本科论文--分析《喜福会》中的中美文化冲突与融合.doc

Cultural Conflicts and Integration Between China and America in the Joy Luck ClubbyXXXA thesis presented to the School of English Education ofXian International Studies Universityin partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree ofBachelor of ArtsMay 18, 2012Class: 08-4 Advisor: _西安外国语大学毕 业 论 文 开 题 报 告姓名性别班级学号毕业论文题目：分析喜福会中的中美文化冲突与融合Cultural Conflicts and Integration Between China and America in the Joy Luck Club任务起止日期： 2011 年11 月20 日 至 2012 年5 月20 日毕业论文主要内容及参考文献： 小说喜福会是美国华裔女作家谭恩美的处女作，1989年一经出版即受到广泛关注和好评。二十多年来对喜福会的研究一直是国内外评论界的热点。梳理国内外的研究成果可以发现，西方学术界偏重小说中的种族、身份、民族主义方面的寓意，国内则注重分析文化冲突问题,但是对文化融合的研究则略显欠缺。基于此研究现状和中美文化交流的新形势，本文将集中探讨小说中所体现的的文化冲突与融合。喜福会主要讲述了四位从中国移民到美国的女性和她们各自美国化女儿之间的“恩恩怨怨”，其中母女之间矛盾的产生和最终冰释是小说的重要情节，本质上表现的正是中美两种文化碰撞交流的过程。本文首先将通过对比母女两代人之间的语言，行为，观念等方面的不同，揭示矛盾背后的文化差异及其原因；接着分析文本中的母女关系的缓和所体现的文化融合；最后得出在现代社会我们对于文化差异及文化交流应采取的正确态度。希望今后不同民族的文化能够增进了解，增加沟通，彼此尊重，互相信任，优势互补，真正实现多元文化的共存与融合。参考文献：Huntley, E. D. 1998. Amy Tan: A Critical Comparison. Michigan: Greenwood Press.Tan, A. 1989. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Penguin Books.刘晓红1998隔膜冲突融合思想战线（9），40-45王凤霞2008论喜福会中双重文化的冲突与融合西南民族大学 （人文社科版）（12），76-79徐行言2004中西文化比较北京 ：北京大学出版社指导教师 (签名)年 月 日Acknowledgements First of all, I wish to thank all those who have given me consistent help, encouragement, and advice. Then, I am greatly indebted to my advisor, Wang Tong, a respectable, responsible and resourceful scholar,who has provided me with valuable guidance in every stage of the writing of thisthesis. Her effective advice, shrewd comments have kept the thesis in the right direction. Without her enlightening instruction, impressive kindness and patience, Icould not have completed my thesis. Her keen and vigorous academic observationenlightens me not only in this thesis but also in my future study. Last but not least, thanks all my friends, especially my lovely roommates, for their encouragement and support when I felt frustrated with this thesis.分析喜福会中的中美文化冲突与融合摘要：喜福会是美国华裔女作家谭恩美的处女作，小说主要描述了四对移民母女的关系和她们之间由于中美文化差异导致的一系列冲突，呈现了四对母女从误会，隔阂到相互理解的过程。母女关系的变化实质上也表现了中美异质文化由冲突到融合的艰难过程。随着全球化的加剧，文化交流和文化碰撞更加频繁，中国传统文化面临前所未有的挑战。本文通过分析喜福会文本中所体现的文化冲突与融合，得出在全球化和多元文化共存的环境中，文化交流中应该采取的正确态度，即不同文化之间增强交流，相互尊重，相互信任，共同创造人类文化的繁荣景象。关键词：喜福会； 冲突； 融合；中美文化Cultural Conflicts and Integration Between China and Americain the Joy Luck ClubAbstract： The Joy Luck club is the first novel of Amy Tan, a Chinese-American writer. In the novel, by describing the relationship between the Chinese mothers and their American daughters and the conflicts caused by cultural differences, Amy Tan presents the process of misunderstanding, narrowing the gap and mutual understanding between mothers and daughters, which metaphorically represents the transition of the relationship from conflicts to integration between Chinese and American culture. With the intensification of globalization, cultural exchanges and collisions have become more frequent and Chinese traditional culture is facing more challenges than ever before. Through contextual analysis of the cultural conflicts and integration in the joy luck club, this paper attempts to demonstrate that in the age of globalization and cultural diversity, correct attitudes in cultural exchange should be taken. It suggests that different cultures should enhance exchange, respect and trust between each other and create a prosperous human culture together.Key words：the Joy Luck Club; conflicts; integration; Chinese and American cultureTable of Contents1. Introduction to the Author and the Novel.12. Cultural Conflicts Between China and America in the Joy Luck Club.22.1 Episodes Reflecting the Conflicts in the Novel22.2 Factors Causing the Conflicts .42.2.1 Different Languages and Expressions42.2.2 Different Views on Love and Marriage.52.2.3 Different Senses of Value.62.3 Cultural Interpretation of the Conflicts73. Cultural Integration Between China and America in the Joy Luck Club.83.1 Episodes Reflecting the Integration in the Novel.83.2 Ways Promoting the Integration.93.2.1 Mothers Efforts to Instill Chinese Culture in Daughters.93.2.2 Communication Between Mothers and Daughters.93.2.3 Daughters Understanding and Respect of Mothers 103.3 Cultural Interpretation of the Integration114. Correct Attitudes in Cultural Exchange114.1 Enhancing the Exchange of Different