Representation Of Multiculturalism In The Love Wife

It cannot be denied that in the recent decades the notion of "multiculturalism" has more and more captured the imagination of scholars and the public alike. As a consequence of the Civil Rights movement and the following campaigns such as women's liberation movement, anti-war movement, student upheavals and Minority Rights movement, the notion of "multiculturalism" emerged in the USA since 1960s. Since the 1990s multiculturalism has been widely accepted and become a considerably significant force in every area of American society, which creates a favorable social environment for all ethnic minorities including Chinese American writers.Among the new generation of Chinese American writers, Gish Jen is universally regarded as a rising star who is daring enough to write about the things that have never been touched on by previous Chinese writer. Jen witnessed the formation and the rise of American multiculturalism and has become a steadfast proponent of multiculturalism. In her works Jen gives her deep thought over multiracial America, strongly voicing her support of the doctrine of multiculturalism, which encourages the harmonious tolerance and coexistence of different cultures. This thesis intends to explore Jen's strategies of creating multicultural coexistence by analyzing her latest novel The Love Wife published in 2004.After a brief introduction to the identity problems reflected in Chinese American literature, Chapter One shows a brief survey of multiculturalism, Gish Jen's life, her works as well as the expression of multiculturalism in her novels. In the process of defining Chinese American identity, each Chinese American writer employs a different strategy. Gish Jen distinguishes herself among Chinese American writers. She tries to redefine American identity through putting forwards the concept of identity fluidity in the multicultural society. Jen insists that one should cast away the irrational prejudice against other cultures, interacting with other ethnic groups while maintaining their own individual characteristics.Chapter Two discusses Jen's strategies of making a new American family with harmonious multiracial coexistence. Jen delineates in detail the process in which the Wong family members experience their own identity problems as well as cultural clash. By deconstructing stereotypical thinking and racial prejudice, Jen leads the reader to arrive at the conclusion that people of different races can be held together in a family either by blood or just by love. Chapter Three centers on the technique skills Jen employed in The Love Wife, which intends to explore how Jen makes use of plot arrangements and narrative techniques to serve the theme of her novel.