A Thematic Study Of Jade Snow Wong’s Fifth Chinese Daughter

Jade Snow Wong is the first Chinese-American writer widely recognized by thewhite American society and also a historical writer in the history of Chinese Americanhistory. Her works,Fifth Chinese Daughter, as the important works of early ChineseAmerican literature made great success on its publishing in America, which is of greatcreativity and pioneering significance. This novel became the important precursor ofautobiographical novels written by the new generation Chinese American femalewriter like Amy tan, etc. It is also the important text for us today to study the historyof Chinese American literature, society. This thesis mainly does a systemic study onthe theme of Fifth Chinese. Through research, we can better understand why it is agreat success in the United States, and learn more about Chinatown in the UnitedStates and the life of Chinese in her life, which provides a new perspective to enhancefurther understanding of Chinese American literature.The whole thesis is divided into five parts.The introduction part is mainly to define "American Chinese literature". Theauthor thinks that Chinese American literature refers to works created by Chinese withAmerican nationality. It discusses the status of Jade Snow Wong in Chinese Americanliterature, the research status of the study on Fifth Chinese Daughter done byacademic circles at home and abroad in recent years and the intention of the authorwriting this paper.The first chapter discusses the theme of "American dream". It mainly traces theorigin of the term "American dream" to explain the "American dream" in combinationwith the "American dream" in the different historical periods and the reflections in different historical period of the literary works. Then make a detailed analysis onbackground, conditions, and characteristics of Jade Snow pursuit of happiness throughpersonal efforts to achieve the implementation of the "American dream" in his worksas well as how they are manifested in the works in Fifth Chinese Daughter.Interpretation the "American dream" and the efforts the author made in the process ofrealizing the dream to illustrate the difficulties of Chinese Americans to achieve theAmerican dream.The second chapter expatiates on the theme "identity". In combination with thecultural identity theory and through exploring the identity of Jade Snow, pride inChinese identity—deconstruction of Chinese identity—realization of ChineseAmerican identity—dual identity construction, analyze the construction of doubleidentity of Jade Snow Wong, and interpret Jade Snow Wong’s expectation of trying tofind a balance between American and Chinese culture, that is, Chinese American isnot only American but Chinese and the two identities can co-exist. Meanwhile fromthe angle of female identity, through interpreting the successful process and facts ofJade Snow, discuss the awakening of female consciousness in Jade Snow and that sherepresents a real Chinese female image. Emphasize that only when women constructfemale subjectivity, highlight the women’s self-consciousness, and show their fightagainst the patriarchal domination and racial discrimination can they find self andseek the relatively stable sense of self and sense of presence.The third chapter illustrates the theme of "China complex". Chinese Americanwriters with a dual identity have a strong Chinese complex. But as a new generationof Chinese American writers born in the United States, they have a hard life living inthe two kinds of cultural conflict and collision between China and America, lookingfor a way out. It is hard to for them to express their own Chinese complex to thefullest extent. Therefore, these Chinese American writers writing in the Englishlanguage will combine their motherland’s culture and the culture, customs and historyof the host countries together, expressing in the language of the country, whichendows the culture of the motherland with brand new significance, and express theirChinese complex in the text. This thesis mainly discusses the representation of China complex in Fifth Chinese through the writer’s description of the ritualized family lifeand family consciousness in Chinatown society.The conclusion part summarizes the whole thesis, and reiterates the viewpointof this paper.