2014 No.4 文学研究 Serial No.7l ● enCan A Cultural Analysis on Typical American 王迪・ (School of Foreign Languages of China University of Geosciences(Beijing),Beijing 100083) Abstract:ryp ̄al American,Gish Jen’s first novel,is an excellent attempt to describe the experiences of three young Chinese immigrants Ralph,Theresa and Helen,who moved to America for a better life.This paper intends to explore the novel with the views of cultural identity.Through the evolution of the Changs to be the typical American,I criticize the mode of “Melting Pot”.model of assimilation and its concomitant definition of the“typical American”.The article voices strong support for American muhicuhuralism symbolized by“American salad bowl”.Consequently,Chinese immigrants should try to develop their cultural identity by blending the best of Eastern and Western cultures,which will offer us some fresh insight into the broader issues of globalization and multicuhuralism. Keywords:聊 A mercian;Typical Chinese;Culturla identity;Cultural Assimilation 1.TypicalAmerican andGish Jen could get you anywhere in life. The writer of the work is Gish Jen.She is a professional Typical A merican,a Chinese—American novel,is an writer,New Yorker,a second generation Chinese American and a graduate of Harvard University,where she earned a excellent attempt to describe the experiences of contemporary middle--class Chinese immirantgs.It is a new Chinese degree in English.Typical American is her fist nove1.Jen rimmigrant novel,which is historically accurate,entertaining, revisits a character(Ralph Chang)from one of her shofl stories,in the American society.The novel charts Chang’s progress through his life.Her character is a struggling young man who has high hopes after emigrating from China to the United States,only to be found later in the depths of despair. Change occurs his long lost older sister Theresa later in the story.Ralph Chang and his sister Theresa immigrated to and refreshing.Through the eyes of her characters,Jen gives the readers a glimpse of what it means to become American. he author uses tThe theme to link her characters.Three young people Ralph,Theresa,Helen moved to America for a better life,to pursue their American dream.During the school Ralph was going to become a doctor and get his Ph.D.During his graduation he got his Ph.D.and his family did not come to see him.After being in America for a while he found his sister Theresa.Theresa introduced her brother Ralph to her friend Helen.Helen and Ralph started to date and then soon became engaged.When they got married,everything started to change.He was eager to make more money and thought he should do what he wanted.He thought money in America America separately and happened to meet again by chance. he Changs were iTn pursuit of the American dream. 2.Chang-Kee—_BeiIIg Typical American This novel presents a Chinese version of the American Dream.It concerns with the process of the protagonist Ralph’s 1王迪(1973一),讲师,硕士,主要研究方向:亚裔美国文学 大学英语教学与研究。23・ seeking the American Dream.Gish Jen focuses on their changes of spiirtual dilemma and the views of value. At the beginning of the tales,th Changs are typical Chinese.They maintain their Chinese culture identity and promise they cannot accept the American culture totally. Ralph and Helen considered the characteristics of typical American as; “typical American no-manners.”“typical American no morals,’’“typical American—use-brute force,” ‘‘typical American wasteful”.They despise Americans’in many ways.Ironically,the Changs acquired such bad habits in America little by little.While seeking American Dream, they almost lost their identity.The protagonist Yifong Chang changed his Chinese name into English name Ralph.His sister and his wife also changed their Chinese name into English.With the identity and status changing,they doubted whether their old ideas were fight or not.Just as Theresa said: “You know why we used to say typical American good—fl0r— nothing?;That was because we believed we were good for nothing.”Now everything looks different.Gradually,Ralph, Theresa and Helen had their own secrets and became more materialism.Actually they became typical Americans. Ralph,a traditional intellectual,stepped into the United States with his father’s expectations.The moment he arrived in America,Ralph kept reminding himself:culitvating virtue to be a good scholar,and bringing honors to his family. Maintaining his Chinese cuhure identity,he refuses to be made an American citizen.Ralph claimed his home was China to make China indeed his home.In his mind,homeland often appeared: …How colossal his China was,how fragile his family’s house,their garden,their little systems for keeping food from spoiling,for presenting his sisters to company in the very best light.Memories filled hinr—New Year’s feasts,fireworks,chestnuts, Know-h-All kept an all—white kitten;he itched just to think about it. Ralph tried his best to earn the PhD,realized his dream of doctorate in America.Later on,Ralph got his tenure as a college professor.While facing Grover’s wealth and so—called American freedom,Ralph changed his goals from engineering professor to fried chicken king.Traditional Chinese scholar’s virtues disappeared.He did not want to cultivate virtues and 。