From Conflict To Reconciliation: An Interpretation Of The Chinese-american Father-son Conflict

Jamie Ford is regarded as one of the newly-rising stars in Chinese Americanliterature in the21stcentury and his debut novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter andSweet soon caused quite a stir in the literary world after its publication. Followingthe love story between Henry and Keiko, this thesis analyses the conflicts betweenthe fathers and the sons shown in the novel, explores the reasons for the conflictsand the resolution of the conflicts, that is, the construction of a harmoniousrelationship between the father and the son.This thesis is divided into three chapters. Chapter One explores the father-sonconflicts between Henry and his father from the perspectives of cultural values,cultural identities and racial bias. Henry s father holds the traditional ChineseConfucian thoughts while Henry, though born in a traditional Chinese family, hashalf-westernized cultural ideas due to the influence of American education.Henry s father keeps his Chinese way of life and becomes a marginal “other” inthe American society, while Henry feels puzzled about his identity and is a rootlessoutsider. On racial problems, Henry s father is a radical nationalist while Henry sracial ideas are more harmonious and mild. Henry believes that people of differentraces can live together peacefully. Chapter Two analyzes the reasons for thefather-son conflicts. Firstly, the big differences between the traditional Chineseculture and the American culture are the basic reason for the father-son conflicts.The Chinese culture is family-centered and inward, whereas the American cultureis individual-centered and outward. Distinctive cultural characteristics bring forth contradictive ideas on some problems, which give rise to clashes between Henryand his father. Secondly, for lack of family memory, Henry misreads his father,which worsens their conflicts. Then, negative emotions and language barrierhinder their communication so as to deteriorate their relationship. Finally, thefather-son relationship is complex and vulnerable in nature, and the son usuallyholds an innate hostility to his father, which easily results in serious father-sonclashes. Chapter Three explores the construction of a harmonious father-sonrelationship. In terms of cultural identity, Henry and his son Marty construct aThird Space where the Chinese culture and the American culture hybridize witheach other. Henry and Marty ultimately find their proper cultural location: they areAmerican with Chinese blood and Chinese personalities in their hearts. Meanwhile,Henry ultimately eliminates his confusion of racial problems, and constructs theidea of racial syncretism. Finally, with the natural bond of blood tie, Henry andMarty really understand each other through communication. The conflicts betweenthe father and the son are finally solved.The study shows that through the construction of proper cultural identity, theelimination of negative racial bias and the strengthening of understanding, theChinese-American father-son conflicts can be resolved and a harmoniousfather-son relationship can be constructed.