From Marginality To Hybridity: A Study Of Amy Tan And Gish Jen

In the last two decades, Chinese American literature has made unprecedented progress. There emerges a new generation of creative and influential Chinese American writers, whose works receive much acclaim from the readership. For example, Amy Tan, whose first novel The Joy Luck Club was enthusiastically received by critics and the public, is generally acknowledged as another living legend after Kingston in the development of Chinese American literature. Gish Jen, another representative figure of these new generation writers, published her debut novel Typical American in 1991, which is widely believed to have gone beyond the dilemma of cultural identity.The unprecedented progress of Chinese American literature is accompanied with the development of economic globalization and multiculturalism. People with ethnic and cultural hybrid identity perform a more and more important role in the communication and corporation of world economy and culture, which raises the social status of Chinese Americans and frees them from the dilemma of ethnic and cultural identity. Multiculturalism influences and enriches the contents, themes and perspectives of Chinese American literature. Amy Tan, Gish Jen and other new generation Chinese American writers are inspired and influenced by the current of multiculturalism spreading out in the Unite States. The transformation and trend reflected in the works of the new generation writers represents the new trend of contemporary Chinese American literature.Although all the new generation Chinese American writers are affected by the trend of multiculturalism, the ways they demonstrate this trend in their works are not always the same. Especially if we make a comparison between Amy Tan and Gish Jen. They are very different in style and theme when writing their works. In the sense of representing culture, Amy Tan can be thought as a connecting link between the preceding and the following in this new trend, whose works inherited many characteristics such as exoticism, talk-story, family relationship and cultural conflicting from the traditional Chinese American literature, at the same time she avoids stereotypes of Chinese women and develops the thoughts of cultural communication. Gish Jen, on the other hand, steps over the Chinese American literature tradition and marches directly into a multicultural realm, in her books there is not a single trace of mahjong tiles which represents Chinese culture but American stories full of humor and wit.As a matter of fact, the difference of styles and themes between Tan and Jen is a reflection of the diversification of Chinese American literature creations of the new trend. Tan's storytelling style and mother-daughter relationship theme are inheritance and development of traditional Chinese American literature. Whereas, Jen's American story of humor is an exploration of Chinese American literature. Despite of the distinction of styles and themes between Amy Tan and Gish Jen's works, they share characteristics in common, which demonstrate the transformation and trend of Chinese American literature inspired and influenced by multiculturalism. This thesis is thus going to discuss three aspects of the transformation and trend represented by the above-mentioned authors: cultural sensibility, pursuit of dream in American and hybridity of Chinese American identity.The first chapter will analyze and compare cultural sensibilities expressed in The Joy Luck Club and Typical American. Cultural sensibility is the cultural sense or characteristics expressed in literature works. Chinese American literature generally has the senses of both Chinese culture and American culture. Expression of Chinese culture sensibility is demonstrated by exhibiting Chinese cultural characteristics in literature works, such as mahjong, Chinese fairy tales and stories, Chinese customs and storytelling style, which is a remarkable characteristic of Tan's works. On contrary, Jen expressed more American culture sensibility by American characteristics such as, split-level house, convertible car, ball games, and stories of contemporary American minorities that are witty and full of humor.The second chapter will discuss the pursuit of dream in America. Every Chinese American immigrant held a dream when they came to America, so in most Chinese American literature works there are depictions of pursuit of dreams in America in variable forms. This chapter will illustrate new trend of pursuit of dreams in American and the reconstruction of American dream in the context of multiculturalism by analyzing the description of pursuit of dreams depicted in both works.The third chapter will discuss the hybridity of Chinese American identity. Chinese American is a hybrid identity, which is neither Chinese identity nor American identity. Chinese Americans used to suffer the marginality because of the hybrid identity in the society of"Melting Pot"or cultural assimilation. The concept of"Salad Bowl"and multiculturalism gradually changes the marginal status of Chinese American's hybrid identity. This chapter will analyze the marginality of hybrid identity and the prospect of hybrid identity in both works.In general, accompanied with the transformation of American society from"Melting Pot"to"Salad Bowl", Chinese American and Chinese American literature are experiencing delightful transformations. Chinese American literature shows diversification in its styles and themes, and is growing towards maturity. The hybrid identity of Chinese Americans becomes popular. The status of Chinese American literature is also improving, and gets more attention and recognition from American society. So to speak, both Chinese Americans and Chinese American literature will finally cast away their marginal images and in a sense enter the mainstream in the multicultural American society.