24’College English Teaching&Research thinks tenure as a professor was not suitable with him.He persuaded himsel ̄ …Ralph had talked himself out wanting to be a professor anyway.First of alI.he was not interested in research.Thirdly,he was not interested in teaching.So why should he be a scholar?…He decided that he would rather be a fireman.Anything that didn’t require books,or a slide rule.What he’d give never to have to see a slide rule again for the restfor his life! Ralph risked his academic career to enter into a dubious get——irch-quick partnership with a vulgar Chinese——American entrepreneur named Grover Ding.Ralph papers his walls with inspirational quotes like:“What you can conceive,you can achieve”;“you can never have irghts in great quantity unless you work yourself into a white heat of desire for money,”He acquired books with titles like Making Money,Be Your Own Boss r Ninety Day to Power and Success.Ralph lost his traditional values when American individualism has greatly haunted him.He became so money-oriented that he believed he could only fit in the society if he made good money.If he couidn’t,he would be dubbed Chinamen.So Ralph bought a take—out chicken business from Grover.He quitted teaching in College,though“small doubts rained on him from time to time‘一mostly he floated in hope,fabulous hope,a private ocean,gentle and green”.Grover Ding who represented a typical American-born-Chinese was rooted in American values.He taught Ralph in“the legendary America that was every wish come true,’’income too can be a dream.Soon Ralph had been Americanized.He did not Care his family and was busy with his business.Money worship got rooted in his mind,which is the embodiment of American individualism.It was just the beginning of ̄agedy to the Changs.In the end, Ralph’s business failed.In the process of seeking American Dream,Ralph transformed to be a typical American and lost his Chinese identity. 3.The Typical American with Chinese Heritage and American Values 3.1 Real Essence of the Typical American Through the whole story,Gish Jen conveys the information that Chinese immigrants can also be Americans, naturally becomes submerged in the unanimous mass.Typical American is absolutely not this simple assimilation’s version, though they may inevitably come up with bitter ups and downs along the way.Jen simply avoids the stereotypical images of Chinese Immigrants but holds rigidly to the simple fact that she observes in life.Many immirantg families nor the separatist one,but it stands for an active attitude of “participation,’’that is,to participate in the American life and to redefine what is meant by“Typical American.'’The welcome this book as they find their own voices in it, “A marvelously insightful rollers coaster ride to the dark heart of the American Dream.It rings true as the stories my own relatives would recite in hushed tones around the adult banquet table’’ There are many social forces at work on the American mind that are acting as catalysts for change,so what is a “typical American'’these days?According to Jen’s interpretation,“our old myths are not holding.The present concept of the‘typical American’is a new American myth.It is more inclusive of diversity than any of the myths we have had so far.” It is the most necessary to trace the evolution of the concept“Typical American”,from which we can get a better understanding of how the Changs could rightfully be called “typical Americans”in its new sense,namely,the broader and more inclusive one.Just as some westerners may forge false images of the Chinese from those destructive stereotypes in the mass media,the Changs also possess prejudiced ideas about American initially.So obviously,ignorance or misunderstanding hinders the objective recognition of the unfamiliar“other”. Gish Jen makes her characters turn to be typical Americans rather than strengthen the false stereotypes about Chinese immirgants.However,some reviewers oversimpliifed the whole matter and thought that this was again an obsolete version of assimilation and melting-pot theory.These oversimpliifed reviews run contrary to the information Jen wants to