Chinese-American Representation in Howard Fast’s The Immigrants

이수미

doi:10.21049/ccs.2014.35..97

Chinese-American Representationin Howard Fast’s The ImmigrantsLee, Su MeeSince the arrival of Chinese immigrants in the 1850s, many Euro-Americanwriters tended to project their fears, contempt, desires and fantasy onto the Otherrace and perceived Chinese Americans in stereotypes―dangerous villains,unassimilated aliens, quiet and passive servants, sexually submissive women, orseductive prostitutes. However in the 1970s and the 1980s Euro-American novelsexpressed varying attitudes towards Chinese Americans. Many earlier Euro-American writers began portraying positive characterizations of Chinese Americans. The purpose of this study is to examine the ways one of the Euro-Americanwriters, Howard Fast characterized Chinese Americans in The Immigrants. Partof the novel concerns a Chinese American family. Fast gave a favorable portrayalof Chinese Americans. Unlike many Euro-American novelists who dealt only withChinese American villains and prostitutes and view Chinese Americans as thelowest class of American society, Fast, on the other hand, portrayed ChineseAmericans as law-abiding and useful citizens. Thus, I will discuss how HowardFast subverted the familiar negative characterization of Chinese Americans andplaced Chinese American experiences in the context of American immigrationhistory. Many white Americans tended to notice only the lurid and sensational aspectsin the Chinese American community. They seldom regarded Chinese Americansas people with homes and families and seldom saw Chinese Americans as individuals,as human beings with feelings, pain, and joy. To counter this racist view, Fastdescribed the family life of Chinese Americans and depicted Chinese Americansas individuals with a full range of human emotions and with strong family andcultural ties. Though Fast debunked some myths about Chinese Americans, healso reinforces other stereotypes or some stereotypical illusions about them. Inconclusion, I’ll demonstrate Fast’s work remains an incomplete representationof Chinese Americans.

Citation status

KCI Citation Counts (0)
REFERENCES (17)
열림/닫힘 버튼
* 2021년 이후 발행 논문의 참고문헌은 현재 구축 중입니다.

[journal] 박정만 / 2004 / Anti-Chinese Sentiment and the History of 'Other' - Henri Grimm's The Chinese Must Go / 현대영미드라마 / 한국현대영미드라마학회 17(2) : 81~104

[journal] 정미경 / 2000 / 『제인에어』에 나타난 빅토리아조의 성/계급 이데올로기 / 영어영문학 46(1) : 159~175

[book] FAST, Howard / 2010 / The Immigrants / Sourcebooks

[journal] GROSS, Ken / 1991 / Howard Fast / People Weekly 35(3) : 75~79

[book] HIGHLAND, Monica / 1983 / Lotus Land / Coward, McCann & Geoghegan

[journal] / 1991 / Howard Fast / Current Biography 52(4) : 17~21

[book] KIM, Elaine H / 1982 / Asian American Literature: An Introduction to the Writings and Thier Social Context / Temple University Press

[book] LEE, Virginia / 1963 / The House That Tai Ming Built / Macmillan

[book] LEEDOM-Ackerman, Joanne / 1977 / Christian Science Monitor : 18~

[thesis] LIN, Mao-chu / 1987 / Identity and Chinese-American Experience: A Study of Chinatown American Literature Since World War Ⅱ / 박사 / University of Minnesota

[journal] NEWLOVE, Donald / 1977 / Three Novels / New York Times Book Review : 23~

[journal] PFAFF, Timothy / 1980 / Talk With Mrs. Kingston / New York Times Book Review 1 : 25~

[book] SAXTON, Alexander / 1984 / The Chinese American Experience / Historical Society of America and the Chinese Cultural Foundation : 5~9

[journal] SHEPPARD, R. Z / 1977 / Reds to Riches / Time 110 : 122~

[book] SHIMER, R. H / 1975 / The Cricket Cage / Harper and Row

[book] SPIVAK, Gayatri Chakravorty / 1988 / Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture / Macmillan Education : 271~313

[journal] WANG, L. / 1981 / Asian American Studies / American Quarterly 33(3) : 339~354

KJC Korea
Journal Central

Statistics

Tools

Sharing

Issue List

Citation status