Date of Award

1-1-2000

Thesis Type

Masters

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Department

Department of Chinese Studies

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

This thesis proposes to examine critically how the fundamental ideals contained within the philosophy of Confucius have evolved into social rites and rituals contained within the Five Classics and Four Classics for women. This is important for it is the social conventions that form the essential patriarchal structure in addition to the moral as well as behavioral norms of Chinese society. The study and analysis of Confucius' principal doctrines will help us understand the roles and responsibilities held by Chinese women within the structural hierarchy of Chinese family and society in general. The above will provide for a unique comparison of the contradictory values that beset the protagonists of Kingston's The Woman Warrior and Tan's The Joyluck Club as they search for a harmonious interweaving of the values of Chinese and American societies. Thus, this thesis attempts to analyze how the characters in both novels are able to negotiate the dilemma of Chinese women that is caused by inherent Confucianistic values of Chinese society and the equally contradictory demands of a Western, secular society. What is important to note is that the ideals of Chinese society encourage complementary and specific behavioral traits of its women in relation to men. In contrast, the models' of a modem as well as Western society require the individual to adhere to the ideals of individuality and equality that is to be practiced by both men and women alike. Consequently, the characters from both books embark on a search for symbiotic identities through their narratives that will try to reconcile the contradictory demands from both the Chinese as well as Western cultures. Chapter one outlines briefly the objectives methodology and the limitations of this thesis, Chapter two traces the development of Confucius' philosophical principles as contained in his collected sayings in the Lunyu to see how they have evolved into ritualistic behavioral norms for both men as well as women. Chapter three, however studies the main protagonist in Kingston's novel, The Woman Warrior to critically assess bow the main character mediate the demands of Chinese as well as American culture to arrive at symbiotic personality that acknowledges the combinations of value from both cultures. Chapter four looks at Tan's usage of the mother-daughter dyad to depict the telling of the life histories of all the pairs of mothers and daughters. The telling becomes a powerful tool of empowerment for both generations to reconcile differences between the demands of both American and Chinese cultures. Chapter 5 concludes with a summation of how all the protagonists from both novels have to negotiate within the boundaries of both cultures in order to achieve as well as obtain symbiotic identities.

Initial

snms

Additional Information

Dissertation (M.A) -- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 2000.

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