Analysis of Theme Through Conflicts in Maxine H.Kingston's 'The Woman Warrior' and Frank Chin's 'Donald Duk' Using A Sociological Approach.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………….....
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study .........................................................................
Statement of the Problem ........................................................................
Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................
Method of Research ................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ......................................................................
1
3
4
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THEME THROUGH CONFLICTS
IN MAXINE H. KINGSTON’S THE WOMAN WARRIOR
USING A SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH ........................................ 5
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF THEME THROUGH CONFLICTS
IN FRANK CHIN’S DONALD DUK
USING A SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH ........................................ 15
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION................................................................ 26
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 30
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of The Woman Warrior............................................................ 32
Synopsis of Donald Duk ......................................................................... 33
Biography of the Authors ........................................................................ 34
ii
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ABSTRACT
Dalam penulisan tugas akhir ini, penulis membahas konflik yang dapat
ditemukan dalam novel karya Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior, dan
Frank Chin, Donald Duk. Konflik yang akan dibahas terdiri dari dua jenis, yaitu
konflik sosial dan konflik batin. Dari konflik-konflik yang ada, penulis hendak
menarik sebuah tema untuk masing-masing novel dengan menggunakan
pendekatan sosiologis.
Setelah membaca dan menganalisis kedua novel tersebut, penulis
mendapati bahwa topik yang diangkat ke dalam novel tersebut sangatlah menarik,
yaitu tentang perbenturan budaya dan pencarian identitas. Topik-topik tersebut
adalah permasalahan yang biasa dialami oleh orang-orang yang memiliki lebih
dari satu latar belakang budaya.
Kedua protagonis dalam novel tersebut memiliki dua latar belakang
budaya yang sama, yaitu sebagai keturunan etnis Cina yang tinggal di Amerika
dan dibesarkan dalam lingkungan yang melestarikan akar budaya mereka.
Perbenturan antara budaya Amerika dan budaya Cina inilah yang memungkinkan
keduanya mengalami berbagai konflik dalam menentukan identitas. Dari konflikkonflik yang ada, akan ditarik sebuah tema untuk masing-masing novel.
Menariknya, tema yang ada terbukti saling melengkapi.
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APPENDICES
Summary of The Woman Warrior
The story is a memoir about Kingston herself as a Chinese-American. It is
divided into five stories. The first story is her description of the suicide of her aunt
after giving birth to an illegitimate child and how she is forbidden to speak about
it to anyone by her mother.
The second one is the writer’s retelling her childhood. She also imagines
herself as Fa Mulan, a legendary woman who overthrows the corrupt government.
The third story describes Kingston’s mother’s experience in Chinese
medical school and her physical and mental battles with spirits and ghosts.
In the fourth story, Kingston’s mother, Brave Orchid, brings her sister,
Moon Orchid, to America. Brave Orchid forces her to meet her husband, who
works as a doctor and remarries an American woman. Unfortunately, the result of
her coming is disappointing. He rejects Moon Orchid and she becomes mentallyill later on.
The last one is her description of her childhood experiences in California
public school, and her parents who consider her stupid, ugly, and disobedient. The
32
story ends with a story of Ts’ai Yen, a Chinese poetess born in A.D. 175, who has
to learn to sing in a foreign tongue.
Summary of Donald Duk
The novel takes place in Chinatown in California. Donald Duk is a twelveyear-old Chinese-American boy who is in trouble finding the balance between
accepting the American lifestyle and incorporating his Chinese heritage. His
family oppresses the American culture while Donald Duk wants to be truly
American without being influenced by his Chinese heritage. He is ashamed of the
name his father has given him. Donald hates the Chinese culture in his family and
thinks it boring, stupid, and embarrassing. Arnold Azalea, Donald’s best friend, is
welcomed by the Duks to celebrate the Chinese New Year. He finds his best
friend’s culture amusing and is confused of Donald’s being ashamed of his
culture.
On the first day of the New Year, Donald's family talks about Chinese
immigrants working on the Central Pacific Railroad end of the Transcontinental
Railroad. Donald begins to have dreams of being one of the Chinese men that
have built that railroad. Later on, he is inspired to do some research on the work
of the Chinese immigrants. Donald finds that no credit has been given to the
Chinese immigrants in American history books. After seeing the fact, Donald
finds himself claiming that white people are racist. His father ensures him that not
all white people are racist. Finally, Donald realizes that he can be an American
with his Chinese heritage.
