A Study On The Cultural Identity Of Edith Maud Eaton

Edith Maud Eaton is not only a female writer but also the pioneer of Chinese-North American literature. Her unique growing environment offers her an opportunity to face with the two different kinds of cultures -Chinese and Western culture. And the "exclusion policy" and the racial discrimination the Chinese have suffered in the North American push Eaton to use "Sui Sin Far" as the pseudonym, to disclose her Chinese identity and to fight for Chinese by taking up the pen as a weapon.The dual influences of Chinese and Western culture on Eaton had created her marginalized identity. The double cultural identity makes her falling into the contradiction and confusion that which culture she belongs to, but also gives Eaton a new perspective blending Chinese and Western culture to treat people and things around objectively and fairly.Eaton's cultural identity has experienced the leap, from the marginalized person between the cultures objectively to the Eurasian pioneer over them subjectively, and from being at the loss in the cultural conflict and collision to reach out to be the cultural bridge between the East and the West.North America was in the raging tide of "exclusion", the western mainstream culture vilifies the oriental culture wantonly and forms a rigid demon images of Chinese. In such historical and literature background, Eaton depicts the vivid Chinese images which have the "human nature " as the westerns by deconstructing the western discourse of the Chinese.As a female writer, Eaton understands the Chinese women in the conflict between two cultures deeply and has a better understanding of their painful experiences under the dual pressure. She has created the different image of Chinese women and tells the active or passive choices of women'identity through the stories of tragedy or comedy in such a special era. A ideal woman, Jade was created to show that she wants to be the kind of person who can absorb the advantages in the different culture and as well as hold the self culture, and show her dream that the world should be a family.