An Exploration of Cultural Identity Crisis in A Bend in the River from the Perspective of Post-Colonial Theory
A Thesis Submitted to the School of Foreign Languages Shenyang Norman University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts
By Qin xiaoming Under the Supervision of Associate Professor Zhang Ruoxin March 2014 CONTENTS ABSTRACT (ENGLISH)………………………………………………………...…..i ABSTRACT (CHINESE)…………………………………………………………...iii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………1 A. A Brief Introduction to and His A Bend in the River .…….…..…...1 B. A Brief Introduction to Post-Colonial Theory………….……….……….…...….5 C. Thesis Statement…………………………………………………………………8 II. THE FAILURE OF THE QUEST FOR CULTURAL IDENTITY………..…10 A. Salim, the Wanderer in Hybridized Cultures……………….…………….….…11 1. Negating His Own culture……………………………………………………11 2. Worshiping the West…………………………………………………….……13 3. Suffering a Setback from Both Cultures………………………………..……17 B. Indar, the Subverter of the Past and the “Sick Child” of the West………..…..17 1. Subverting the Past……………………………………………………..….…19 2. Mimicking the Europeans……………………………………….…….…..…23 3. Failing to Integrate into the Western Society……….……….……………….24 III. AN EXPLORATION OF CULTURAL IDENTITY CRISIS….…..…………26 A. Cultural Identity Crisis Embodied in A Bend in the River……………………27 1. The Loss of Historical Presence in Hybridity……………….……..….……..27 2. The Lack of Self-Identification in Hybridity……………….……..…...….…32 B. Double Shackles of Ex-colonial People……………….……..….….…...……36 1. Interior “Colonization”……………….……..….….…....….…….…....……37 a. The Haunting of plex….……..….….…....….…….…....…37 b. The Abandoning of Indigenous Culture……..….…..…........…….….....…39 2. Exterior “Colonization”……..….……....….……....…….….........…...……...41 a. Cultural Invasion……..….….…...….…….…....….…....…...…..…..
