東北林業大學碩士學位論文論《喜福會》中東西方文化的沖突與融合姓名：王宇申請學位級別：碩士專業：英語語言文學指導教師：王新春20070601摘要摘要母親和子女的矛盾沖突呈現給讀者。小說主題表現豐富，除了母女沖突，還側重f兩種文化也必將從沖突走向融合。譚恩美在《喜福會》中，就是通過尋求黃神人與白種人，東方文化與西方文化的差異柬表現中國文化的文化理念與價值觀，體現她自己對中國文化難以割舍的情結。作為t-：流文化的“他者”，她利用自己特殊的身份，利用母親的故事，以不同文化背景F的母女沖突、婚姻作為出發點，著眼于全球視野下的文化碰撞與融合，探討了中西文化的差異與溝通。本文從多角度討論譚恩美在作品中反映的“沖突”及“融合”的主題，深入分析產生“沖突”及“融合”的原因，并探討了在東西方文化中“家”的概念。母女兩代共同的“家”，代表了他們共屬的母性文化一一中國傳統文化。技巧。第二部分從華裔美國文學出發，論述了華裔美國文學的發展歷程、現狀，并著重提出了女性作家在其中的卓越貢獻。第三部分分別從母女兩代人及文化的角度具體分析了小說中所反映的“沖突”這一主題。并且結合跨文化交際理論闡述了產生沖突的原因。第四部分從兩個角度分析了小說的另一主題“融合”～兩代母女最終實現互相也反映了在男性社會中，女性地位日益增強。第五部分探討了在不同文化下，“家”的概念。并結合小說中“家”對于母女兩代人的意義，女兒從“逃家”，到“歸家”，指出“家”在小說中所代表的文化意義。第六部分通過上述的論述得出結論：在小說中，母女兩代人從誤解、沖突到溝通和理解，不僅折射著東西方文化互相碰撞、溝通和交融的歷史，也預示著在全球化時期，不㈦的國家、民族和文化相互共存應采取的態度～一理解、溝通與信任。關鍵詞 喜福會；沖突：融合；母女關系：家AbstractAmyAbstractAmyTan。afamousChineseAmericanwriter,hasbecomeoneoftherepresentativesChineseAmericanliterature．卯坩JoyLuckCIub，Tan’Sdebutnovel，iSanarrativeaboutconflictsbetweenChinesemothersandAmericanizeddaughters．111emajorthemesareconflicts，betweentheimmigrantsandAmericanizedsecondgeneration．Shepaysattentiontotheunderstandingandcommunicationbetweentwogenerations．砌PJoyLuckClubstimulatesethnicappreciationwhileallowingreaderstoobjectifytheirownsituations，makingconnectionsbetweentheirownlivesandtheculturallydistantlivesinTan’Scharacters．As‘'theother'’inthemainstream．伽ldiscussedtheconflictsandreconciliationbetweentwocultures，startingfromdescriptionofconflictsbetweengenerationsandtheirmarriages．Thethesiscomprehensivelydiscussesthemajorthemesof“conflict'’and“reconciliation”in77醒JoyLuck(1，曲．exploresthereasonsforconflictandreconciliation．andcompletestheconceptof“family”inEasterncultureandWesternCulture．Inthenovel，thecommonfamilyofmothersanddaughtersistheirmotherculture---Chinesetraditionalculture．PartOneintroducesAmyTan’Slifestory,herdebutnovel砌PJoyLuckClub．anduniquewritingskill．PartTwomainlyfoCBSeSonthedevelopmentofChineseAmericanliterature，itspresentsituationandthecontributionoffemalewriters．PartThreeanalyzesthemaintopicof‘'conflict'’inthenovelfromtwopointsofview-一generationsandcultures．andexplainsthat、vitllthetheoryofInterculturalCommunication．PartFourresearchesanothertopicofthenovel一‘"reconciliation'’．Twogenerationsofmothersanddaughtersachievemutualunderstanding，twodifferentlanguagesandculturesfinallymarchforreconciliation．PartFivestudies“family"asasourceforculturaldevelopment，anditsculturalconnotation．PartSixcomestotheconclusionthatthenovelmakesanattempttoanalyzethedaughterrelationshipbypresentingtheconflicts，communicationandintegrationmothersandtheirdaughtersandbetweentWOcultures，whichreflectstheaUitudesthatdifferentnations，racesandculturesshouldtakeintheageofglobalizationunderstanding，communicationandtrust．Keywords TheJoyLuckClub；conflict；reconciliation；mother-daughterrelation；family．1I．獨創性聲明本人聲明所呈交的學位論文是本人在導師指導下進行的研究工作及取得的研究成果。據我所知，除了文中特別加以標注和致謝的地方外，論文中不包含其他獨創性聲明本人聲明所呈交的學位論文是本人在導師指導下進行的研究工作及取得的研究成果。據我所知，除了文中特別加以標注和致謝的地方外，論文中不包含其他人已經發表或撰寫過的研究成果，也不包含為獲得壅韭盎些盤堂或其他教育機構的學位或證書而使用過的材料。與我一同工作的同志對本研究所做的任何貢獻均己在論文中作了明確的說明并表示謝意。學位論文作者簽名：1．罾 簽字日期：。驢7年6月“日學位論文版權使用授權書本學位論文作者完全了解盔些盎些盤堂有關保留、使用學位論文的規定，有權保留并向國家有關部門或機構送交論文的復印件和磁盤，允許論文被查閱和借閱。本人授權巒韭盎些盤堂可以將學位論文的全部或部分內容編入有關數據庫進行檢索，可以采用影印、縮印或掃描等復制手段保存、匯編學位論文。