33
Biography of Maxine Hong Kingston
Maxine Hong Kingston is the author of The Woman Warrior. She was
born on October 27, 1940 and raised in Stockton, California. Kingston was the
third of six children. Her father was a laundry worker and a gambling house
owner, called Tom Hong, and her mother, Ying Lang Hong, was a midwife
trained at the To Keung School of Midwifery in Canton.
Kingston graduated from the University of California at Berkeley
majoring in English Literature in 1962, and got a teaching certificate.
In
September 2005, she was honored as a 175th Speaker Series writer at Emma
Willard School. She is a Chinese-American novelist whose works often reflect her
cultural heritage and blend fiction with non-fiction. Some of her notable works are
The Woman Warrior (1976), China Men (1980), and The Tripmaster Monkey
(1989). She now lives in Oakland together with her husband, actor Earll Kingston,
and her son, Joseph Lawrence Chung Mei.
(“Maxine Hong Kingston”)
Biography of Frank Chin
Frank Chin is a Chinese-American playwright and novelist. He was born
on February 25, 1940, in Berkeley, California, but was raised to the age of six by
a retired Vaudeville couple in Placerville, California. At six years old, his mother
brought him back to the San Francisco Bay Area to live in Oakland Chinatown.
Chin attended college at the University of California, Berkeley.
Chin is one of the pioneers in Asian-American theatre. One of the most
famous plays is The Chickencoop Chinaman (1971). Some of his notable works
34
are Year of the Dragon (1974), Aiiieeeee! (1974), and Donald Duk (1991). He
received an American Book Award in 1989 for a collection of short stories, and
Lifetime Achievement in 2000. He now lives in Los Angeles, California.
(“Frank Chin”)
35
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Cultural clash is “[when] one or more cultures are integrated into one
environment, causing disruption and challenging contemporary traditions” (Urban
Dictionary). It is common in a multi cultural society, such as The United States of
America. Many people from all over the world, such as European and Asian
people, come to live in America. The European immigration began in the early
18th century while the Chinese immigration began in the middle of the 19th
century. America has become their new home. Since then the immigrants found
many hardships during their civilization; one of the examples was hardship to
assimilate with the American culture. It became more difficult for Chinese people,
because their culture was very different from the American culture. Thus, the
immigrants experienced a cultural clash.
The issue of a cultural clash is so significant as to have been brought up
into novels by some writers, such as the 20th-century Chinese-American writers
Maxine Hong Kingston, Frank Chin, Amy Tan and Jade Snow Wong. However,
1
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there are only two Chinese-American writers whose works are going to be
analysed in this thesis. They are Maxine Hong Kingston and Frank Chin.
Maxine Hong Kingston is a 20th-century Chinese-American writer whose
works are highly acclaimed as masterpieces. Some of her notable works are The
Woman Warrior and Tripmaster Monkey. Though her works are accepted, “she
receives a great deal of criticism, especially from the Chinese American
community” (“Maxine Hong Kingston”).
Frank Chin is also a 20th-Century Chinese-American writer. Besides, he
works as a playwright who is considered to be one of the pioneers in AsianAmerican theatres. Some of his notable works are Year of the Dragon, Aiiieeeee!,
and Donald Duk. He received an American Book Award in 1989 for a collection
of short stories entitled The Chinaman Pacific and Frisco R.R. Co., and Lifetime
Achievement in 2000 (“Frank Chin”). Since both of the authors are ChineseAmerican, I find it interesting to analyse their works.
The works of Kingston and Frank Chin which are going to be analysed in
my thesis are The Woman Warrior and Donald Duk. The two novels share the
idea of a cultural clash. Kingston’s novel, The Woman Warrior, tells about an
anonymous Chinese-American protagonist who experiences conflicts as an
immigrant in America. As a result of the cultural clash, she finds it difficult to
recognize her true identity. The topic of Chin’s novel, Donald Duk, is about the
concept of identity which is also related to a cultural clash. The novel tells about a
twelve-year-old Chinese boy, named Donald Duk, who is born in America.
