineHongKingstonbecausetheworkFifthChineseDaughterhasinspiredMaxineHongKingstoninherlaterwriting.[7]FifthChineseDaughter,writtenin1945andpublishedin1950whenJadeSnowWongwasattheageof28yearsold,hasbecomeaclassicalworkinthehistoryofAsianAmericanliterature.ThebookhasbeentranslatedintoseveralAsianlanguagesandwasusedas“thebestexampleofChineseAmericanliterature”intheliteratureclassesinAmericanmiddleschools.[7]
InChina,thestudyofChineseAmericanliteraturehasmadegreatprogress,especiallytheworksofMaxineHongKingstonandAmyTan,whilethestudyofJadeSnowWongandherworkFifthChineseDaughterwasscanty.Thosestudiesfallintothreecategories.Thefirstcategoryisaboutthethemeofthenovel,suchasHeYinli’spaper“AThematicStudyOfJadeSnowWong’sFifthChineseDaughter”(2013).ThesecondcategoryfocusesontheanalysisoftheculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesincludingdiet-cultureinthisnovel,likeWangZhenying’sessay“OntheculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesinFifthChineseDaughter”(2012).Thethirdcategoryconcentratesonthecomparisonwithotherworks.Asfortheidentityissue,therearenomanypapersoressaysaboutit.Generallyspeaking,weneedpaymoreattentionstothestudyontheidentityconstructioninFifthChineseDaughter.
ThisnovelnotonlyembodiestheChineseAmericanwoman’sstruggleinacircumstancebetweentwocultures,butalsoreflectsthehardseekingoftheiridentity.Ontheonehand,thoughtheyhavegrownintheUnitedStatesinfluencedbytheAmericanmainstreamvalues,theyarestillpeoplewithChineseculturalbackgroundandphysicalcharacteristicsandsufferfromexclusionanddiscriminationfromthemainstreamsociety;ontheotherhand,inbothAmericaandChina,thepatriarchalsocietywithalongtradition,womenalwaysbelongtothevulnerablegroups.Therefore,asbeingadoublemarginalizedAmericanChinesewoman,shehasastrongdesireforthepursuitofself-identity.FifthChineseDaughterelaboratesAmericanChinesewomanwhosurvivesinthecrackswithalotofconfusiontotheircultureidentityandgenderidentity,revealingChineseAmericanwomenwhoaremarginalizedbythemainstreamsocietyexperiencingculturalcollisionandambivalence.[11]ItisastorythathasmadetheAmericanmainstreamsocietywhichwasmainlydominatedbythenativewhitepeopleknowmoreaboutthelifeoftheAmericanethnicminoritiesatthattime.
ChapterTwoTheOverviewofIdentity
Thetimeoftheappearanceofidentitycangobacktothe1950.ThepsychologistErikEriksonfirstlyintroducedtheword“identity”intothefieldofpsychology,andthencameintothewellknownself-identityconceptandtheory.“Inhisresearch,Eriksonregardstheformationofindividualandgroupidentityastakingplaceprimarilyduringadolescenceandearlyadulthood.Asidentityformationprogresses,adolescentsmakechoiceswithintheconstraintsthatexistinaparticularcontext.Inotherwords,identityreferstotheintegrityandcontinuityofanindividual’spersonality,thevaluesandmodesoflifeanindividualidentifieswith,andthisiscalledanindividualidentity.Onlywhentheconstructofasocietyissimilartoanindividual’spersonalityandcharacterwillidentitybeacknowledgedincommunity.[8]”
Thedefinitionof“identity”inthethirdEditionoftheLongmanDictionaryofContemporaryEnglishis“thequalitiesandattitudesyouhavethatmakeyoufeelyouhaveyourowncharacterandaredifferentfromotherpeople.[5]”ZhangZhongzaiandZhaoYifanbelievethat“Thiswordisalwaysfondtoquestionclosely:
WhoamI?
WhereamIfromandwherewillIgo?
[14]”So,whatistheanswerofsuchquestions?
ToknowwhoIamistofindoutwhereIstand.Theidentityofoneselfisasimpleandcomplicatedissue.Itoftencloselyrelatedtoone’srace,nationality,gender,culture,birthplace,languageandsoon.Themostimportantistheformerthree,theothersarejustsomeoutsidecharacteristics.Asweallknow,wehavedifferentkindsofidentity,suchasnationalidentity,culturalidentity,genderidentity,socialidentity,classidentityandsoon.
InStuartHall’sessay,CulturalIdentityandDiaspora,pointsoutthattherearetwodifferentwaysofthinkingaboutidentity:
oneisonsameness,sharedness,andcontinuitywhiletheotherisondifferencesanddiscontinuities[6].“Identitiesarenoteternallyfixedonsomeessentialpast.[3]”Instead,theyare“subjecttothecontinuous‘play’ofhistory,culture,andpower.[3]”Withthechangesoftheenvironment,theidentitywillunceasinglychange.