(保密的學位論文在解密后適用本授權書)學位論文作者簽名： 導師簽名： 鄉耘壽簽字日期：山司年6月p6日 簽字日期：也刀年6、再“日學位論文作者畢業后去向：工作單位：存、龍1姝業天蕁 電話：雪夕I，口牛，_，通訊地址：1}、靶抓芷六等瓠目繡芽f屯 郵編2／r神4。1IntroductionBorn1IntroductionBornin1952inOakland，California,AmyRuthTanisthesecondgenerationofaChineseimmigrantfamily．BeingraisedandeducatedinthedominantWesternculture，youngAmyfoundherselfalwaysatoddswithherparents’expectations．Assheonceputit，“砌叫(herparent圳wantedustohaveAmericancircumstancesandChinesecharacter．’’。TanbeganhercollegecareeratLinfieldCollegebutsoontransferredtoSanJoseStateUniversitywhereshereceivedherB，A．degreeinEnglishandlinguisticsandherM．A．degreeinlinguistics．In1975，shemarriedLouisDematteiandaftermarriageshecontinuedhereducationattheUniversityofCaliforniaatSantaCruzandatBerkley．However,decidingtodosomethingotherthancontinuingtobeastudent,Tandroppedherdoctoralprogramwithoutgeaingadegree．Beforeshebecameafull一timewriter,Tanhadavarietyofjobs．everythingfromabartendertocounselorfordevelopmentallydisabledehildren．‘"LikethemshewritesaboutthelimitedidentityofthehyphenatedAmerican．abouttheculturalchasmsbetweenimmigrantparentsandtheirAmerican-bornoffspringandthelinguisticgapsbetweengenerationsand：nat&abouttheneedtodiscoverausableandrecognizablepast．ButshedoesnotwriteexclusivelyabouttheAsianexperience。nor捃stylespecificallyandwhollyAsiandespiteitsfrequentallusionstotraditionalChinesegenresanditsborrowingsfromthetalkstorytradition．“Herfirstnovel弛eJoyLuckClub(1989)isabelovedinternationalbest-sellingnovelwhichexplorestherelationshipsofChinesewomenandtheirChinese-AmericandaughtersintheUnitedStates．Publishedin1989,11lcJoyLuckClubwasenthusiasticallyreceivedbycriticsandthepublic．ItlandedontheNew場地17ruesbest-sellerlistforninemonths．ItalsonominatedandthenselectedasafinalistfortheNationalBookAwardandtheNationalBookCriticsCircleAward,Inaddition,itreceivedtheBayAreaBookReviewersAwardFictionandtheCommonwealthClubGoldAward．TheBookhasbeentranslatedinto25languagesincludingChinese，andhasbeenmadeintoamajormotionpicture．Tan’snovelshavedrawnherwidereadershipthroughouttheUnitedStatesandtheworldandalsodrawnherextensivecriticalat￡ention，mostofwhichwerehighlycomplimentary．ThereceptionofherworkssuggeststhatherworksresonatesamongreadersofallShewritesaboutrelationshipsandfamilialbondsandselfandidentity,whicharetheuniversalconcernsandcommonlyrecognizedthemes．Tanhassaidthatherintentioninwritingisnotto‘"providehistoricalinformation，buttocreateaworkofart．”CriticshavesaidthatherworksarenotnecessarilyChineseinbutareinsteadstorieswithuniversalthemes(generationalconflicts，warofthesexes，etc．)thathavehaveanaddeddimensionofbeingtoldthroughnarratorsthatareconstantlysearchingforbalancebetweentheirChineseheritageandAmericanlifestyle．DifferentfromotherChineseAmericanfemalewriters，AmyTancannotgetridofChinesecomplex．Infact．thishasalSObecomeTan’Suniqueness．Likeotherwriters，herworksreflecttheconflictsoftwocultures，twoworlds，twogenerationsandtwocountries．TheconflictsbetweentwoculturesarewhatmostChineseAmericanwriterspayattentiontowhentheyexploreSino—Americanrelationship．WhileTanhasmadegreatcontributiontothespreadofChineseculturewithherworks。shehassetamodelasaculturalcommunicator．