Historicity Of Text

Amy Tan,born in 1952,is one of the first Chinese American writers of the 20 th century following Maxine Hong Kingston.She has been known as “the excellent writer with rare talent” and “the master of story-telling.” Amy Tan takes her second-generation Chinese immigrant identity and her relationship with her mother as her inspiration and source of literary creation.In her works,she vividly reflects the fierce emotional conflict between first generation Chinese immigrant mothers and second generation Chinese American daughters in the complicated mother-daughter relationship as well as how Chinese Americans rediscover dual identities.Amy Tan won the National Book Award with her first novel The Joy Luck Club in 1991.The Bonesetter's Daughter is thought to be a mostly autobiographical and profound masterpiece that deals with mother-daughter relationship among Chinese immigrants.It tells about the stories of three generations in different historical circumstances in the form of a semi-autobiography,thus it has a certain historical significance.Within the important concept of New Historicism,the “historicity of text” notices the dynamic connection between texts and their historical backgrounds.It holds the belief that text,as the product of social history,reflects history,while it will also actively participate in the construction of social history at the same time.This paper will take Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter as the research text;the “historicity of text,” as the structural support,and analyze the reflection and construction of the text in relation to the relevant social history from three perspectives: gender,culture,and race.The first part mainly discusses the “historicity of text” from the perspective of gender,reflecting the subordination of Chinese American women in histor y and participating in the establishment of Chinese American women's emancipation.On the one hand,gender oppression on the mother and daughter in different historical background,that is,Precious Auntie's silence in Chinese feudal patriarchal society and Ruth's selective muteness in American patriarchal society reflect the dual subordinate positions of which Chinese women cannot escape in history,which embodies that text,as a product of history,presents history.On the other hand,grandmother Precious Auntie suffers from the pain of physical silence,but never surrenders to the oppression of Chinese patriarchal society.The heroine Ruth gives up writing for others as a “ghostwriter” and chooses to write the story of herself and her family,which reflects the establishment of her female ascendancy.Females' resistance to gender oppression of these two generations is also conducive to the establishment of female liberation,which reflects the constructing role of the text.The second part mainly discusses the “historicity of text” from the perspective of culture,revealing the cultural dilemma of Chinese Americans caused by the infiltration of American mainstream culture in history and participating in the construction of hybrid culture.On the one hand,Lu Ling,the first-generation Chinese immigrant mother,sticks to her Chinese-ness in the United States and suffers “silence” in the mainstream American culture.Ruth,the second-generation Chinese immigrant daughter,resists the Chinese nature in her blood heritage and tries to get rid of the Chinese-ness represented by her mother Lu Ling and her Chinese identity,so as to integrate into white American mainstream society.However,as a Chinese American,Ruth cannot be truly accepted by mainstream white American culture,reflecting the dual cultural dilemma of Chinese immigrants in history,embod ying that text,as a product of history,is the reflection of history.On the other hand,after experiencing numerous miseries and hardships,Lu Ling's harmonious relationship with her daughter also symbolizes that she breaks through the dilemma of the long-term cultural conflict between east and west.Through psychological identification and physical experience,Ruth identifies with Chinese and American culture.The acceptance of dual culture contributes to the construction of hybrid culture,which reflects the shaping function of the text.The third part discusses the “historicity of text” from the perspective of race,reflecting the discrimination of Chinese American women within white mainstream society and promoting the participation of racial harmony.On the one hand,the fact that Lu Ling,the first-generation Chinese immigrant,receives unfair treatments by the white American society and that Ruth,the second-generation immigrant born in the United States also cannot be recognized by white people in the United States,reflects Americans' racial discrimination against Chinese immigrants in society.This embodies the text as a product of history,revealing the history of Chinese immigrants to the United States.On the other hand,Ruth re-examines the relationship with her boyfriend Art,and the two people develop mutual respect;with the love and help of Mr.Tang,Lu Ling eventually achieves harmony.The mutual respect and considerate care with the help of people around also contribute to the construction of harmonious racial relations,which reflects the shaping role of the text.Through the analysis of the above three aspects,Amy Tan's creation intention can be concluded as follows: her encouragement to Chinese American women to actively establish female emancipation from the dual oppression of Chinese women in the Chinese and American patriarchal society;her call for the construction of a hybrid culture within the cultural dilemma of Chinese American women under the influence of the mainstream American culture and their motherland culture,and her advocacy of harmony between races rather than the racial discrimination suffered by Chinese women in the mainstream white American society.