Two Asian American Novels
This is an excerpt from the paper...
This paper is a consideration of issues raised in two works of fiction by female Asian American writers. The first is a short story written by an established Filipino American author, Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn, entitled, "The Blossoming of Bongbong." The second is a first-time novel by a Japanese American writer, Ruth L. Ozeki, titled, My Year of Meats. These two works illustrate important concerns of many Asian Americans: feelings of alienation and isolation that many immigrants and children of immigrants face, the contrast of cultures that characterize the Asian attempts to join the American melting pot, and the ways that such attempts both succeed and clash with what it means to be an American. Both works share some literary devices in dealing with these complex subjects, including the use of letters, memos, and quotes. Both also use food and recipes for food from contrasting cultures to illustrate the struggles that Asian Americans often face as they try to understand and be understood by their adopted culture. One shows clearly the tragedy and isolation that these efforts can produce, while the other offers a more optimistic but ultimately no less profound examination of what it means to be Asian American in modern society. Robert G. Lee observes, "The history of Asians in the United States has been a continuous struggle against racial exclusion and subordination" (xi). Asian immigration has been regulated and restricted in ways not felt by immigrants from othe
. . .
to admire on screen.
The much longer form of the novel allows Ozeki to explore issues in considerably more depth than Hagedorn's short story, but both narratives provide interesting commonalities as well as telling contrasts. The first is the work of an established writer, the second that of a first-time novelist, drawing on her own work experience to provide a realistic environment for her story. Both use their own backgrounds to give their writing a sense of authenticity, including their experiences as Asian Americans in a society that as historically discriminated against Asian immigrants.
Hagedorn uses a male protagonist contrasted with Ozeki's two women, but Bongbong's conflicted sexuality gives him a different kind of isolation that makes him an intriguing counterbalance to Jane's freewheeling affair with Sloan and Akiko's tortuous relationship with her husband, culminating in her rape. Ozeki, writing 23 years later than Hagedorn, can be franker in her descriptions of her characters' sexual behavior, but both writers obviously consider their protagonists' sexual behavior to be important elements in their narratives. Bongbong tries to please the women in his life, but, in the end, drives them away in fear. Jane
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Asian Americans, American Wife, Sloan Akiko's, African American, America Jane's, Akiko Ueno, Thanh Nguyen, American South, United Akiko's, Asian American, asian americans, asian american, american literature, short story, asian immigrants, challenge asian, blossoming bongbong, jessica tarahata, american culture, american imperialism , sexual behavior, asian american modern, asian american literature, jessica tarahata hagedorn, hagedorn's short story,
Approximate Word count = 2667
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Two Asian American Novels
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