Cultures.124.2 Learning to Respect and Trust134.3 Seeking the Common Points.135. Conclusion14Reference.16iv1. IntroductionAmy Tan is one of the most highly acclaimed writers of American-Chinese literature. She published her first novel the Joy Luck Club in 1989, which received great attention immediately and remained on the New York Times best-seller list for many months. In the novel the Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan explores the relationship between mothers and daughters. The novel focuses on four pairs of mothers and daughters: Suyuan Woo and Jing-Mei Woo, An-Mei Hsu and Rose Hsu Jordan, Lindo-Jong and Waverly Jong, and Ying- Ying St. Clair and Lena St. Clair. The four mothers are the first generation immigrants from the Chinese traditional families. The daughters are born in America as the second generation immigrants who are deeply influenced by American moral standards and acting principles. They cherish their independent spirits and characters, and they are not willing to be controlled by others. They cannot understand their mothers Chinese culture and their way of thinking. They reject the advices and criticisms from their mothers no matter whether they are reasonable or not. Meanwhile, the mothers, as the first generation immigrants, do not totally integrate in American culture. They cannot speak fluent English. They never discard the tradition and never forget their lives in China. They show their love for daughters by planning their futures and interfering in their activities, which is hated by the daughters. Consequently, there are constant conflicts between mothers and daughters from choosing husbands to hairdos.However, the novel does not end up with conflicts. The mothers make continuous efforts to instill Chinese culture with daughters and they never stop maternal love to their daughters. Moreover, in the process of growing up, the daughters gradually understand their mothers love for them and accept it eventually. At the end of the novel, the reconciliation between mothers and daughters forms naturally.In fact, all the conflicts are caused by cultural differences, and the final reconciliation suggests the possibility of integration of different cultures. In the context of globalization, the communication between China and other countries whose cultural backgrounds are totally different from Chinas is increasing rapidly. China face more challenges to its traditional culture. It is a knotty question how to get integration in the cultural exchange. This paper analyses the cultural conflicts and integration between the mothers and the daughters in the novel the Joy Luck Club, and metaphorically between Chinese and American culture, with the aim to get the correct attitudes in cultural exchange.2. Cultural Conflicts between China and Americain the Joy Luck ClubIn the Joy Luck Club, the author Amy Tan presents many conflicts in the mother-daughter relationship. 2.1 Episodes Reflecting the Conflicts in the NovelThe most obvious conflicts happen in the story “Two Kinds”. Jing-Meis mother Suyuan Woo has a high expectation for her daughter. She believes that “you could be anything you wanted to be in America”. She thinks that Jing-Mei could be a prodigy. She hopes that Jing-Mei would be a pianist in the future. So the mother gets all kinds of magazines from people whose house she cleans, and searches for stories about remarkable children to tell to the daughter. She trades housecleaning service for weekly lessons and a piano for her daughter Jing-Mei to practice on every day. Jing-Mei likes piano herself, but she does not want to play the piano for her mother. In Jing-Meis eyes, she has the right to decide what she would do and not do. She has the right not be controlled by her mother. In order to break her mothers hope, Jing-Mei disrupts a piano show on purpose with all the friends of her parents present to shame her mother. The mother does not give up, however. She continues to force her daughter to practice the piano. Jing-Mei remains defiant. She says to her mother: “You want me to be someone that Im not! Ill never be the kind of daughter you want me to be.” (Tan, 1989: 142) The mother replies that only the obedient daughter can live in the house. The daughter does not give in to her mother, shouting