勱eJoyLuckClubisthestoryofeightChinesewomen．FouraremotherswhosuffereddifferenthardshipthatforcedthemtolcaveChina；andfourarethedaughterswhofacetheirownstrugglesintheireverydaylives．Eachchapterisavignetteofeachwoman’sviewpointofevents．ThefirstmaincharacteristhedaughterJing—meiWoo，whosemotherpassedaway，Sheisaskedtojointhe‘'JoyLuckClub”andplayMahJongwithheradoptiveaunts．AllplotsIinkedtogetherbythenarrativeofJing—meiWoo．whosemotherhadfoundedawomen’SsocialclubinChinatomakeitsmemberstellabouttheirpastexperiencesnotonlytoempowerthemselves，butalsotopasswisdomontotheirdaughters，whoarealluncertainabouttheirmaritalrelationships．ThestoriesarereminiscentofMaxineHangKingston’Sportrayalmother-daughterconflictsinthatthesedaughters。too，aretryingtoestablishtheiridentitiesinthemainstreamofAmericanlifewithoutalienatingtheirmotherswhoarethepurveyorsChinesetraditionalculture．In“SugarSisterhood：SituatingtheAmyTanPhenomenon”，Sau—lingWanganalyzespopularityofAmyTan’SworksaSaculturalphenomenonandcomparesitwithotherbeforeTan：‘‘thefortunesofonce-popular,nowoverlookedculturalinterpretersinAmericanliteraryhistory,suchasLinYutang,andJadeSnowWang,suggestthatculturalmediationoftheOrientforthe‘mainstream’readershiprequirescontinualrepackagingtoremaininsyncwithchangingtimesandresultantshifts加ideologicalneeds．“Suchconflictsandchallengesarecircumscribedbyaspecificethnicculture theChinese．AmericancultureofnorthernCalifomia一．theyareuniversaIinnaturesignificance．Themothersinthenovelareforeign．bornAmericanswithAmerican．borndaughters．Tan’SnovelsstimulateethnicappreciationbetweentWOgenerationsandtwoculturesAlthoughalotofresearchhasbeendoneonAmyTanand砌PJoyLuckClub．mostthemareabout“identityissues”．TheauthorofthisthesiswantstogiveamorecomprehensivestudyofAmyTan’Sfavoritethemes-therelationbetweenChinese—bommothersandAmerican—borndaughters，andbetweentwocultures，completethe‘‘family’’philosophybetweenthem．．2．：!!!呈竺!12塵竺：!塑：堡壘塵墜!!墜些堡2：!!!呈竺!12塵竺：!塑：堡壘塵墜!!墜些堡2TheDevelopmentofChineseAmericanLiterature2．1 TheHistoryofChineseAmericanLiteratureIn1982，ElaineKim’Sstudy,AsianAmericanLiterature：AnIntroductiontotheWritingsandSocialContext,essentiallybroughtanentirebodyoflittleknownliteratureintoAmericanliteraryconsciousness，andhelpedAsianAmericanliteraturegainrecognitionasasignificantbodyofwritingwithbotha‘*newtradition”ofliterarycreationandadiscernible～一．andveryfluid一canon．’’5InherworLKimdefinedAsianAmericanliteratureas‘"publishedcreativewritingsinEnglishbyAmericansofChinese,Japanese，Korean,andFilipinodescent．”AlthoughthatdefinitionlostitscurrencyasimmigrantsfromCambodia．Vietnam，India,Pakistan，andotherAsiancountriesbegantomaketheirhomesintheStatesandtowriteabouttheirexperiences．onecrucialelementofKim’sdefinitionstilltrue．ThehistoryofAsianAmericansgoesback'tothenineteentheenau3,whenthousandsmenlefttheirfamiliesandhomesinChina,Japan，Korea，andthePhilippinestoseekfortunesintheUnitedStates，acountrythattheChinesereferredtoasgumsanor‘'theGoldMountain”，Seekingopportunity,possibilityandwealth。thesemenfoundworkontheingold-and-silverminingtowns，andinlumbercampsinthewestoftheUnitedStates,industriouslysettingaboutmakinglivesforthemselvesandforthepicturebridesfromChinaandJapanwhoeventuallytraveledtotheUnitedStatestomarrythementheyhadneverTheearliestofficialimmigrantarrivalsseemtohavebeenmenfromGuangdongProvinceinChina．