However, his family tightly holds their Chinese culture. Thus, it hampers his selfsearching process.
2
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The conflicts found in both of the novels are significant because it is
possible to find them in real life. A conflict means “the opposition between two
characters (such as a protagonist and an antagonist), between two large groups of
people, or between the protagonist and a larger problem such as forces of nature,
ideas, public mores, and so on” (Shaw 91). There are three types of conflicts.
They are physical conflicts, inner conflicts, and social conflicts. “Physical conflict
is a struggle between man and the physical world, inner conflict is a struggle
between desires within a person [and] social conflict is a struggle between man
and man” (Shaw 91-92). They can be used as a means to reveal the theme of the
novel. Theme is “whatever general idea or insight the entire story reveals”
(Kennedy and Gioia 195). Thus, I would like to analyse the theme of the two
novels through conflicts, which are the inner and social conflicts experienced by
the protagonists.
Considering that the two novels talk about immigrants, cultural clash, and
the concept of identity, I believe it would be best to analyse the theme by using
the sociological approach for it deals with self and society. A sociological
approach “examines literature in the cultural, economic and political context in
which it is written or received” (“Critical Approaches to Literature”).
Statement of the Problem
The problems that I will discuss in my thesis are:
1. What is the theme of each novel?
2. How do the conflicts help revealing the theme of each novel?
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Purpose of the Study
The purposes of the study are:
1. To reveal the themes of the two novels.
2. To show how the conflicts help revealing the themes.
Method of Research
The method of research that I use in this project is library research. First of
all, I read the two novels which are going to be analysed. It is then followed by
browsing more information in the Internet to support the analysis. For further
understanding, I also read text books and search for literary criticism. Finally, I
draw a conclusion of what has been discussed.
Organization of the Thesis
The thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction,
which consists of the Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem,
Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis.
Chapter Two is the analysis of the theme of The Woman Warrior, followed by
Chapter Three, which is the analysis of the theme of Donald Duk. The last
chapter, Chapter Four, is the conclusion of what has been discussed in the
previous two chapters. The Bibliography and the Appendices will be given at the
end of the thesis.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analysing the conflicts in The Woman Warrior and Donald Duk in
the previous chapters, I would like to draw some conclusions. In my opinion, both
of the novels share the issue of a cultural clash and an identity. The cultural clash
appears to create conflicts to the two protagonists since they are Chinese
descendants who are influenced by the American culture.
In The Woman Warrior, the theme of the novel is revealed through both
the social and inner conflicts experienced by the protagonist. All of the social
conflicts in this novel happen between the protagonist and her mother, Brave
Orchid. The first conflict happens when the protagonist refuses to go to the
drugstore to get what is called a reparation candy. The second one is about the
protagonist’s logics, which influences her to express her disagreement to her
mother’s cutting the protagonist’s tongue. The last one happens when the
protagonist refuses her mother’s interference in choosing her life choice.
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There are also three inner conflicts found in the novel. The first one
happens when the protagonist, who considers herself an American, is unable to
confront her boss directly for calling her nigger yellow. The second one happens
when the protagonist adopts the American value of competition to gain pride;
however, as a female Chinese descendant, she is taught to be uncompetitive. The
last inner conflict experienced by the protagonist happens when she feels reluctant
to send her money to the relatives in China because of being an individualist;
however, she is a Chinese descendant who is supposed to be a collectivist.
Most of the conflicts happen because of the issue of a cultural clash. From
the conflicts that I analyse, I find that it is difficult for the protagonist to define
her own identity. Having two cultural backgrounds, she cannot identify herself
whether she is an American or a Chinese. When she tries to be an American, she
is forced to accept that she is a Chinese descendant along with its culture and vice
versa. Thus, I conclude that the theme of the novel is cultural clash may hamper
someone in identifying his/her identity.
In Donald Duk, the theme is also revealed through the social and inner
conflicts. The social conflicts in this novel mostly happen between Donald and his
father, King Duk. The first one happens between Donald and King Duk when
Donald refuses his father’s order to accompany Arnold running inside the dragon.