that “I wish I wasnt your daughter. I wish you werent my mother. Then I wish I had never been born! ” (Tan, 1989: 142)The relationship between Lindo Jong and her daughter Waverly Jong also vividly reflects the cultural clash. In the story “Rules of the Game”, as a little girl, Waverly Jong shows great talent on chess. The mother, Lindo Jong, is so proud of her daughter that she introduces Waverly to whoever looks her way when they go out together. In order to create a good environment for her daughter to practice chess, Lindo make many concessions with the aim that her daughter can concentrate on chess. She makes decision that the daughter no longer has to do the dishes and her two brothers need to do the chores in place of her. When the daughter complains that the bedroom that she shares with her two brothers is so noisy that she couldnt think, the two brothers are arranged in the living room facing the street, immediately. The mother regards herself as a protective ally of her daughter. She has a habit of standing over her daughter while Waverly practices the chess at home. When Waverly wins the game, she likes to announce to others: “I told my daughter, use your horse to run over the enemy, she won quickly this way.” (Tan, 1989: 170) However, the daughter hates “the way she tried to take all the credit”. (Tan, 1989: 170) Finally, one day, in the middle of a crowd of people, the daughter burst out her aversion. She says: “Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why dont you learn to play chess?”(Tan, 1989: 99) These words actually turn their mother-daughter relationship down to the bottom. Their constant conflicts reach a climax ever.Besides, the conflicts not only exist between Chinese mothers and American daughters, but also between other members from Sino-American Families. Both Rose and Lena marry American husbands. Rose has always been told to be submitted and meek by her Chinese mother since her birth. As a result of her mothers education, Rose is used to listening to her husbands advices in marriage life. When asked for her opinion, she usually says: “You deicide.” or “I do not care.” or “either way is fine with me.” In such case, her American husband would say in his impatient voice, “No, you decide. You cannot have it both ways, none of the responsibility, none of the blame.” (Tan, 1989: 120) Because of Roses behavior, her husband proposes to divorce with her. Lena and her husband have a piece of paper on which under each of their names are things they have bought and how much they pay. Just things they share. This is not surprising in America. Lena feels uneasy and is in a complete despair eventually. She says to her husband: “our marriage is really based on not this balance sheet, who owes who what.” (Tan, 1989: 165) 2.2 Factors Causing the ConflictsActually all these conflicts can be attributed to the American-Chinese cultural differences which are embodied in three aspects.2.2.1 Different Languages and ExpressionsFirst, the mothers are born and grow up in China while the daughters are educated in America. They speak different languages and have different styles of expression. As language is the carrier of culture, different languages convey different cultural information. Language can give the speaker certain kind of cultural identity. A language means a pass check to know the culture it belongs to. In the Joy Luck Club, language has been a barrier obstructing the mother-daughter communication, which is hard to remove. Although having been living in America for many years, the mothers are used to speaking in Chinese, especially when they need to express something important or their strong feelings. Chinese is their mother tongue, which they cannot leave behind. They either speak the broken English or the Chinese-English sentences. For the daughters, who are brought up in America, they speak fluent English. They do not like and even despise their mothers way language, no matter they speak Chinese or the broken English. Consequently, the communication problems arise. For example, Jing-Mei says: “My mother and I never really understand one another. We translate each others meaning and I seemed to hear less than was said, while my mother heard more.” (Tan, 1989: 27) On the one hand, the daughter looks for meaning in