| The focus of this dissertation is on the revisions and redefinitions of the Bildungsroman by Maxine Hong Kingston, Toni Morrison, Sandra Cisneros, Tomas Rivera, and Leslie Marmon Silko. I argue that through their revisions these writers seek to fill in the gap in the dominant discourse that ignores or suppresses the ethnic, racial, gender, and class narratives of minorities. Acutely conscious of received notions of stereotypical behavior of minority groups that are promoted by the hegemonic society, these writers deconstruct such stereotypes in their Bildungsromane, emphasizing interminority and intraminority heterogeneity and multiplicity.;Some of the revisions of the traditional Bildungsroman by these writers include a reformulation of the classic image of a solitary protagonist on an autonomous mission of self-discovery; recharting the typical mobility narrative; emphasizing the development of a protagonist's ethnic and political identities; juxtaposing the anti-Bildung or "growing down" narrative with the narrative of growth; incorporating various characteristics from their ethnic cultural heritage like oral storytelling, folklore, myth, and ritual; underscoring the political intent as the marginalized protagonists demand equal participation in American society not only for themselves but for their entire ethnic group, making the Bildungsroman a site of cultural and political resistance and contestation for minorities. More than just an exercise in aesthetic experimentation, the revisions of the traditional Bildungsroman by writers of color have rejuvenated it, making it a vibrant, dynamic, and syncretic form that is capable of reflecting the multifaceted experiences of growing up as a minority in an oppressive society. |
