The Identity Dilemma In Following The Wrong God Home

Following the Wrong God Home is another best seller of Catherine Lim, one of the most influential writers in Singapore today. Its great significance to reality wins attention from critics despite its controversy. At present there haven’t been any researches targeting this work in China yet. In this paper, identity theory would be employed to investigate the identity dilemma of Yin Ling, the heroine, in an attempt to present the Singaporeans’identity anxiety under the background of globalization and to further the understanding of Singapore society today.This novel attempts to present Yin Ling’s search for sense of belonging through revolving around Yin Ling’s love and marriage between two men:her Singaporean fiance Vincent and the American professor Ben. Being born in a family of hybrid culture, Yin Ling has moments of tension with her mother, a devout Christian while maintaining intimacy with the old servant, an advocate of traditional culture. On one hand, Yin Ling has been absorbed in the old servant’s reminiscences of old stories about China, Chinese gods, and superstitious activities. On the other hand, she has been accepting English higher education. Her growth adventure based upon inter-cultural background is an epitome of Singapore. Yin Ling’s emotional experience together with the homeless god’s way home becomes the track to the whole story. Yin Ling’s identity issue involves three aspects:cultural identity, ethnic group identity and gender role identity. Her identity anxiety is actually conveyed through three binary oppositions in her marriage life:the East and the West, the self and the other, female and male. These mutually opposing but closely independent factors are the exact representation of her identity dilemma. The three pairs of oppositions don’t exist in isolation, they are mutually interrelated. This paper manages to investigate into the root causes of the heroine’s identity issue. The reasons to be discussed could be brought under three main factors. The hybridity of her growth environment, shocks of multiple values and suppression from the patriarchal society contribute to her struggle. The homeless state of the god mirrors her lack of belongingness. Yin Ling is unconsciously attracted by the old servant’s story about China and turns to her for comfort and support. This is the corollary of the ingraining of ethnic culture in her mind. However, as a master immersed in English culture, it is inevitable that she is stamped with western culture, being independent, brave but at the same time being lost in the influence of materialism and pragmatism. The suppression of feminine talents and awareness under the patriarchal society deprives her of making a clear idea of knowing her own values. Her continuous reflections and pursuit of the self finally help her to reconstruct her identity.