what is stated by her mother and does not understand that her mother omits important information because she thinks that her daughter knows it; on the other hand, the mother looks for meaning in what has not been stated and adds many things to what has been stated and comes up with meanings that surprise her daughter. People from the two cultures also have totally different expression styles. American people cannot understand the virtue of being modest and reserved in Chinese culture. Just as Jing-Mei says, “it was one of those Chinese expressions that means the better half of mixed intentions. I can never remember things I didnt understand in the first place.” (Tan, 1989: 19) Unlike Chinese, Americans are frank and direct when expressing their ideas. They say what they think. Chinese people say half of what they think. Sometimes, they even say what is opposite to what they think. There is a talking between the two Chinese mothers Lindo Jong and Suyuan woo reflecting the feature of Chinese communication. Lindo says: “She brings home too many trophy. All day I have no time do nothing but dust off her winnings. ” Suyuan responses: “Our problem worser than yours. If we ask Jing-Mei wash dish, she hear nothing but music. Its like you cannot stop this natural talent.”(Tan, 1989: 138) At the superficial level, they are complaining about their problems. Actually, it is a Chinese way of showing off. However, this connation is not effective for the Americans. When Waverlys husband Rich first comes to her parents home, the mother Lindo Jong cooks her famous steamed pork and preserved vegetable dish, which she always serves with special pride. When Lindo Jong makes disparaging remarks about her cooking as usual, “the dish is not salty enough, no flavor. Its too bad to eat”. (Tan, 1989: 178) As an American man, Rich does not know that is a cue for others to praise the cook. He says: “you know all it needs is a little soy sauce.” And he proceeds to “pour a riverful of the salty black stuff on the platter, right before the mothers horrified eyes”. (Tan, 1989: 178) He even calls Waverlys parents name directly, which is considered as not polite in China. Waverly thinks over and over when she decides to tell her parents that she will get married with Rich. For Rich, it is only a matter of one sentence “Mom, Dad, Im getting married.” Chinese people are roundabout while American people are direct. 2.2.2 Different Views on Love and MarriageSecond, in terms of the views on love and marriage, the mothers and daughters hold different ideas. According to Chinese tradition, childrens marriage is a vitally important thing for parents. They try to give their suggestions, sometimes even the decision. Parents interfere with childrens marriage out of responsibility and kindness to make sure that their children can have blissful life in the future. To some extents, it is an important manifestation of parents love to children in China. American culture values independence. When children get married, what the parents need to do is to give their blessings. For Americans, marriage is a private thing they do not like to share with others. When the two different views meet, the conflicts are inevitable. Lindo Jong thinks that Waverlys first boyfriend is lazy and lack of family responsibilities. She thinks the boy is not good enough for her daughter. When she finds her daughter elopes with this guy, she throws her shoes at them. The daughter Waverly does not understand her mothers behavior. When her first marriage fails, she even thinks: “If perhaps my mother has poisoned my marriage.”(Tan, 1989: 174) As an Americanized girl, she does not think her mother has the right to intervene in her choice. Another girl, Lena believes in gender equality and equal rights for man and woman, equal rights for husband and wife, which are advocated in American culture. They go Dutch in life, which seems just. They think that only by doing this way, they can “eliminate false dependenciesbe equalslove without obligation” (Tan, 1989: 162) But her mother Ying-Ying cannot bear this rule. According to the Chinese culture in which the mother was born and grew up, it is unacceptable. A married Chinese couple cannot calculate the family financial expenditure so clearly; they must share the burden together.