Perhapsbecausetheywerefirsttoarrive，theChineseformedthelargestimmigrantgroup，andtheybecamethefirstAsianstoexperienceinstitutionalizeddiscriminationwhentheChineseExclusionActof1882waspassedbyCongress，barfingmajorityofChinesefromenteringtheUnitedStates．Notuntil1943WasexclusionlegallyendedwiththepassageoftheMagnusonAct，whichallowed105ChineseimmigrantstoentertheUnitedStateslegallyeachyearandgaveChinesetheprivilegeofearningcitizenshipthroughnaturalization．TheoldergenerationportrayedinAmyTan’SnovelsrepresentsthatgroupofnewChineseimmigrants一especiallythewomenwhohadlongbeendeniedentry．一····whoenteredtheUnitedStatesafterthewarintheyearsimmediatelyfollowingtheMagnusonAct．2．2ThePresentSituationofChineseAmerieanLiteratureOwingtothedifficultconditionsthattheChineseimmigrantsencountered，manyconsideredthemselveshuaqiao(overseasChinese)whointendedtoreturntoChina．andthis．3．!!堅呈：：窒!g竺：墜：!三!!!：蘭壘呈：：塵!：!!!：竺!：呈inevitably!!堅呈：：窒!g竺：墜：!三!!!：蘭壘呈：：塵!：!!!：竺!：呈inevitablyinfluencedtheemergenceofChineseAiD_ericanliterature，AsElaineKimdiscussesatlengthinAsianAmericanLiterature：AnIntroductiontotheWritingsandtheirSocialContext，earlyChineseAmericanliteraryproductionismainlylimitedtoafewautobiographiesandtestimoniesbymalewriters．ofteninChinese．ManyofthefirstChineseAmericannarrativesinEnglishwerewrittenbystudents．LeeYanPhou’SWhen，WasaBoy(1887)，hasrecentlyreceivedextensivecriticalattentionasaproto—AsianAmericanautobiography,andwasoneofthefirsttobewritteninEnglish．SomeofthefirstChineseAmericanfemalewriting，asAmyLinghasmadeclearinBetweenWorlds：WomenWritersChineseAncestry,wasbyupper-classfemaleimmigrants，includingHelenaKuo．Mai-maiSzeandLinTai．yi．whowereChine鼬ornandwesternized，andwhooftencamefromdiplomaticbackgrounds．Inlightofthisfact，itisunsurprisingthatsubsequentChineseAmericancontinuedtOshowaheightenedawarenessofracismtowardsAsians．OwingtothegenderimbalanceofearlyChineseAmericanimmigration，onespecificfeatureofaseriesofnarrativeswrittenbyChineseimmigrantsistheirfocusuponbachelorsociety．Forexample，LouisChu’SEataBowlofTea(1961)，ChinYangLee’SFlowerDrumsong(1957)、andLinYutang!SChinatownFamily(1948)，ThecontemporaryChineseAmericanwritersfocusedonracesandculturalidentityallthetime．AnotablefeatureofmorecontemporaryChineseAmericanwomen’SwritingisaJlemphasisuponmother-daughterrelationship，whichCanbeseeninthenovelsandmemoirsMaxineHongKingston(TheWomanWarrior(1976)，TripmasterMonkey(1989))，thenovelsofAmyTan(TheJoyLuckClub(1989)，TheKitchenGod'sWife(199I)，TheHundredSecretSenses(1995)。TheBonesetter§Daughter但001))。FaeMyenneNg’SBone(1993)，andGishJen(TypicalAmerican(1992))，andMomaintheProm括edLand(199∥)，Thesetextsinparticularhavebeensuccessful，perhapsbecausetIleyhavekeyedintoapopularareaofattentionfurfeministsinthelatetwentiethcentury．2．3TheCauseoftheDevelopmentofChineseAmericanLiteratureThehistoricalprocessoftheformationoftheUSAtellsthatthecultureinthishadforalongtimeexperiencedtheprocessofthe“meltingpot”，especiallyafteralltheyearsoftheminorityresistingthedominantculture，suchasblackcultureandJewishculturewhiteculture，feministmovementagainstmaledominance，siblingliteratureforitsdeservedattention．