An Analysis Of Cultural Memory And Identity Construction In Dreaming In Cuban And The Agüero Sisters

Cristina Garcia’s first and second novels, Dreaming in Cuban and The Agüero Sisters are the classical works in the Hispanic American literature. Since their publication, Dreaming in Cuban and The Agüero Sisters have attracted scholars’ attention. Guided by the cultural memory, the thesis analyzes the two novels systematically from three levels—the cultural plight, the cultural memory and the cultural construction.Firstly, on the basis of close reading of texts, the thesis discusses various conflicts between couples, between seniors and juniors and between brothers and sisters due to the changing survival circumstance, the disappearance of the familiar social framework of communicative memory and the inefficient communication with the new community, and then probes into cultural reasons why the original growth memory collides with the present communicative memory.Secondly, the thesis deals with the problems of cultural memory of the Cuban Americans from three angles—the plot-design, the narration and the characterization; finds out the influence the memory culture, such as the magical elements and the Cuban religion—Santeria, exerts on the development of the plots and unveils the relationship between Garcia’s bicultural background and the characterization of the novels.Thirdly, the thesis focuses on the gradual progress of the Cuban Americans melting into the American culture and probes into Garcia’s ideas about the identity-construction of Cuban Americans.Finally, on the basis of the above interpretation, analysis and discussion, the thesis points out the social significance of the two novels in the process of the cultural identity-pursuit of Cuban Americans and the construction of the ethnic culture, and reveals the practical significance of how the immigrants of different cultures should transmit, accept and melt into the bicultural traditions of the homeland and the adopted homeland.