Gender in Southeast Asian-American immigrant female literature in the 20th century : an honors thesis [(HONRS 499)]

Abstract

My thesis seeks to explore the way that gender influences both the writing and representation of character in the following texts: Fae Myenne Ng's Bone, Jade Snow Wong's Fifth Chinese Daughter and Maxine Hong Kingston's China Men. I also examine how gender affects the themes of education, paternal relationships and ancestry/ghosts in each text. I argue that the authors utilize their works to establish a new identity that is not solely Chinese or solely American, but rather a combination of both. The themes listed above highlight how this identity has been forged, while showing that America is the site upon which these changes are made.