“他者”的创伤记忆与文化适应——论越裔美国作家曹兰作品《猴桥》的叙事策略

Cultural Adaptation of “The Other” under Traumatic Memory——On Narrative Strategy of Monkey Bridge by Vietnamese American Writer Lan Cao

越裔美国作家曹兰(LAN CAO)的处女作小说《猴桥》(Monkey Bridge)以第一人称叙事视角阐释了越裔美国人对越南传统文化的坚守,同时,伴随着难以回避的美国化(Americanization)影响,思索越裔美国人是如何构建自己的文化身份,反思历史和现实的。通过对其创伤记忆、文化差异、历史背景等层面的叙事探究,揭示作家通过诉诸话语而非对抗的方式来消除"他者"与"自我"的对立,表达自身对多元文化融合共生的向往,实现民族沟通和文化交流的二元融合的意旨,婉转再现后殖民主义、东方主义、文化冲突等方面的族裔文学批评主题。

The debut novel Monkey Bridge by Vietnamese American Writer Lan Cao is well-known as the first novel concerned about Vietnam War and its great impact on Vietnamese Americans. Its first person narrative well presents stories of Vietnamese Americans＇ adhering to history and tradition from older generation to the young. It also reveals an inevitable impact from Americanization, upon which the author ponders over how Vietnamese Americans should properly construct a cultural identity for themselves through reflecting upon history and reality. It puts great emphasis on multicultural integration symbiosis instead of antagonism to eliminate conflicts between ＂the other＂ and ＂self＂ through probing deep into the main characters＇ traumatic memory, culture and history, reproducing the typical themes of post-colonialism, orientalism, and cultural conflicts. It is hoped that adopting bicultural identities of Vietnamese Americans can help them face life optimistically and be self-confident to speak out unique voice in the new world.