Study On The Initiation Theme In Mona In The Promised Land

Gish Jen(1955-)is one of the famous contemporary Chinese American writers.This thesis takes Jen's second novel Mona in the Promised Land(1996)as research object.It describes Mona's special journey in her growing up in the context of multicultural America.As a second generation Chinese American girl,Mona's initiation focuses on the exploration of cultural identity.This thesis attempts to study the initiation theme in Mona in the Promised Land from the following five parts.Chapter one firstly has an introduction about the writer Gish Jen and the contents of Mona in the Promised Land.Then comes the literature review.Most of the scholars abroad and at home study from the perspectives of fluid identity views,intercultural relations,mother and daughter relationship,only a few critics have studied initiation theme.And the previous study have provided great value for this thesis.The third part is about the origin,development,definition,and characteristics of initiation story.Mona in the Promised Land meets the characteristics of initiation story,and also has its own unique initiation theme.Chapter two concerns the important figures in Mona's initiation story,namely,initiation protagonist,initiation guides(positive and negative),initiation companies.These figures are important elements in Mona's initiation story.Rabbi Horowitz and Seth's stepmother Bea are Mona's positive guides.Rabbi Horowitz gives Mona instructions on her conversion.Bea provides economic support and psychological comfort when Mona runs away from home.Mother Helen is Mona's negative guide.Helen wants Mona to be an obedient daughter.Mona desires freedom and independent so that she has no choice but to leave home to discover herself.Jewish Barbara,Seth and elder sister Callie are Mona's initiation companies.They all experience some changes in ethnic identity.Barbara and Seth play an important role in arousing Mona's female body consciousness and female sexual consciousness.Chapter three is the highlights of the initiation theme of this novel.It starts from the contents or process of Mona's initiation story,investigates Mona's pursuit of her cultural identity and the adventures or experiments that happen in the progress,which consist of the peculiarities of the initiation theme.The first part of this chapter deals with Mona's conversion to Judaism and her practice of identity performance.Through these,she recognizes that ethnic identity is fluid and people can choose it freely.The second part of this chapter interprets Mona's social ideal embodied in the Camp Gugelstein,in which people with different ethnic backgrounds can live together equally and harmoniously.The failure of it makes Mona realize that racial discrimination still exists in multi-cultural American society.Mona loses her innocence.Chapter four analyzes the important initiation rituals that Mona experiences in her growing up,the autobiographical feature of this novel,and the open-ending.All of these elements belong to the initiation story.The first part of this chapter explores rituals such as abandoning Chinese food and fitting in Jewish food,setting out and wedding ceremony.Each of them has symbolic meaning and indicates that Mona enters into a new stage of life.The creation of Mona in the Promised Land is influenced by author Jen's growing experiences which makes it autobiographical.This novel has an open-ending.Readers look forward to the new generation to see how they are played out.Chapter five makes a conclusion.Through varied experiences,Mona has a new understanding about American society and about the relations among different ethnics.Mona turns to be a Catholic American Jew.She becomes a mature female and achieves her socialization.By studying the initiation theme in Mona in the Promised Land,readers have a better knowledge about Jen's understanding on Chinese American girl's cultural identity pursuit in growing up.Meanwhile,it arouses people's attention on Chinese American teenager's initiation.