China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston: An Evocation of Chinese Males’ Identity (Re)construction

Abstract

This article focuses on Maxine Hong Kingston’s semi-autobiographical novel China Men, a poignant portrayal of the experiences of Chinese immigrants in the United States. Its aim is twofold. The first is to show that social problems such as colonialism, racial discrimination and prejudice based on ethnicity and ethnicity and gender are sources of identity crisis. Drawing on postcolonial criticism, particularly the concepts of cultural hybridity and third space, this study examines how the Chinese in the novel negotiate or (re)construct their identity in a complex cultural and social context. This theory is employed to achieve the second objective, which is to reveal that the characters’ negotiation of their hybrid masculinity and their resistance to oppression contributes to their emancipation, while reconnecting with their cultural roots cultural roots helps them to reconcile this hybrid identity and develop a stronger sense of self.