An Analysis Of Korean Images Constructed By Chang-rae Lee

Chang-rae Lee is a leading Korean American novelist.Shaping the image of his native country is an important content in his novels.Chang-rae Lee’s Native Speaker and The Surrendered are his representative works,which constructed the various Korean images for more than half a century.These Korean images are sorted according to three historical stages based on the time axis,namely,the Korean images before,during and after the Korean War.From the perspective of comparative literature imagologie,this thesis analyzes the presentation of these Korean images and the deep social and cultural context behind the construction of these images by applying the research methods of cultural anthropology and postcolonial theory.The Korean images in different periods created by Chang-rae Lee show a variety of performance styles,and his attitude and description of these Korean images are complex and diverse.First of all,the images of Koreans before the Korean war include the elegant and enlightened intellectuals,virtuous women as an understanding wife and loving mother,as well as victims and fighters under Japanese colonization.The author shows a nostalgic complex towards the first two kinds of images,especially holds a positive and infatuated attitude towards the image of Korean intellectuals.However,Chang-rae Lee also expresses a trace of disappointment at the individualism and lack of organizational leadership of Korean intellectuals.For the understatement of virtuous Korean women,it can be seen that Chang-rae Lee not only appreciates traditional Korean women,but also despises them.At the same time,he also sympathizes with and appreciates the suffering and struggle of Koreans under Japanese colonization.The author affirms the spirit of independence and autonomy of his ancestral country,agrees with his ethnic identity,criticizes the "mob" of South Korea who lost morality and rationality during the war,and expresses sympathy for war prisoners and homeless orphans.Chang-rae Lee constructed the Korean images during Korean War from an objective perspective,which show his biased critical attitude towards the war.Finally,in shaping the image of Koreans after the Korean War,Chang-rae Lee not only shows sympathy for young orphans,but also recognizes the first generation of Koreans who immigrated to the United States after the war.He also shows a wordless negative attitude towards Korean religious figures.In shaping the Korean image,Chang-rae Lee finally refers to the self,that is,his own identity position and attitude as a Korean American.On the one hand,Chang-rae Lee is nostalgic for his ancestral country of Korea,and constructs Koreans as a refined,enlightened,kind and hardworking people;On the other hand,he also reveals the human weakness and social problems existing in those images.In the tension between praise and criticism,infatuation and criticism,the author is relatively inclined to affirm the Korean images.Chang-rae Lee’s affirmation of some Korean images shows his acceptance of Koran culture;However,his critical perspective on the image of Korea’s "mob" who has lost humanity and morality has distanced him from his native country,which shows his intention to separate from it.This attitude can be interpreted as his migration to the new identity as a Korean American.In addition,the image of Korean religious personages who lack self-consciousness created by Chang-rae Lee can be regarded as reflecting an imperialist consciousness of American missionaries.This also shows that although Chang-rae Lee lives in the United States,he maintains a clear understanding of the hegemonic position of the United States and can critically examine the problems he faces.