A Study On Violet’s Identity In The Valley Of Amazement From The Perspective Of Postcolonial Feminism

Amy Tan is one of the most representative Asian American writers,the identity issues of the diaspora have always been the core of Tan’s novels.The Valley of Amazement is Amy Tan’s latest blockbuster which is published in 2013,it depicts the living conditions of the marginal groups who lived in Shanghai concession.The protagonist Violet is a half-breed lives in the threshold.Under the intervention of patriarchy and colonialism,Violet’s identification presents an ambivalent,fluctuating and dynamic characteristic.From the perspective of postcolonial feminism,this thesis analyzes Violet’s identity as a half-breed woman by utilizing close reading.It mainly consists of five parts.The first part provides a brief introduction to the author and the novel,the previous literature reviews,together with the purpose and significance of this thesis.The second part analyzes Violet’s predicaments as both the Other of gender and race.Gendered “the Other” is reflected in Violet’s identity as an objectified courtesan and an aphasic wife.Racial “the Other” is manifested in two aspects.From the external perspective,Violet is ostracized by both Eastern and Western community.While from the internal perspective,Violet constantly draws boundary from Oriental society,she blindly pursues the white identity and tries to sever the cultural connections with the Orient,it is an act of self-marginalization.In the third part,this thesis analyzes the reasons for Violet’s identity predicaments,which are patriarchy and racism.Patriarchal regulations on femininity and gender roles are the main causes of Violet’s gender predicaments.Racism is the main reason for Violet’s racial predicaments.On the external level,racism leads to racial discrimination and xenophobia,which causes the repulsion and exclusion of Violet by different communities.On individual’s psychological level,the racist stereotype is the main reason for Violet’s self-marginalization,it is the manifestation of colonial epistemic violence.The fourth part analyzes the strategies of Violet’s identity construction.Through the establishment of gender harmony and sisterhood,Violet constructs female subjectivity.At the same time,Violet achieves the identification of a hybrid identity through mimicry and cultural hybridity,this part also illustrates the significance of Violet’identification.The last part is the conclusion.As a representative of half-breed,Violet suffers multiple oppression from gender,race,and social ethics.The reasons for her predicaments derive from colonialism and patriarchy,fundamentally speaking,it’s culture difference.Such difference is used by dominated group to establish cultural hierarchy and practice autocracy.While Violet’s construction of her subjectivity and hybrid identity reveal that,identity should not be constructed on fixity and polarity,it is not the recognition of a pre-given identity,but a fluctuating process,which is constantly disturbed,revised,and supplemented.Cultural difference should not be a mark to practice aggression,exclusion and oppression,it should be respected because difference is the driven force for culture to maintain vitality and prosperity.As the entity of difference,the half-breed should be recognized and respected,because they are the members of cosmopolitan.