《喜福会》中的镜子意象与华裔女性的主体生成

Constructing a Chinese-American Female Subjectivity in the Mirror Image of The Joy Luck Club

在华裔女性作家谭恩美的《喜福会》中,镜子的文化负载与其形而上的认识论意义,使其同时成为小说书写两代华裔女性面临的不同“他者化”威胁和在文本内外建构华裔女性主体,建立消解代际与文化矛盾的华裔女性主体间性的关键物品。镜子隐含的社会规范,代表了来自封建男权或白人中心主义文化的凝视。但同时,镜子与照镜主体私密的联系又开辟了自我保全、自我认同的空间,并为两代女性主体之间的冲突提供了对话的机会。文本内共享的华裔女性身份的确立,由此成为谭恩美个人身份与文化认同的理想映像。

The cultural and epistemological significance of mirror makes it a key item in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club,contributing to the display of the“othering”threats faced by two generations of Chinese-American women,and their consequent attempt within and without to construct a Chinese-American female subjectivity that dissolves inter-generational and cultural contradictions.While the social norms implied by the mirror represent the consistent gaze from patriarchal society or the Western-centered culture,the object’s intimate connection with female gazers opens up a space for self-preservation and self-construction and meanwhile provides an opportunity for dialogue between the conflicting female subjects.Thus,establishing a shared Chinese-American female identity within the text becomes an ideal reflection for Amy Tan’s self-recognition.