The Way To Sorrowfree

Amy Tan is one of the famous Chinese American writers in the world who has got various awards since the publication of her maiden work The Joy Luck Club. The Kitchen God's Wife is the second novel of Amy Tan. It has attracted much attention since its publication. Many critics read the novel from the perspectives of multiculturalism, post colonialism, themes, narratives and feminism, etc. Almost no person makes analysis of it from the aspect of Bildungsroman according to the materials available to us. This paper aims to make analysis of the three stages of the main character Winnie's growth by using the theory of Bildungsroman.There are three parts in this thesis, including the introduction, the main body and the conclusion. The main body consists of three chapters. Introduction gives a brief introduction to the author Amy Tan, the novel The Kitchen God's Wife and the theory of Bildungsroman. The central argument of the thesis is also given in this part. Chapter One mainly discusses the innocence of Winnie in the hierarchical families from three aspects—daughter of double second, outsider in uncle's family and blind follower in the first marriage. With the analysis, the ignorance of Winnie is clear. Chapter Two mainly talks about the stage when Winnie lingers over a complete break with the old life, pointing out that the reason of her hesitation lies not only in herself, but also in the times and the people around her. Chapter Three mainly deals with the choices Winnie made for the new life and the reason of her maturity. The part of Conclusion gives a summary of the previous content, pointing out that the novel is a Bildungsroman which reflects a bildung process of the female protagonist. Winnie's bildung is the result of the ordeals she experienced, the guidance of her mother and the influence of her companions.