| Amy Tan(1952-)is a well-known contemporary Chinese-American writer.Her works involve rich Chinese elements and contain profound ethical issues and ethical concerns.Her novel The Valley of Amazement,published in 2013,is considered an epic work.The novel narrates the life experience in China of the protagonist Violet who was born of Chinese-American parentage,dealing with the entangling mother-daughter relationship of the three generations.So far,researches on this novel are mainly conducted from the perspective of identity,spatial criticism,and Orientalism.Since the novel concerns many ethical issues,this thesis tries to discuss Violet‘s ethical conflicts and ethical choices from the perspective of ethical literary criticism to reveal the ideas of family,gender,and social ethics of Amy Tan.Firstly,this thesis contends that the ethical conflicts the protagonist Violet faces mainly include the conflicts between the mother and the daughter caused by their different ethical identity,the conflicts between Violet and Chinese man Loyalty Fang caused by different ethical ideas they hold,and the conflicts between women and the society at that time.Secondly,the thesis points out that in the face of the above ethical conflicts,Violet chooses to return to the original mother-daughter relationship,reconcile herself with Loyalty Fang and integrate into the society.Finally,the thesis further explores the reasons why Violet makes such ethical choices.The reasons are respectively the change of Violet‘s own ethical identity,her pursuit for a harmonious ethical relationship between men and women,and her ethical responsibility for her daughter.The study shows that the protagonist Violet finally chooses to reconcile herself with her mother,men,and society.Her ethical choices reflect Amy Tan‘s unique views of family,gender,and social ethics.Tan‘s ethical thoughts and appeals have didactic function and the important guiding significance to the establishment of harmonious society today. |
PDF Full Text Request