The other one happens between Donald and X. This conflict is caused by
Donald’s disagreement with X’s opinion towards his father kissing up Arnold’s
parents, which Donald sees as a way to gain his family’s pride. The last social
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conflict, again, happens between Donald and his father when Donald wants
everyone to be more American than Chinese since they live in America.
From the social conflicts, it is seen that Donald considers himself an
American. Therefore, he struggles to ignore his Chinese culture in order to be a
fully American, which leads him to experience some social conflicts with the
Chinese people around him. However, it will be proven in his inner conflict that
he cannot choose to be fully American since he is also a Chinese descendant.
Donald’s inner conflict also leads him to experience another issue of a
cultural clash. This happens because he is made to believe by his history teacher
that the Chinese are passive, non-competitive, and nonassertive. Later on, he
knows from his dream that the Chinese stereotypes set by the American
community are incorrect. Thus, he expresses his disagreement towards the
negative Chinese stereotype to his teacher. By accepting that he is part of the
Chinese community and confronting the teacher directly, he proves that he
embraces both of his cultural backgrounds. Therefore, I conclude that the theme
of this novel that a cultural clash makes it impossible for one with two different
cultural backgrounds to choose only one identity.
After analysing the two novels, it seems that the two novels have some
similarities and differences. The first similarity is that both of The Woman
Warrior and Donald Duk deal with the issue of a cultural clash which may lead
the protagonists to experience the social and inner conflicts in finding their
identities. The other one is the two protagonists have the same cultural
background, which is Chinese-American. Another similarity found after analysing
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the two novels is both of the protagonists have conflicts with their parents because
the parents are dominantly influenced by the Chinese culture, while the
protagonists are more influenced by the American culture.
Apart from the similarities of the conflicts from these two novels, there is
a difference that I have found. The protagonist in the first novel is still confused
whether she is an American or a Chinese since she can be easily influenced by
both of the cultures, while Donald has firmly chosen to be an American. However,
he is unable to be fully an American.
After reading and analysing the novels, I find something valuable that I
can learn. In my opinion, people who have more than one cultural background,
such as the protagonist of The Woman Warrior, will find difficulties in choosing
their identity. They will always be confused whether to be, in this case, a Chinese
or an American. However, in Donald Duk, it is proven that there is no possibility
for one to choose only one identity, which means that they should embrace all
their cultural backgrounds to figure out who they really are. This makes both of
the novels complete each other.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary texts:
Chin, Frank. Donald Duk. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, 1997.
Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. New York: Alfred A. Knoff,
INC, 1976
References:
“American Way of Thinking.” Art and Culture American Way Of Thinking. 2010.
26 April 2010.
“China- Language, Culture, Customs and Ettiquette.” China: Chinese Culture,
Etiquette, Customs, Manners and Protocol.”25 Aug.2009.
“Collectivist and Individualist Cultures - Traits of Collectivism.” Collectivist and
Individualist Cultures. 18 Nov.2009.
“Cultural Clash.” Urban Dictionary: culture clash. 1999-2010. 26 April 2010.
“Critical Approaches to Literature.” Critical Approaches to Literature – Engl
200, Sec.21/ Fall 1988. 25 Aug. 2009
http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/200/litcrit.html
Datesman, Maryanne Kearny, JoAnn Crandall, and Edward N. Kearny. The
American Ways. New York: PRENTICE HALL REGENTS. 1997.
“Frank Chin.” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2009. 27 Aug. 2009.
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“Individualism.” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2009. 18 Nov. 2009.
Joel. “A Kiss-up, Kick-down society” A Kiss-up, Kick-down society | China
Hope Live. 6 Nov. 2008. 27 April 2010.
< http://chinahopelive.net/2008/11/05/a-kiss-up-kick-down-society>
Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia. Literature an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and
Drama. New York: Longman. 2002.
“Maxine Hong Kingston.” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2009. 27 Aug. 2009.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw-Hill,
Inc. 1972.
“Some General Differences between Chinese and American Cultures.”
Differences between Chinese and American Culture. 25 Aug. 2009.
“Stereotypes.” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2010. 19 May 2010.
“Stereotypes of East Asians in the United States” Stereotypes of East and
Southeast Asians in the United States Summary. 2006. 27 April 2010.
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Stereotypes_of_East_and_Southeast_Asia
ns_in_the_United_States
“United States Nationality Law” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2010. 27 April.
