Analysis of the Theme of "Escape" in Bone from the Perspective of Narrative Time

Abstract

Chinese American writer Fae Myenne Ng’s debut novel, Bone, adopts a unique narrative style to embody a Chinese American family’s choice of “escape” from Chinatown in mental or physical way. This paper studies the theme of “escape” from the perspective of Genette’s narrative time, and analyzes how the designed narrative structure reflects the theme of “escape”. On narrative order, the author constructs the story through the inverted memory of the character Leila, creating a sense from distance to proximity that bespeaks the theme of “escape”. On narrative duration, the author uses the skills of summary, scene, and pause to present different forms of “escapes” of the two generations of Chinese Americans; on narrative frequency, the author focuses on repeating the death of Ona, which is the epitome of the whole family’s “escape”. By organizing such narrative structure, the pain and bewilderment of Chinese American “escapes” from Chinatown are reinforced.