convey to her readers because these words again evoke the association wiht term like“melting”“blending'’. “fusing”,and the like.Assimilation,according to those interpretations,is simply“a purposeful process of burning off impurities and molding immigrants to predetermined type,a ifnn belief that the new type is superior to that of a single strain”. The assimilation version calls for its followers to rinse off his cultural traits,his otherness and therefore,the follower ingenious effect is achieved quite naturally:to participate in the American life,the characters plunge themselves into the pursuit of the American Dream,a common way to assimilation,but only to find themselves in the monkey--like imitation.Financial bankruptcy and family disintegration make them see that the American legend,“Be all that you can be”is only a fairy tale.More important is that the happy reunion of family members comes not in abandoning the American Dream but in finding a way to make it their own. They can redefine what they understand as typical American as they are more sober-minded than ever. Early in the novel,Ralph,Helen and Theresa mock the manners they perceive as quintessentially American because they are looked down upon by Pete,a prejudiced doomran. And pretty s00n.no one knows how“typical Pete’’turns “typical American”this.“typical American”that.‘'Typical American no—good,”Ralph would say:Theresa,“Typical American don’t—know—how—to—get—along'’,and Helen, “typical American Just-want—to-be—the—center—of things.” The Changs oversimpliifes their understanding of Americans by adding more negative charges to the list:“typical American no—morals”,“)yplcal American use-brute-force”, “typical American no-manners”.“typical American wasteful”. However,the Changs,in line with the 1950s atmosphere of upward mobility and conformity in America,become absorbed into pursuing the American Dream.With their gradual assimilation into the American society,the defensive stance gradually gives way to the fervent welcoming stance.They flitr with these“typical American”qualities,inhabiting them as they make tragic missteps along the road to assimilation.And with the rising social status,they now believe they are not what they used to be and could veritably be called“typical Americans.’’“Everything looks different,”Theresa,said at supper,“You know why we used to say typical American good—f0r-nothing?That was because we believed we were good for noting.But everything is diferent now”. Under出e overwhelming influence of mass culture in the 大学英语教学与研究。25。 U.S.,the Changs gradually construct their new recognition of the country:Like the general white Middle-class in the 1950s, ̄cars,house,business,these simple and recognizable codes of material richness and social status,are their goals of the American Dream.‘'People think you set foot in America and you become American instantly,”Jen said,“For the characters in my book,it's not so much being a citizen that makes them feel American.It’s something like buying a house”.Ironically,all these codes also bring successive disasters to the family when they gradually come true one by one. 3.2 Bridging the Two Cuhures ̄Cultural Assimilation In the 1960s,before the civil rights movement,America pursued the assimilation mode of the culturla melting pot.As a consequence,the ethnic culture was wakened and power cuhure was stren ̄hened.People Were more concerned with the ethic culture at that time.Gish Jen was born in the 1 950s and grew up in such kind of social background.As a college student in the 1970s,Jen saw the civil rights movement.The experience affected her deeply. With the rise of muhicuhuralism,Gish Jen began to write this novel in the 1990s.Surprisingly,the ternd is toward multieuhuralism,not assimilation.Naturally,she strongly inclined to the pot of “American salad”.The old“melting pot”metaphor is giving way to new metaphors-“salad bowl”.Mehing pot implies everything losing its identity,while the salad idea suggests that each ingredient retains some of its unique flavor. Immigrant populations within the United States are not being blended together in one“pot”,but they are transforming American Society into a turly muhicuhural mosaic to keep their individual characteristics. Gish Jen is a second-generation immigrant.However, she described the characters in her novel as the new immirgants.In the sense,it is nearly the experiences of her parents.As we know,the new Chinese immirgants are mostly well educated and highly specialized.They are more strong- willed than the early first-generation immigrants on their culture identity.So Jen said she had her own definition of American. “Especially on the East Coast,”Jen said,you ifnd that you are constantly fighting a tide of what defines Americanness as something opposed to your 。