2010.
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_nationality_law>
Wanning, Esther. CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Ettiquette.
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions. 1991.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………….....
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study .........................................................................
Statement of the Problem ........................................................................
Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................
Method of Research ................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ......................................................................
1
3
4
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THEME THROUGH CONFLICTS
IN MAXINE H. KINGSTON’S THE WOMAN WARRIOR
USING A SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH ........................................ 5
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF THEME THROUGH CONFLICTS
IN FRANK CHIN’S DONALD DUK
USING A SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH ........................................ 15
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION................................................................ 26
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 30
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of The Woman Warrior............................................................ 32
Synopsis of Donald Duk ......................................................................... 33
Biography of the Authors ........................................................................ 34
ii
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ABSTRACT
Dalam penulisan tugas akhir ini, penulis membahas konflik yang dapat
ditemukan dalam novel karya Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior, dan
Frank Chin, Donald Duk. Konflik yang akan dibahas terdiri dari dua jenis, yaitu
konflik sosial dan konflik batin. Dari konflik-konflik yang ada, penulis hendak
menarik sebuah tema untuk masing-masing novel dengan menggunakan
pendekatan sosiologis.
Setelah membaca dan menganalisis kedua novel tersebut, penulis
mendapati bahwa topik yang diangkat ke dalam novel tersebut sangatlah menarik,
yaitu tentang perbenturan budaya dan pencarian identitas. Topik-topik tersebut
adalah permasalahan yang biasa dialami oleh orang-orang yang memiliki lebih
dari satu latar belakang budaya.
Kedua protagonis dalam novel tersebut memiliki dua latar belakang
budaya yang sama, yaitu sebagai keturunan etnis Cina yang tinggal di Amerika
dan dibesarkan dalam lingkungan yang melestarikan akar budaya mereka.
Perbenturan antara budaya Amerika dan budaya Cina inilah yang memungkinkan
keduanya mengalami berbagai konflik dalam menentukan identitas. Dari konflikkonflik yang ada, akan ditarik sebuah tema untuk masing-masing novel.
Menariknya, tema yang ada terbukti saling melengkapi.
iii
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
Summary of The Woman Warrior
The story is a memoir about Kingston herself as a Chinese-American. It is
divided into five stories. The first story is her description of the suicide of her aunt
after giving birth to an illegitimate child and how she is forbidden to speak about
it to anyone by her mother.
The second one is the writer’s retelling her childhood. She also imagines
herself as Fa Mulan, a legendary woman who overthrows the corrupt government.
The third story describes Kingston’s mother’s experience in Chinese
medical school and her physical and mental battles with spirits and ghosts.
In the fourth story, Kingston’s mother, Brave Orchid, brings her sister,
Moon Orchid, to America. Brave Orchid forces her to meet her husband, who
works as a doctor and remarries an American woman. Unfortunately, the result of
her coming is disappointing. He rejects Moon Orchid and she becomes mentallyill later on.
The last one is her description of her childhood experiences in California
public school, and her parents who consider her stupid, ugly, and disobedient. The
32
story ends with a story of Ts’ai Yen, a Chinese poetess born in A.D. 175, who has
to learn to sing in a foreign tongue.
Summary of Donald Duk
The novel takes place in Chinatown in California. Donald Duk is a twelveyear-old Chinese-American boy who is in trouble finding the balance between
accepting the American lifestyle and incorporating his Chinese heritage. His
family oppresses the American culture while Donald Duk wants to be truly
American without being influenced by his Chinese heritage. He is ashamed of the
name his father has given him. Donald hates the Chinese culture in his family and
thinks it boring, stupid, and embarrassing. Arnold Azalea, Donald’s best friend, is
welcomed by the Duks to celebrate the Chinese New Year. He finds his best
friend’s culture amusing and is confused of Donald’s being ashamed of his
culture.
On the first day of the New Year, Donald's family talks about Chinese
immigrants working on the Central Pacific Railroad end of the Transcontinental
Railroad. Donald begins to have dreams of being one of the Chinese men that
have built that railroad. Later on, he is inspired to do some research on the work
of the Chinese immigrants. Donald finds that no credit has been given to the
Chinese immigrants in American history books. After seeing the fact, Donald
finds himself claiming that white people are racist. His father ensures him that not
all white people are racist. Finally, Donald realizes that he can be an American
with his Chinese heritage.