However,withtheexpansionofthedominantAmericancultureacrossthewholetheminoritybegantorealizethatthemetaphor‘‘meltingpot'’ishardlyrepresentativefortheirhopetowardsthedevelopmentoftheirculture．Oncebeingdumpedintotheseeminglygenerous‘‘meltingpot'’，theminorityculturewilleitherbeignoredandlefttothemargin，void．4．!!!：呈：：：!：￡塵望!!!!!!!：彗壘塵：：塵竺墜：些堅of!!!：呈：：：!：￡塵望!!!!!!!：彗壘塵：：塵竺墜：些堅ofanychanceforsay,OrbemeltedintothepotandassimilatedtOlosetheirownethnictradition．Thuswiththeactiveendeavorofalltheminorityrepresentatives，therearoserapidchangeswithinthecultureoftheUSA,especiallyintheendofthe1970sandinthe1980s．Itseemedthat，suddenly,conceptionof‘'multiculturalism'’becamethetopicwithintheliterary,economicandpoliticalfields．NomatterhowmuchtheexpectationhasbeenconceptionmoreorlessexpressesthehopefortotallyequalCO—existenceofdiversecultures．Multiculturalism，asthebackground，offeredpreciouschancesforpromptgrowingstrengtheningoftheminorityculture，whichhadlongbeenexcludedandignored．Theyaskedforrecognitionandevaluationtheydeservedandshowedtheiruniqueglamourasmuchasthesocialopportunityprovided．Thus．therecameatimefortheexpressionandrevelationChineseAmericanwriters．W汕thepromotionofmulticulturalismandactivemovementfordifferentidentities．thesubJectofimmigrantexperience，immigrantcultureandliteraryworksaboutassimilationandacculturationhavegainedincreasingconcernfromliterarycritics，andevensocialistshistorians．ChineseliteraturealSOenteredtheclassroomoftheAmericanuniversities．EvensomebooksoressaysabouthowtoteachAsianAmericanworks(forexample．Kingston’sWomanWarriorlhavebeenignored．111eemphasisofAmericanliteratureconsequentlymovestolifeexperience，ChineseAmericanliteraturetosomedegreesatisfiestheinterestandconcemofthewesternreaders．Suchpopularity,thou曲notwelcomedbyeveryChinesewriter,willhelpthedevelopmentofChineseAmericanliteratureatitsverybeginning．2．4TheAwakeningSenseofResponsibilityofChineseAmericanWritersThoughtheChineseimmigrantshadchangedtobebothinvoluntaryandSenseofresponsibilitytowardsChineseculturehasnotbeendiminished，thoughleftunrealizedorhiddeninsomeperiods．ChineseAmericanbegantOdoubtthestrengthsorweaknessesofChinesetraditionwhenthey,mostly,activelytriedtoassimilateandbecomeAmericanized．especiallywhenconfrontedcomplicatedculturalclashes．Afternumerousdoubtsuponthenecessitytothetradition，matureimmigrantswouldeventuallychoosetOmakeuseoftheirspecialstatusbetweenthetwoworlds，tomediatetheclashesandmaintainbalance．Theregainedfavortheirethnicidentitywouldleadthemtofindthereasonsforallthedoubtstheyfelt．whichwillsuddenlybecometheadvantagestOhelptheminthenewworld．TheconclusiontheymadewillresumetheirresponsibilitytoactivateChineseAmericancultureandwinbackthedignitybeingChineseAmericans．ToviewAsianAmericanliterature鵲awhole，itisnothardtofindspecificinter-．intra-．．5．：!墜呈：蘭!!￡塵：塵!!!!!!：琶壘塵：：!：竺墜：：：：塵鏨and：!墜呈：蘭!!￡塵：塵!!!!!!：琶壘塵：：!：竺墜：：：：塵鏨andCROSS—culturalconflictspermeatingtheworksthroughwhichthespecificationsofculturearede’monstrated．Theseconflictsincludesocial-culturalconflicts，generationalconflicts，languageconflicts，raceconflictsandgenderconflicts．．