"Self" And "Other"

As early as the year of 1849, when substantial numbers of Chinese firstly set foot on America, the face-to-face communication and encounters began between the Chinese immigrants and the Native Americans. In the historical and cultural context of the 19^th century, Chinese immigrants appeared in the American literary works. The writings of Chinese immigrants demonstrate their differences while they share some characteristics in the description of Chinese immigrants.With Imagology or Image Studies and theories of Orientalism as theoretical guidance, this thesis is intended for making a systematical survey of the works of three classic American writers, many of whose writings focus on Chinese men—Francis Bret Hart, Mark Twain, and Jack London, so that native American writers' psychological motivations and deep cultural structures in their creation can be revealed. This thesis consists of three chapters.Chapter One explores Francis Bret Harte's well-known poem Plain Language from Truthful James and short story Wan Lee, the Pagan. Through analyzing Harte's description of Chinese immigrants' oddness represented in Harte's stories: their strange behavior, dress, speech and culture with local color Chinese, the thesis reveals the fact that Harte actually take the Chinese immigrants as "other." Acceptance of "other" is the relationship between "other" and "self."Chapter Two examines Chinese immigrants in two categories of Mark Twain's writings: his journalistic writings and literary writings. Twain's interpretation of Chinese immigrants reveals his changing views about the Chinese from sympathizing with the persecuted Chinese "Other" to concerning himself with the fate of China, until eventually becoming the spokesman of anti-imperialism. Mark Twain actually intends to satirize American "self by describing Chinese immigrants "other," which reflects a second relationship between "other" and "self."Chapter Three focuses on Jack London, whose six short stories of Chinese protagonists are particularly imbued with cultural significance and whose other stories reflect the characteristics of naturalistic writings. Jack London is much influenced by Nietzsche's philosophy of "Superman" and "the White's Superiority." His negative portrayals of the Chinese betray his racial tendency and racialism. Jack London's attitude toward the Chinese represents a third relationship between "other' and "self."This thesis draws a conclusion that the Chinese image in American literature have grown into a stereotype and the description of the Chinese as "Other" by the three canonical authors, in essence, is intended for representing the writers "Self." However, in the inter-action between "self and "other," the three writers' writings demonstrate different types of relations between cultural attitudes and image patterns. Finally, the author of this thesis expresses her belief that in the context of the globalization, reexamination and reconsideration of Chinese image as "other" in American literature would surely promote the understanding and development of Chinese "Self."...