Amyth-Archetypal Exploration Of Kingston's The Woman Warrior And China Men

Maxine Hong Kingston is the first Chinese American who secures an essential place for Chinese American literature in the mainstream of American culture. Her works feature best in transplanting into the text not only Chinese myths but also western stories. In her representative works The Woman Warrior and China Men, aside from the adaptations of numerous Chinese stories, many archetypes of the adaptations can also be found in Greek mythologies and the Bible stories. In this way, Kingston successfully stirred the shared feelings hidden in the collective unconsciousness of western readers and aroused a strong resonance in their hearts. This is an essential reason why Kingston's works are so widely accepted by the mainstream of American literature. Deeply touched, American readers now better understand the Chinese American's earnest quest for identity and cultural integration and meanwhile come to realize their contributions in the creation of American history.This thesis deals primarily with Kingston's The Woman Warrior and China Men based on the theory of Myth-Archetypal Criticism. Through analyzing Kingston's intentional or unconscious use of universal archetypes and Greek mythology and Bible stories in the two novels, this thesis aims to identify the real reason why Kingston's works could enter the mainstream of American literature. Many critics have long been dwelling upon those Chinese stories in her novels, and believe it is the exotic flavors and mysterious oriental style in the stories that attract the American readers and critics. Yet they may neglect a fact that many archetypes in the works are universal and quite a few can also be traced in Greek mythology and the Bible stories. Contrary to the traditional view, this thesis holds that what really make Kingston's works a big success in American society are not those Chinese stories, but the universal archetypes and the western myths contained in the works. It is these archetypes and myths that grasped the root of human cultures and stuck a responsive chord in American readers'unconscious mind. Chinese tales only serve as a carrier for narration. Meanwhile, this also enables American readers to take a closer look at the survival condition and inner world of Chinese Americans.The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction part, which offers a brief introduction to the author, her major works and their impacts both at home and abroad. Also, the central argument is put forward and the theory of myth-archetypal criticism is clearly stated.Chapter Two tries to explore the hero archetypes contained in the books, which include quest myth and sacrifice archetypes. The functions and values of these archetypes are analyzed at last.Chapter Three discusses the ghost archetypes adopted in the books. The function and values of these archetypes are analyzed.Chapter Four analyzes the archetype of exile included in both two works. The functions and values of such archetype are revealed.Chapter Five is the Conclusion part. This part concluded the main findings of this thesis and the significance of the main findings.