6．：!：：些!：!!蘭!呈：!!壁：：彗型!：：：：型堅：3：!：：些!：!!蘭!呈：!!壁：：彗型!：：：：型堅：3ConflictofTw0GenerationsandTw0Cultures3．1TheCauseofConflictbetweenTwoGenerationsReviewerCarolynSeeclaimsitiSadevotionaltourdeforce．seizedtheWesternworld’Simaginationandcontributedtothecanonoffeministliterature．ItgivesvoicetopreviouslysilencedChinesewomen,someofwhomwerevictimsofpatriarchalfamiliesandfeudalmarriages．CriticAmyLingcharacterizesTan’Sfictionas‘"anechoandresponseandinpartscontinuationandexpansion’’7ofherpredecessor’Snovel．Structuredasaseriesofpersonalnarrativesabouteightwomen一·fourpairsofmothersanddaughters—TheJoyLuckchroniclesthelivesofitsprotagonistsandRacestheconnectionsbetweenthemultiplethroughwhichthewomenmustnegotiatetheirlives．TheClubofthetitleisamah-jonginvestmentgroupformedbyfourChineseimmigrantwomeninthelate1940s．TheJoyLuckClubintroduceslife—definingepisodesfromthelivesoffourChineseimmigrantmothersandtheirAmerican-borndaughters．TanUSeSthemahjongclubtostructurethedevelopmentofmother-daughterpairs．OnecritichassuggestedthattheintroductionmultiplenarrativesabouttwogenerationsofChineseAmericanwomenisinherentlychallengingtostereotypicalreadingsthattreatChinesewomenasfungiblebecausetheysharedefiningChinese‘‘essence”，andMelanieMcAlisterargues，alongthesaInelines，that“thenovel'scomplexrepresentationofChinesesubjectivitiesrequirescarefulattentiontOrangeoftemperaments,clnssvariations,anddifferencesinpersonalhistory,particularlyamongthefourmothers．’’8Tanusesthefour-playermahjongclubtostructurethefourmother-daughterrelationships：SuyuanWooandJiIlg-meiJuneWoo；An-meiHsuandRoseHsuJordan；LindoJongWaverlyJong；andYing—yingSt．ClairandLenaSt．Clair．Thestoriesofthesepairsinterwoveninfourmajorsegmentswhereeachwomannarrateshowshehasbecomewhatisataparticularpointinherlife．Eachofthefourmajorsections，startingwithavignetteasanintroduction，includesfourchapters．Thedaughtersgrowupundertheirmothers’incessantsupervisionandinterventionagainsttheircompleteculturelassimilation．IntheJoyLuckClub，Tan’ScontributiontotheproblemofnarratingAsianAmericansubjectformationliesinherelaborationofanestablishedform，themother-daughterplot，inwhichtheimmigrantmother’SdesireforAmericabecomesfocusedonherdaughter．3．2TheConflictbetweenTwoG}enerations“TanfoundanuntappedaudienceforstoriesofChineseAmericanmothersand!!些堅!!!：：塑!型：：娑!!：：型堅：daughters．”9!!些堅!!!：：塑!型：：娑!!：：型堅：daughters．”9Inthenovel。theAmerican—bomdaughtersknowverylittleabouttheirmothers．AlltheirlivestheyhavetriedhardtoassimilmeintomainstreamAmerica．whichChinesearebestavoided，atworstshameful．Byignoringtheirmothers’efforttoinculcateChinesetraditionintothem，thedanghtershavefrustratedthehopesofthemothersthattheirdaughtersmaintaintheirChinesecharactersunderAmericancircumstances．Thepricethedaughterspayfortheirseeminglysuccessfulassimilationis“theirnaggingsense∥uneaseintheidentitiesthattheyhavelaboriouslycreatedforthemselves．’’Ontheotherhand，themothersgiveupthehopeofimpalingtheirChinesecharacterandwisdomtotheirdaughters。somethingthatisoftenperceivedbytheirchildrenasmanipulationandcontr01．Theconsequenceisacompletebreakdownofcommunicationbetweenthemothersanddaughters．Thedisparitybetweenparents’hopesandchildren’sfailuresbringstension．