Transnationalism in Maxine Hong Kingston’s China Men and Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club

Xiaotao Wang

doi:10.22158/jecs.v4n2p122

Abstract

Chinese American literature is commonly interpreted as the narrative of the living experiences of Chinese Americans. Under the past nation-state research paradigm, Chinese American literature critics both in China and America are preoccupied with the “assimilation” of immigrants and their descendants in Chinese American literature texts, they argue that Chinese culture is the barrier for the immigrants to be fully assimilated into the mainstream society. But putting Chinese American literature under the context of globalization, these arguments seem inaccurate and out of date. This article examines the transnational practices and emotional attachments in Maxine Hong Kingston’s China Men and Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club to show that the identity in these two works are neither American nor Chinese, but transnational. Thus, Chinese American literature is not the writing of Chinese Americans’ Americanness, but a celebration of their transnationalism.

Highlights

On the study of Chinese Americans, there are two kinds of notions, “the notion of assimilation has dominated American discourse on the ‘Chinese Question’, while the question of their loyalty has preoccupied the study of the Chinese overseas in China” (Wang, 1994, p. 185)
In Maxine Hong Kingston’s China Men and Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, the two authors explore the issue of the first generation and second generation’s different transnationalism
Maxine Hong Kingston and Amy Tan, both of them noticed the emotional transnationalism of second-generation Chinese Americans and they use unique ways to explore it

Summary

Introduction

On the study of Chinese Americans, there are two kinds of notions, “the notion of assimilation has dominated American discourse on the ‘Chinese Question’, while the question of their loyalty has preoccupied the study of the Chinese overseas in China” (Wang, 1994, p. 185). This article situates transnationalism within the Chinese American immigration history and examines the transnational practices and emotional attachments in Maxine Hong Kingston’s China Men and Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club to show that the identity and cultural identification in these two works are neither American nor Chinese, but transnational. It is through transnational practices and emotions, these two authors complicate the identity, cultural identification of the Chinese immigrants and show the dynamic interaction between China and America.

Results

Conclusion