33
Biography of Maxine Hong Kingston
Maxine Hong Kingston is the author of The Woman Warrior. She was
born on October 27, 1940 and raised in Stockton, California. Kingston was the
third of six children. Her father was a laundry worker and a gambling house
owner, called Tom Hong, and her mother, Ying Lang Hong, was a midwife
trained at the To Keung School of Midwifery in Canton.
Kingston graduated from the University of California at Berkeley
majoring in English Literature in 1962, and got a teaching certificate.
In
September 2005, she was honored as a 175th Speaker Series writer at Emma
Willard School. She is a Chinese-American novelist whose works often reflect her
cultural heritage and blend fiction with non-fiction. Some of her notable works are
The Woman Warrior (1976), China Men (1980), and The Tripmaster Monkey
(1989). She now lives in Oakland together with her husband, actor Earll Kingston,
and her son, Joseph Lawrence Chung Mei.
(“Maxine Hong Kingston”)
Biography of Frank Chin
Frank Chin is a Chinese-American playwright and novelist. He was born
on February 25, 1940, in Berkeley, California, but was raised to the age of six by
a retired Vaudeville couple in Placerville, California. At six years old, his mother
brought him back to the San Francisco Bay Area to live in Oakland Chinatown.
Chin attended college at the University of California, Berkeley.
Chin is one of the pioneers in Asian-American theatre. One of the most
famous plays is The Chickencoop Chinaman (1971). Some of his notable works
34
are Year of the Dragon (1974), Aiiieeeee! (1974), and Donald Duk (1991). He
received an American Book Award in 1989 for a collection of short stories, and
Lifetime Achievement in 2000. He now lives in Los Angeles, California.
(“Frank Chin”)
35
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Cultural clash is “[when] one or more cultures are integrated into one
environment, causing disruption and challenging contemporary traditions” (Urban
Dictionary). It is common in a multi cultural society, such as The United States of
America. Many people from all over the world, such as European and Asian
people, come to live in America. The European immigration began in the early
18th century while the Chinese immigration began in the middle of the 19th
century. America has become their new home. Since then the immigrants found
many hardships during their civilization; one of the examples was hardship to
assimilate with the American culture. It became more difficult for Chinese people,
because their culture was very different from the American culture. Thus, the
immigrants experienced a cultural clash.
The issue of a cultural clash is so significant as to have been brought up
into novels by some writers, such as the 20th-century Chinese-American writers
Maxine Hong Kingston, Frank Chin, Amy Tan and Jade Snow Wong. However,
1
Maranatha Christian University
there are only two Chinese-American writers whose works are going to be
analysed in this thesis. They are Maxine Hong Kingston and Frank Chin.
Maxine Hong Kingston is a 20th-century Chinese-American writer whose
works are highly acclaimed as masterpieces. Some of her notable works are The
Woman Warrior and Tripmaster Monkey. Though her works are accepted, “she
receives a great deal of criticism, especially from the Chinese American
community” (“Maxine Hong Kingston”).
Frank Chin is also a 20th-Century Chinese-American writer. Besides, he
works as a playwright who is considered to be one of the pioneers in AsianAmerican theatres. Some of his notable works are Year of the Dragon, Aiiieeeee!,
and Donald Duk. He received an American Book Award in 1989 for a collection
of short stories entitled The Chinaman Pacific and Frisco R.R. Co., and Lifetime
Achievement in 2000 (“Frank Chin”). Since both of the authors are ChineseAmerican, I find it interesting to analyse their works.
The works of Kingston and Frank Chin which are going to be analysed in
my thesis are The Woman Warrior and Donald Duk. The two novels share the
idea of a cultural clash. Kingston’s novel, The Woman Warrior, tells about an
anonymous Chinese-American protagonist who experiences conflicts as an
immigrant in America. As a result of the cultural clash, she finds it difficult to
recognize her true identity. The topic of Chin’s novel, Donald Duk, is about the
concept of identity which is also related to a cultural clash. The novel tells about a
twelve-year-old Chinese boy, named Donald Duk, who is born in America.
