Travel Beyond Boundaries

Tripmaster Monkey:His Fake Book is Maxine Hong Kingston’s first novel which is published in1989. The book is set in Los Angeles in the1960s. It tells the story of Wittman Ah Sing, a young Chinese American hippy who travels around to carry out his ideal of constructing the Pear Garden in the West. The protagonist in the novel claims himself as incarnation of Monkey King in the United States. He intentionally evades military service, writes and produces play, reads aloud on the route, goes on mental trips and intermarries with white girl. He is a poet like Walt Whitman as well as a rebellious figure like Chinese Monkey King. He sets up theatre and directs plays. Through this practice, he transplants and adapts traditional Chinese culture to create new American myths. He revives the cultural tradition of Chinese community and unites all the marginalized people at the mean while. His play and theater reflect the unique contribution that Chinese American has made to American society and culture. The thesis applies the theory of Communitarianism and Postcolonialism as basic research method to study the cross-cultural writing embodied in the novel.The thesis consists of six parts. The first chapter summarizes the research status of Tripmaster Monkey:His Fake Book both at home and abroad. Also it introduces the background of paper selection as well as the study method. The second chapter investigates the writing of traces of Chinese immigrants who come to the United States of America hidden within the novel. Certain historical context is interacted in the analysis. The third chapter takes family and Chinese American organizations as study objects so as to explore Wittman Ah Sing’s effort in reviving the traditional concept of ancestry and families. Chapter four focuses on the social critique within the novel, which is discussed from two sets: fighting against racial prejudice and opposing war.In the fifth Chapter, the concept of "pear garden in the west" and "Monkey king of the United States" proposed by Maxine Hong Kingston in the novel is mainly analyzed. The discussion basically includes the main idea and connotation extending of "Pear Garden in the West". As a core figure in the novel, Monkey king of the United States becomes a trip master who breaks the boundaries between Chinese and American culture. Thus, the pursuit of cultural identity is further discussed. As a matter of fact, all the Chinese stories and cultural tradition mentioned in the novel are full of realistic significance. For, with no exception, they hint at contemporary realist themes and serve Kingston’s reflective critical attitude toward issues facing the United States. Chapter six draws a conclusion of the whole paper integrating the previous analysis of historical, racial, cultural and social factors. Thus Maxine Hong Kingston’s practice in creating American myth is highly valued.