Theduckisasymbolofthemother’sunrealisticambitionsforherdaughterwhoismerelyaduckbutwhomthemotherwantstoseeasaswan．TheoldwomanrememberedaswanshehadboughtmanyyearsagoinShanghaifoolishsum．砌婦bird,boastedthemarketvendor,wasonceaduckthatstretcheditsneckhopes《becomingagoose．andnowlook．，～ItiStoobeautifultoeat．“SuyuanWoohasenormousfaiththateverythingispossibleinAmericaandexpectedchildtobeaprodigy．First，shewantedJing—meitobeanotherShirleyTemple，andwhenthatseemedunlikely,thenatleastaconceapianist．Itistouchingyetridiculous．Thedaughtersexasperatedbytheirmother’simpossibledemand，resentfuloftheirmother’sinstructionsontheirlivesandsometimesashamedoftheirstubborn，superstitiousolddays．Inthefirstprologue，theswanbecomesasymbolofthemother’spastlifeinChina，allexperiencewantstosharewithherdaughter．WhenthewomanfromChinaarrivedintheUnitedAmericanofficialsconfiscatedtheswanleavingherwithonlyonefeatherandthememoryofthebeautifulbird．Shewantstotellherdaughteraboutthebird，thoughanoldwomanisstillwaitingforthedaywhenshecantellherstoryin“perfectAmericanEnglish”．Shesays，“overtherenobodywilllookdownonher,because1willmakeherspeakon,pcryectEnglish’’“However,becausethedaughterhasachievedthisdream，themotherherself．whohasnotmasteredEnglish，cannotspeakwithherowndaughter．Ironically,themother’sdreamforherdaughter,whichismarkedbytheirphysicalremovalfromthemotherland，resultsinthealienationofmotheranddaughter．Thedaughterreadilyandentirelyadaptstothecustomsandlanguageofthenewland，whilethemotherstillholdsontothoseoftheold．It’sjustlikeLindoJongsays．‘Ywantedmychildrentohavethebestcombination：AmericancircumstancesChinesecharacter,howcouMIknowthesetwothingsdonotm打?’’13‘‘ToliveagoodlifeintheUSA'’，recallsthemotherhopesthatthedaughterwillspeakexcellentEnglishandliveanAmericanizedlifeofmiddleclass．Thedaughtersarethusraised．8．!!型墜!!!蘭!呈：!些：：鏨型!圣：型些譬and!!型墜!!!蘭!呈：!些：：鏨型!圣：型些譬andshapedintheAmericaneducationalsystemandinthesocietymarkedbyAmericanvalues．Consequently,theynaturallyresisttheChinesenormswiththeirAmericanthought，carriedtheirEnglishlanguage，thoughsometimestheyhavetoretuNltoChinesestrengthwhenfailtogetpsychologicalbalancewiththeirAmericanideas．‘‘ForChineseAmericanwomen,speakingEnglishaffirmstheirpublicidentityandthemalegitimateculturalvoicetoclaimfo，aspace伽thissocietyEnglishgivesthematoasserttheirindependenceandatooltofightagainstsexismandracismthattheyencounter．’’14TheabilitytospeakexcellentAmericanEnglish．andthustoshareadominantlanguagegenerallyusedwithinthecommunity,equipsthedaughterswithnecessaryconfidencesoastosucceedasCaucasianmiddleclasspeople-······-thisisnotonlytheAmericandreamofgenerationsofnativeAmericans，butalsothedreamheldbythemotherswhohadoncetraveledwithaswanandanaiveAmericandream，asintheprelude，andtheirgenerationsafteraswell．Ironically,itissuchadreamthatwidensthegenerationgapbetweenthemothersanddaughters．Foronething，thedaughters，whoacceptthedominantwhiteconceptionofnon—standardEnglish···-····thoughEnglishwithdifferentdialectsaleacceptedasEnglishvariationsnow,cannotconcealtheirimpatiencewhentheirmothersspeakbrokenEnglish．TheircontemptuouslanguageattitudetowardstheawkwardEnglishspokenbytheirpowerlessmothersanddifficultyinunderstandingChinesehavebothforcedtheirmothersinsilencemostofthetime．