However, his family tightly holds their Chinese culture. Thus, it hampers his selfsearching process.
2
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The conflicts found in both of the novels are significant because it is
possible to find them in real life. A conflict means “the opposition between two
characters (such as a protagonist and an antagonist), between two large groups of
people, or between the protagonist and a larger problem such as forces of nature,
ideas, public mores, and so on” (Shaw 91). There are three types of conflicts.
They are physical conflicts, inner conflicts, and social conflicts. “Physical conflict
is a struggle between man and the physical world, inner conflict is a struggle
between desires within a person [and] social conflict is a struggle between man
and man” (Shaw 91-92). They can be used as a means to reveal the theme of the
novel. Theme is “whatever general idea or insight the entire story reveals”
(Kennedy and Gioia 195). Thus, I would like to analyse the theme of the two
novels through conflicts, which are the inner and social conflicts experienced by
the protagonists.
Considering that the two novels talk about immigrants, cultural clash, and
the concept of identity, I believe it would be best to analyse the theme by using
the sociological approach for it deals with self and society. A sociological
approach “examines literature in the cultural, economic and political context in
which it is written or received” (“Critical Approaches to Literature”).
Statement of the Problem
The problems that I will discuss in my thesis are:
1. What is the theme of each novel?
2. How do the conflicts help revealing the theme of each novel?
3
Maranatha Christian University
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of the study are:
1. To reveal the themes of the two novels.
2. To show how the conflicts help revealing the themes.
Method of Research
The method of research that I use in this project is library research. First of
all, I read the two novels which are going to be analysed. It is then followed by
browsing more information in the Internet to support the analysis. For further
understanding, I also read text books and search for literary criticism. Finally, I
draw a conclusion of what has been discussed.
Organization of the Thesis
The thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction,
which consists of the Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem,
Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis.
Chapter Two is the analysis of the theme of The Woman Warrior, followed by
Chapter Three, which is the analysis of the theme of Donald Duk. The last
chapter, Chapter Four, is the conclusion of what has been discussed in the
previous two chapters. The Bibliography and the Appendices will be given at the
end of the thesis.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analysing the conflicts in The Woman Warrior and Donald Duk in
the previous chapters, I would like to draw some conclusions. In my opinion, both
of the novels share the issue of a cultural clash and an identity. The cultural clash
appears to create conflicts to the two protagonists since they are Chinese
descendants who are influenced by the American culture.
In The Woman Warrior, the theme of the novel is revealed through both
the social and inner conflicts experienced by the protagonist. All of the social
conflicts in this novel happen between the protagonist and her mother, Brave
Orchid. The first conflict happens when the protagonist refuses to go to the
drugstore to get what is called a reparation candy. The second one is about the
protagonist’s logics, which influences her to express her disagreement to her
mother’s cutting the protagonist’s tongue. The last one happens when the
protagonist refuses her mother’s interference in choosing her life choice.
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There are also three inner conflicts found in the novel. The first one
happens when the protagonist, who considers herself an American, is unable to
confront her boss directly for calling her nigger yellow. The second one happens
when the protagonist adopts the American value of competition to gain pride;
however, as a female Chinese descendant, she is taught to be uncompetitive. The
last inner conflict experienced by the protagonist happens when she feels reluctant
to send her money to the relatives in China because of being an individualist;
however, she is a Chinese descendant who is supposed to be a collectivist.
Most of the conflicts happen because of the issue of a cultural clash. From
the conflicts that I analyse, I find that it is difficult for the protagonist to define
her own identity. Having two cultural backgrounds, she cannot identify herself
whether she is an American or a Chinese. When she tries to be an American, she
is forced to accept that she is a Chinese descendant along with its culture and vice
versa. Thus, I conclude that the theme of the novel is cultural clash may hamper
someone in identifying his/her identity.
In Donald Duk, the theme is also revealed through the social and inner
conflicts. The social conflicts in this novel mostly happen between Donald and his
father, King Duk. The first one happens between Donald and King Duk when
Donald refuses his father’s order to accompany Arnold running inside the dragon.
The other one happens between Donald and X. This conflict is caused by
Donald’s disagreement with X’s opinion towards his father kissing up Arnold’s
parents, which Donald sees as a way to gain his family’s pride. The last social
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conflict, again, happens between Donald and his father when Donald wants
everyone to be more American than Chinese since they live in America.