26。CollegeEnglish Teaching&Research heritage,【and]then,by deifnition,anyone who holds onto a part of their heritage is less American. That is something that I categorically rejeet. “I have my own definition of American.”says Jen.“It is not something that you come into【and】 particularly does not involve abandoning where you came from.I think of Amerieanness as a preoccupation with identity;It is the hallmark of the New Wor1d because we live in a society where you are not only who your parents were.and you don't already know what your children will be.That is not to say that I am blond and eat apple pie.but any definition that finds me less American-well,all I can say is that something is wrong wit}l the definition.” In Jen’s view,the new immirgants almost are influenced by cultural identity crisis and culture assimilation.According t0 Jen’s definition.muhicuhuralism is the feature of American cuhure presently.The Typical American should include the immigrants with their own culture heritage.They are bridging the two different cultures.Through Jen’S Typical American,we saw the changes of the Chang’s family. Although they became typical American in the end,they also keep some traits of their traditional Chinese culture,and do not deny it.When Ralph’s business failed.he began to ask himself:“Who am I?”Ralph was trapped in identity dilemma. In Chinese heritage,scholarship is greatly esteemed. Returning to traditional culture was the best solution to the problems.WEI YOU DU SHU GAO reminded him of giving up his fast-food business to return to:teaching.Theresa also returned to the apartment to live together with Ralph and Helen.Undoubtedly,they were neither complete Chinese nor complete American at the end of the story.They became the combinations of eastern cuhures and western cultures.Nine years later,the Chang’s family became typical American by calling themselves Chang-kee,which combined“Chang’’and “Yankee”.Both Chinese culture and Ameriearl culture had a great impact on them,including customs,habits and languages more or less. They celebrated Christmas in addition to Chinese New Year’s,and were regulars at Radio City Music Hal1.Ralph owed a.Davy Croekedtt hat.Helen knew most of the words to most of the songs in The King and I,and South Paciic。Ift was true that she still inquired of people if they’d eaten yet.odd as it sounded;Ralph invented his grammar on the fly;even the two different cultures in the two children’s thinking.tt is obvious that the main characters have been inheriting Chinese cultural tradition.The whole family lives in the circumstance of bilingual, double cultures and two kinds of thinking.They Theresa struggled to put her Chinese thoughts into English. But now she had English thoughts too—1hat was tue also.r bridged the lwo diferent cultures unconsciously.Just like Gish Jen deeply believes the Changs possess the two worlds. ,I'}ley all did.There were things they did not know how to say in Chinese…though one (Chinese)remained their more natural element;both(Chinese and Ameircan)had become essentia1. 4.Conclusion he tThree characters in the novel all canle from China In the former analysis,we know the process of the and they were well educated.Ralph greatly attached importance to children’s English education in order to make them to be true American.But they r0oted in Chinese cuIture already.Chinese value and thinking affect them deeply.When Changs being typical American.While they were seeking their cultural identity,they faced many dififculties and dilemma. During this process they always asked themselves“Who am I?”unconsciously.After arrival in America.they began their American Dream and pursuits.The Changs realized their dreams of degree and dreams of tenure as a professor are in the whole family was successful and enjoyable,they often said such Chinese proverbs as CHI DE KU ZHONG KU.FANG wEI REN SHANG REN;QUAN JIA TUAN YUAN.However. during the time they were in troubles,traditional Chinese the college.Meanwhile.they tried to maintain their cultural identity.To be traditional Chinese,they were proud and refused to be typical American.They would not“become wild here in America where there was no one to control them.’’ Yet,they were caught up in the optimism of the 1950s. People believed in the middle-class dream.Hard work and sacriice woulfd lead to wealth,stature and happiness would soon follow.Under these circumstances,the Changs plunge headlong in pursuit of new values.Although each takes a different route,it is finally the dream to be a“typical American”that leads each to explore a new and destructive life. Basically,for many individuals who bore certain cultural identity they may be separated from their culture of origin geographically.But the memory of a source country and its history was deeply rooted in their consciousness.Although as thoughts encouraged them:XIANG BAN FA;BAI LIAN CHENG GANG;DONG SH AN ZAI QI;sI HUI FU RAN. These Chinese heritage and souls became their spiitrual support and the rules of behaviors.Often,Chinese were spoken by them in their life.Ralph and Helen usually taught their daughters some Chinese characters. hough tThere was only one relative to name,Helen would ask,Who’s that?As Theresa entered the room And Callie would answer,properly,Gugu!--meaning her father’8 sister. Mona would clap. Still they remember how to count the age her American age was three—ancI_a haIf,her Chinese age was a year more… As parents Ralph and Helen carry out a plan of education for their children: Ralph furrowed his brow.When Calhe turned three they had decided that Mona and Callie would learn English fist,r tie ̄mweDt by,they may be trapped into a totally alien culture and even began to forget their cultural roots and history gradually,the ingrained memory of all these would be evoked anytime hy even the most incidental and tirvial reminders of and出en Chinese.This was what Janis and Old Chao were planning on doing with Alexander;Janis didn’t want him to have an accent.For Ralph and Helen,it was a more practical decision…Now Ralph drummed his fingers.He stopped and smiled.“And what better way to Americanize the Children than to buy a car!”… Therefore,we may find Ralph and Helen also bridged homeland.In the sense,although the Changs changed to be typical American,they still maintain traditional Chinese culture in many ways,including Chinese values,the mode of thinking and lifestyle.They had their Chinese views of success and views of family.In particular,at the end of the novel as the Changs recognized freedom’s responsibilities, 大学英语教学与研究。27‘ though they were more American than before.Ralph freed himself of the machinations of the CO—man Grover Ding,and even considers giving up his fast-food business to return to from GoldMountain to the New Millennium[M】.Walnut Creek:AhaMira. 【3】Doten,Patti.Gish Jen Writes from Two Worlds[J】.The teaching.Theresa,after a painful but liberating affair with Old Chao,decides to move into an apartment,stepping literally into the world.:Even Helen,the most conformist Chinese of the three,regretted her affair with Grover Ding.It is obvious Boston Globe,1991(3): E4]Gillbert,Matthew.The First Wave—The New Chinese- American Writes[rJ].The Boston Globe,1991(6). 【5】Hart,Denise.Gish Jen:An Interview[J].Poets&Writers, that the Changs are called typical American with Chinese heritage.They cannot assimilate into the American culture 1993,21(3). totally.Therefore so-called typical American is the ones with [6】Jen,Gish./n Asian American Literature:Reviews and double cuhural identities and bilingual in this nove1.The Criticism of Works by American Writers of Asina【M】. name of the nove pical American just refers to the Detroit:Gale Research,1999. Chang’S family. [7】Jen,Gish.Typical Amerwan.[M】.Houghton Milfin/ rrIlis is just the purpose that Gish Jen wrote Typical Seymour Lawrence;Shanxi Education Press,2002. American.In posing a critique of the“Melting Pot’’Model of [8】Noonam,Erica.Author Gish Jen Explores America’S assimilation and its concomitant definition of the“typical Immigrant Experience[Z】.http://www.asianweek.corn/, American”,Gish Jen voices her strong support for American 1999. muhicuhuralism as symbolized by “American salad bowl” [9]Shiroishi,Julie:American As Apple Pie[J】.Asian Week, “Mosaic”.Chinese immirgants,she insists,should try to 1996. develop their cultural identity by blending the best of Eastern fl o]何文敬,单德兴主编.铭刻与再现——华裔文学与文化 and Western cultures.She offers US some fresh insight into 论集[M】.台北:研究院,1996. tlle broader issues of globalization and muhicuhuralism. [1 1]蒋道超.“从文化沉默到文化融合——美国华裔作家小 课题项目:本研究成果由中国地质大学(北京)“高 说主题探”[J].南京师范大学学报,2001(4). 校基本科研业务费专项资金项目”资助。 [12】单德兴,何文敬主编.文化属性与华裔美国文学[M】.台 北:研究院欧美研究所,1994. References [13】宋伟杰.中国・文学・美国——美国小说戏剧中的中国 …1 Bloom,Harold,ed.A sian A merican Women Writers[M]. 形象[M】.广州:花城出版社,2003. Philadelphia:Chelsea House,1997. [14】朱世达.当代美国文化[M】。北京:社会科学文献出版 [2 Cass2】el,Lan,Susie,ed.The Chinese in America:A History 社,2001. 从“典型的中国人”到“典型的美国人" ——小说《典型的美国人》的文化解读 摘要:《典型的美国人》(TypicalAmerican)是任碧莲的第一篇小说,讲述的是三个从中国去美国读书的年轻人在 美国的学习、爱情、生活的故事。通过中西方文化的差异和移民文化身份认同的角度解读这部作品,通过张家从“典型的中国 人”到“典型的美国人”的演变分析出由于语境等社会环境的变化使得华裔家庭在价值观,生活方式和思想方式上的巨大改 变,批判了美国传统的“大熔炉”模式,积极提倡美国“色拉碗”式的多元文化,主张华人移民在建构文化身份的过程中,应该 对东西文化进行有鉴别的吸收并保留宗主国的文化属性。 关键词:《典型的美国人》;典型的中国人;文化认同;文化融合 ‘28‘CoHege English Teaching&Research