Asforthisthesis,theemphasisputsontheanalysisofChineseAmericanwoman’spursuitoftheculturalidentityandgenderidentityinFifthChineseDaughter.“Culturalidentityisconstructedinaprocessduringwhichpeopleidentifythevalues,beliefsandnormsofaculture,andtheninternalizethecultureastheirownself-concept.[2]”OverseasChineseliveinamorecomplicatedsituationbetweentwoorevenmoredifferentworlds.Livingacrosscultures,immigrantsareusuallyhardtofindaproperplaceforthemselves.Theyoftenhave“thefeelingofbeingbetweenworlds,totallyathomenowhere.[10]”AChineseAmericanmaygiveupthebeliefofhisorherAmericanidentitywhichisdeniedbyallthepeopleexceptthemselves.So,itisbecomingmoreandmoresignificantforChineseAmericanstofindawayinthedualculturalworld.Whentheystruggletobalancetheirculturalidentity,itisunavoidableforthemtoadapttoAmericancultureandalsoinsistontheirowntraditionalChineseculture.AndtheproblemofidentityconstructionismorecomplicatedforwomenChineseAmericans,becausetheiridentityinvolvesnotonlytheculturalidentitybutalsothegenderidentity.InthenovelFifthChineseDaughter,JadeSnowWongfindsawaytodealwiththeissueofidentity,andshefinallymakesherselfgainfootholdinAmericansociety.
ChapterThreeJadeSnow’sCulturalIdentityConstruction
3.1ChineseTraditionalCulturalIdentity
AsthesecondgenerationofAmericanChinese,JadeSnowwasbornintheUnitedStates,buthergrowthenvironmentisfulloftheatmosphereofChineseculture.ShelivedinChinatownwhichistotallyisolatedfromAmericansociety.ChinatowncanberegardedasthesubstitutionofChinesecultureintheUnitedStates.Andit’salsoasmallworldthatAmericanpeoplelearnmoreaboutChina.Inthebeginning,theaimofpeoplewhogototheUnitedStatesisforabetterlife.ButthelivingconditioninChinatownisveryhard.Inthenovel,thedescriptionofJadeSnow’sfamilycantellthepovertyofChinatown.WhilethemostimportantpartofChinatownistheChineseculture.Mostofthenovel,theauthortellsustherichChinesecultureincludingtraditionalChineseholidayslikeSpringFestivalandMid-AutumnFestivalcelebration,waysofdoingdeliciousChinesecuisine,specialChineseweddingsandfuneralsandsoon.Inthenovel,thefifthchapteristitled:
“LuckyToBeBornAChinese.”Forallofthis,wecanfindthatJadeSnowWongisproudofChineseculture.
Herfather,influencedbyChineseculture,istheleaderofthefamily,soJadesnow’sfamilyeducationfollowstheChinesetraditionalculture-Confucianism.JadeSnowwaslearningChineseathomewhenshewasalittlegirl,becauseherfatherdecidedtoteachchildrenChineseinsteadofEnglishbeforetheywenttoschool.Hefeltthatnomatterwhereyouare,aChineseshouldcommunicateinChinese.WhenJadeSnowwasachild,almostallpeoplelivingaroundareChineseinChinatown.
Intheprocessofhergrowth,herfatherhasagreatinfluenceonher.Although,likeallparentsinChina,herfatherisverystrictwithJadeSnow,therearestillsomethingsthathelpinJadeSnow’scharactercultivation.Ononeoccasion,JadeSnowandJadePreciousStonewenttotheY.W.C.A.torollbandagesforshipmenttoChinesefrontinthewar[1].Unfortunately,theywenthomealittlelateandtheysufferedwhippingfromtheirfather’shands.ThisteachesJadeSnownottoforgettheimportanceofkeepingthetimeandwordwhichdoesaffectherinherlatterwork.InthedepressionyearwhenJadeSnowwaselevenyearsold,herfathersaidthat“Butitismydesirenottoapplyforrelief,eventhoughwemayneedit.Idonotwantmychildrentoexperiencegettinganythingwithoutfirstworkingforit,fortheymaybecomeselfish,andaselfishpersoncanwandertheworldoverandstillstarveorlackfood.”So,herfatherisapersonwhodon’twanthischildrentobecomeselfishpeople.Hehopeshischildrenmakemoneythoughtheirownefforts.ThereareevenmorestoriesthatinfluenceJadeSnow’spersonalityandmakeherbecomeatranquilandcomposedgirl.
Chinesetraditionalculturealsohasnegativeimpactsliketheimproperwayofteaching.“Teachingandwhippingwerealmostsynonymous.”“Onlythoughpunishmentdidshelearnthatwhatwasproperwasrightandwhatwasimproperwaswron