From the social conflicts, it is seen that Donald considers himself an
American. Therefore, he struggles to ignore his Chinese culture in order to be a
fully American, which leads him to experience some social conflicts with the
Chinese people around him. However, it will be proven in his inner conflict that
he cannot choose to be fully American since he is also a Chinese descendant.
Donald’s inner conflict also leads him to experience another issue of a
cultural clash. This happens because he is made to believe by his history teacher
that the Chinese are passive, non-competitive, and nonassertive. Later on, he
knows from his dream that the Chinese stereotypes set by the American
community are incorrect. Thus, he expresses his disagreement towards the
negative Chinese stereotype to his teacher. By accepting that he is part of the
Chinese community and confronting the teacher directly, he proves that he
embraces both of his cultural backgrounds. Therefore, I conclude that the theme
of this novel that a cultural clash makes it impossible for one with two different
cultural backgrounds to choose only one identity.
After analysing the two novels, it seems that the two novels have some
similarities and differences. The first similarity is that both of The Woman
Warrior and Donald Duk deal with the issue of a cultural clash which may lead
the protagonists to experience the social and inner conflicts in finding their
identities. The other one is the two protagonists have the same cultural
background, which is Chinese-American. Another similarity found after analysing
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the two novels is both of the protagonists have conflicts with their parents because
the parents are dominantly influenced by the Chinese culture, while the
protagonists are more influenced by the American culture.
Apart from the similarities of the conflicts from these two novels, there is
a difference that I have found. The protagonist in the first novel is still confused
whether she is an American or a Chinese since she can be easily influenced by
both of the cultures, while Donald has firmly chosen to be an American. However,
he is unable to be fully an American.
After reading and analysing the novels, I find something valuable that I
can learn. In my opinion, people who have more than one cultural background,
such as the protagonist of The Woman Warrior, will find difficulties in choosing
their identity. They will always be confused whether to be, in this case, a Chinese
or an American. However, in Donald Duk, it is proven that there is no possibility
for one to choose only one identity, which means that they should embrace all
their cultural backgrounds to figure out who they really are. This makes both of
the novels complete each other.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary texts:
Chin, Frank. Donald Duk. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, 1997.
Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. New York: Alfred A. Knoff,
INC, 1976
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“American Way of Thinking.” Art and Culture American Way Of Thinking. 2010.
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“China- Language, Culture, Customs and Ettiquette.” China: Chinese Culture,
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“Collectivist and Individualist Cultures - Traits of Collectivism.” Collectivist and
Individualist Cultures. 18 Nov.2009.
“Cultural Clash.” Urban Dictionary: culture clash. 1999-2010. 26 April 2010.
“Critical Approaches to Literature.” Critical Approaches to Literature – Engl
200, Sec.21/ Fall 1988. 25 Aug. 2009
http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/200/litcrit.html
Datesman, Maryanne Kearny, JoAnn Crandall, and Edward N. Kearny. The
American Ways. New York: PRENTICE HALL REGENTS. 1997.
“Frank Chin.” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2009. 27 Aug. 2009.
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“Individualism.” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2009. 18 Nov. 2009.
Joel. “A Kiss-up, Kick-down society” A Kiss-up, Kick-down society | China
Hope Live. 6 Nov. 2008. 27 April 2010.
< http://chinahopelive.net/2008/11/05/a-kiss-up-kick-down-society>
Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia. Literature an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and
Drama. New York: Longman. 2002.
“Maxine Hong Kingston.” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2009. 27 Aug. 2009.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw-Hill,
Inc. 1972.
“Some General Differences between Chinese and American Cultures.”
Differences between Chinese and American Culture. 25 Aug. 2009.
“Stereotypes.” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2010. 19 May 2010.
“Stereotypes of East Asians in the United States” Stereotypes of East and
Southeast Asians in the United States Summary. 2006. 27 April 2010.
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Stereotypes_of_East_and_Southeast_Asia
ns_in_the_United_States
“United States Nationality Law” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2010. 27 April.
2010.
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_nationality_law>
Wanning, Esther. CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Ettiquette.
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions. 1991.
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