Becoming The Carriers Of "Chop-Suey": Diasporans' Cultural Identities In Typical American

Typical American, Gish Jen's maiden work, is a New York Times notable book and a finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Award. The author of the thesis intends to explore Chinese American diasporans' cultural identities in this novel from the perspective of diaspora criticism.Positing diasporan's cultural identity around twin vectors of being and becoming, Stuart Hall holds that difference persists in and alongside continuity in their construction of cultural identity. He is hostile to every essentialist strategy, which adopts stubborn identification with homeland culture or total assimilation of hostland culture to maintain pure and stable cultural identity. He suggests that diasopran should link essences from homeland with fundamentals from hostland and take changing and transcultural routes to achieve fluid and diverse cultural identities.The thesis is composed of three chapters. Chapter one focuses on Chinese American diasporans the Changs' sojourners' mentalities: being alienated by the hostile racial prejudice in America, the Changs isolate themselves from American influence and struggle to seek root in Chinese essences: Confusion moralism and familism. With such efforts, they keep Chinese cultural identity with fundamentalist emphasis on rootedness, origin and purity. Chapter two expounds their positive assimilating American values: being haunted by the sense of rootlessness under cultural repression in America, the Changs come to transform themselves into disciples of American values: materialism and individualism. Such transformation shapes their cultural identity with discontinuity and fluidity. But while prizing American fundamentals, still they keep essentialist cultural identity highlighting unity, purity and singularity. Chapter three exposes their fluid and transcultural routes: discarding essential essences and roots, the Changs come to link Chinese norms with American values and commute flexibly between them. By boasting multiple essences at once and refusing hegemony from either part at leisure, the Changs are becoming the carriers of "chop-suey": embracing cross-cultural identities characterized by rupture and hybridity as well as fluidity and flexibility.Through careful analysis of Chinese American diasporans' cultural identities in the light of diaspora criticism, the thesis is expected to enhance the understanding of Jen's opinion of diasoprans' cultural identities as well as draw more attention of readers and critics to justify Typical American 's outstanding position in the literary world.