The Study Of Multi-Cultural Identities In Wooden Fish Songs

The quest for cultural identity is one of the unavoidable topics in Chinese American literature,the thesis takes the long biographical novel Wooden Fish Songs(1995)written by the contemporary Chinese American writer Ruthanne Lum McCunn as a case study and apply some related identity theories to demonstrate the main characters’ multi-cultural identities,that is,gender identity,ethnic identity and religious identity,trying to realize its cultural connotation and social-historical value.The thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter one introduces Ruthanne Lum McCunn’s literary achievements,previous study at home and abroad,then elaborates the theoretical basis of the cultural identity involved,and the framework of the present thesis.Chapter two highlights the dynamic and performativity of gender identities of the three female characters,which interweaves a panorama of female surviving both in the east and west in the nineteenth century.Chinese Sum Jui valorously breaks through the yoke of feudal patriarchy and brands a new self;American Fanny rebels her father as an obedient daughter in the process of pursuit of love;African-American Sheba gets rid of the shadow of racial discrimination and gains courage for the future.Though manifested in different ways,all of them manage to deconstruct an oppressed gender identity and reconstruct an independent one.Chapter three focuses on ethnic identities of the two ethnic minorities.Lue Gim Gong undergoes exclusion from China and repulsion from America and becomes “the other” in a binary opposition,finally reconstructs a unique hybrid identity in the “third space”.Sheba struggles in “double consciousness” between the dualistic identities of black and American,and manages to realize a negotiation with her double identity in the end.The process of their quest for attribution is not only the pattern of the individual,but also an epitome of the ethnic minorities’ construction of ethnic identity in multi-cultural America.Chapter four explores the above four characters different religious identities on account of complicated cultural backgrounds and life experiences.Sum Jui is influenced by multiple Chinese native religions while Fanny a devote Christian,Sheba draws spiritual strength from both African traditions and Christianity,Lue GimGong abandons his Chinese beliefs and converts to Christianity.Different religious identities reflect their devotion and adherence to the religion that they believe in as well as the confusion and prejudice against other beliefs.The final chapter is the conclusion.Multi-cultural identities of the characters are not independent but intertwined with each other.In addition,the diversity of cultural identities triggers people’s reflection on culture,that is,the integration of multiple cultures benefits the society more harmonious and progressive.