A Study Of Alienation And Self-identification In If We Dream Too Long

As one of the pioneers in Singapore literature in English, Goh Poh Seng cares considerably about people’s living state in post-colonial Singaporean society. His first novel If We Dream Too Long concerning individual’s alienation and isolation is regarded as the first Singaporean novel in English. It depicts various Singaporean lives which are full of doubt and uncertainty not long after its independence. With the development of conversation and exchange between China and ASEAN countries, there have already been scholars in China paying attention to Singapore literature, but due to the scarcity of the studies on Singapore literature in English, so far, there are still no critics who analyze the novel in China.In reading the novel, the writer of this thesis recognizes the theme of alienation. Through the application of Marx, Fromm and Existentialists’theories on alienation to the analysis of the alienation in the character Kwang Meng, the thesis exposes the living condition of ordinary Singaporeans and the social realities in Singapore after its independence in1965, hence offering a new direction for the future researchers.Alienation is one of the most recurrently encountered themes in the literature history. In the early20th century, the modernist movement greatly changed the way that literature was perceived in western culture. Many writers explore people’s alienation from different aspects and present various pictures of spiritual crisis in human psychology. Through the help of the theory of alienation, the thesis interprets the theme of alienation in If We Dream Too Long from three aspects. First of all, it examines the manifestations of the character Kwang Meng’s alienation, which include alienation from the self, from interpersonal relationship and from the outside world. Moreover, it analyzes the causes of Kwang Meng’s alienation. The combination of the individual internal elements with the external realities contributes to the estrangement of the character. Finally, it suggests the approaches for the character to deal with the alienation. Fromm believes that work and love are the most effective ways to overcome alienation. Through reconciling to the outside world and taking the responsibilities for his family, Kwang Meng begins his journey of self-identification and finally finds the meanings of life.After further analysis, the present thesis purports that Goh’s work reflects the social realities of Singapore in the late1960s, such as interpersonal indifference, loneliness and spiritual crisis. All these are worth serious thinking. The inner world and the nature of human beings having been given full display in his work, Goh tends to write about the ordinary. Through his unique perspective, he shows his deep concern and sympathy to the marginal men and the outsiders in the society. By reflecting the specific reality of Singapore in his work, Goh aims to stimulate his fellow people to devote more thinking and concern to the contemporary and the future, hence creating a better Singapore state.