The Wanderer Between Imagination And Reality

Amy Tan, considered as one of the famous Asian American writers, plays an important role in the field of Asian American Literature. The study of her third novel, The Hundred Secret Senses, can be categorized as ethnic study, gender study, and cultural study, etc.The paper employs the postcolonial theory and focuses on the protagonist Kwan, the wanderer between imaginary world and real world, to expose the identity searching journey. It includes four chapters. Chapter one briefly introduces the author, the novel, the postcolonial theory, and literature review. Chapter two is a detailed analysis on the"Otherness"of Kwan by applying the notion of"Other"by Said. In chapter three, in the parallel of two worlds—China and America on the surface, but imagination and reality between lines—Kwan endeavors her identity searching journey in three aspects—female identity; ethnic identity; and national identity. Chapter four is the conclusion.