Deconstruction Of Chinese American Stereotypes And Reconstruction Of Chinese American Male Subjectivity In Frank Chin's Works

Frank Chin, a versatile, prolific and radical Chinese American writer, has been called "the founder of Asian American literature" for his unique contribution. Through his works, Chin endeavors to subvert biased racial stereotypes imposed on Asian Americans, especially on male Chinese Americans. Frank Chin classifies racist stereotypes into two types according to their different functions: stereotype of racist hate and that of racist love. The former with Fu Manchu as an example is made to warn white Americans to stay away from the mysterious heathen Oriental race as well as to arouse the self-contempt within the Chinese American community; while the latter is to assimilate and acculturate Chinese Americans as their silent eunuchs, like the "model citizen"-Charlie Chan. In most of his works, Chin has employed literary techniques ranged from satire to parody to deconstruct biased stereotypes and finally to attack racists with his radical and pungent letters.While deconstructing the inauthentic Chinese American stereotypes, Frank Chin has observed the emasculated situation of Chinese Americans caused by white cultural hegemony as well as Chinese Americans' enculturation and urge to be accepted. Therefore, Frank Chin aims to reconstruct Chinese American male subjectivity to empower the long-repressed minority group. Chin starts the reconstruction with the creation of a Chinese American vernacular exclusively for Chinaman. Then Frank Chin resorts to Chinese history and original culture and rediscovers an alternative masculine Chinese American history that has been deliberately erased by the dominant white class. Chin also rereads and interprets Chinese heroic traditions such as The Romance of Three Kingdoms and The Water Margin and sets the legendary heroic figure Kwan Kung to be the almighty "Father" which represents the laws and rules of Chinese culture. Frank Chin calls for all Chinese Americans to follow the "Father" and bind themselves to the law of Chinesetraditional culture so as to revive their male subjectivity and take revenge against white cultural hegemony. Moreover, Chin portrays a number of masculine Chinese American characters to replace effeminate stereotypes as Chinese male icons.In short, Frank Chin seeks to subvert distorted racial stereotypes imposed upon Chinese Americans and to reconstruct Chinese American male subjectivity as well as acknowledge Chinese history and culture. This thesis is aimed to demonstrate how Frank Chin pursues his goal through his literary works.