Shared History,Divided Memories

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,as the leading voice of the third-generation Nigerian writers,publishes her novel Half of a Yellow Sun in 2006.She has made her international breakthrough after its publication.The novel received the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction and was selected as one of “The Best Books of Decade” in 2015 that also makes Adichie the youngest winner of Nonino International Literature Prize.Using polyphonic strategy to relate the Biafra War through three narrators,the novel reflects the author’s humanistic concern and sense of historical responsibility.This thesis applies the diaspora theory under the bigger framework of postcolonialism to analyze how Adichie has composed a song of diaspora.The thesis consists of three parts: Introduction,the main body of three chapters and Conclusion.Introduction briefly introduces Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her Half of a Yellow Sun,examines the previous studies both at home and abroad and presents the research purpose and significance as well as the structure of the thesis.Chapter One elaborates postcolonialism and diaspora theories,especially the view points of Edward Said;it pays particular attention to the relationship between postcolonialism and diaspora to explain the thesis’ s choice of theoretical foundation.Chapter Two applies the theories to the analysis of the diasporic vision in the novel from three dimensions— the fracture of community,the fracture of personal bonds and the diasporic identity of the three narrators.Chapter Three discusses diaspora as a doubleedged sword and interprets Adichie’s suggested solutions to diaspora— to construct cultural identity by returning to traditional African culture or building a “third space”.Based on the analyses in the above three chapters,Conclusion points out that Half of a Yellow Sun is an excellent work of diaspora literature.Like her predecessors,Adichie concerns herself with her African compatriots’ plights in real life.However,as a woman writer of unique sensibility and delicateness in literary representation,she explores the issues of identification and its possible reconstruction for diasporic people in Nigeria in postcolonial context.Thus,she addresses grand themes from the microcosmic perspective of family narratives.In the current era of globalization and immigration,it is of immediate and far-reaching significance to highlight the thematic study of diaspora literature by analyzing the reasons for diaspora and exploring the potential outlets for the displaced people.