YingyingSt．Clairsaid，‘‘ForalltheseyearsIkeptmymouthclosedsoselfishdesireswouldnotfallOUt．Andbecause1remainedquietforSOlongnowmydaughterdoesnothearme．Shesitsbyherfancyswimmingpoolandhearsonlyher勛砂Walkman，hercordlessphone，herimportanthusbandaskingherwhytheyhavecharcoalandnolighterfluid．’’1’AsJing—meilaments，‘‘ThesekindsofexplanationsmademefeelmymotherandItwodifferentlanguages,whichwecfid．ItalkedtoherinEnglish，sheansweredbackinChinese”’6and‘"MymotherandIneverreallyunderstoodoneanother．geetranslatedeachotherimeaningsandIseemedtohearlessthanwhatwagsaid,whilemymothermore．’’1’Thecomprehensiondiscrepancyissostartlinglysadthatourconcemaboutthemother-daughterrelationshipnaturallyextendstothesurvivalconditionforChineseAmericanandalsootherminorityethnicity．‘‘Th／sabsencetranscendsthesimplelinguisticdichotomiesorculturalmisunderstandings；bothmothersanddaughtersarenegotiatingtheirrelationalsocialpositionsandcontestingtheiridentitiesasChineseAmericanwomeninthelanguagesthatcanenhanceorunderminetheirpower,legitimacy,andvoice．”15Jing-meidoesnotunderstandorevenfullyknowshermotherbecauseshedoesn’thertragicpastandthepainshestillfeelsfromthememoryofit．BecauseSuyuanlosttwodaughtersinChinaandherentirefamilywaskilledinthewar,sheleavesthisplacebehindandplacesallofherhopesinAmericaandherfamilythere．Shewantstheverybestfor．9．!!：塵呈：!!圣：!!：堅簍：：些型!圣!型些：daughter!!：塵呈：!!圣：!!：堅簍：：些型!圣!型些：daughterJing-mei．EvenhernameSuyuanmeaning‘’long-cherishedwish”。speaksofthishopeforJing—meimeaning“thepureessential，bestqualityyoungersister'’．SuyuantellsherdaughterJing—meithatshecanbeanythingshewantstobe，andthatshehasgreattalent．Atfirst，Jing—meiisexcitedanddreamsaboutwhatshewillbecome：“／nallmyimaginations．1wasfilledwithasensethat1wouldsoonbecomeperfect．Mymotherandfatherwouldadoreme．1wouldbebeyondapproach．1wouldneverfeeltheneedtosulkyoranything．’’‘9Afterfailingtoexcelateachtasksetbeforeher,Jing—meibeginstofeelmoreandmoreresentfultowardshermother．Sheseeshermother’shopesasexpectations，andwhenshedoesnotliveuptothese，shefeelslikealoser．Finally,whenJing-meiperformsapianofilledwithmistakesatatalentshow,shebelievesthathermotheriscompletelyashamedanddisappointedwithWhatJing—meididnotrealizewasthattherealreasonwhyhermotherwasupsetwasnotbecauseshehadnotliveduptoherexpectations。butbecauseJing-meididnotcarehavingthebestforherself．Shedidnothavehighhopesorpassiontobesuccessfulatanything．Shefailedbecauseshedidnottryandshedidnotcare．ThisisstrongoppositiontoSuyuan’shighhopesthatoriginatedfromthestrongloveshehasforherdaughterMothersareestrangedfromtheirdaughters，anddaughtersbecomeemotionallycrippledbytheirmothers．In“RiceHusband，”forexample，LenaSt．Clmrcomplainsthathermotherhas“themysteriousabilitytoseethingsbeforetheyhappensheseesonlybadthings"aboutourfamily．Sheneverdidanythingtostopthem．’“OncewhenLenaisayounggirl，hermothertakesalookatLena’sricebowlandcommentsthat‘'yourfuturehusbandhasonepockmarkjoveveryriceyounotfinishlonceknowapockmarkman。Meanmanjbadmanj“。ThisremarkleadsyoungLenatoseeArnold，aneighborhoodbully,asherfuturehusbandandhimbyleavingmorericeinherbowl．Manyyearslater,whenLenareadsinthe