AnAnalysisofDee’sDilemmaofSelfIdentity
天津职业技术师范大学外国语学院
张瑜
[Abstract]Byintroducingthecomplexityofthemulti-culturecontext,thispaperanalyzesthedevelopmentofthecharacterDeeinEverydayUseforYourGrandmammaandviewsherasanimagewhoconfrontsthedilemmaofselfidentityinsuchacontext.Italsoincludestheanalysisofherendeavortoreconfigureheridentityandre-evaluationofherselfandthelimitsofherchangeaswell.[Keywords]self-identityre-orientation
Underthewaveofglobalization,theworldhasbeenreducedtoacom-munity.Theconfrontationofdifferentculturesmakestheinterculturalcon-flictsincreasinglyfierce.Thevalues,lifestyleandmodesofthinkingofonecultureinteractswithanotherconsciouslyorunconsciously.Theresultofthecollisionandhybridityofmulti-culturesisalwaysthatthesub-cultureisas-similatedbythemainstreamculture.Thedoubleculturalbackgroundshavemadetheminorityethnicgroupsconfusingandlostindividuality.However,
sidentity,anden-theyhaveneverstoppedtheprocessoftheexploringofone’
deavoredtore-orientatethemselvesandfoundtheirownvalues.Dee,inAliceWalker’sEverydayUseforYourGrandmammacanbeseenasanimageofsuchkindofexploration.
Thegreatimpactandinfluenceofthemainstreamideologymakesomeminorityethnicgroupsalwayshaveasenseofloss.Theyfeelthepressureoftheculturalconfrontationandgraduallylosetheirownvaluesystemandtendtoembracethedominatingvalues.Whenrealizinghavingabandonedtheirownculturalheritageandselfidentity,theybegintore-examinetheirpositionandtheirownvaluesandfinallyintheprocessofculturalcommunicationachievetheirgoalofselfidentification.Thisistheawakeningofselfidentityandisthepatternpeoplehaveexperiencedduringsuchkindofawakening.AliceWalk-er,whoalwayspaysattentiontothehumanexistencesituation,writessomeworkswhichfocusontheracismandthelivingstateofAfricanwomen.AndDee,asanAfro-American,isacharacterwhohasexperiencedsomechainsofthisselfrealizationprocess.
Inthebeginningofthenovel,AliceWalkergivesusthedescriptionofDeeasagirlwithstrongcharacter.She“hasheldlifealwaysinthepalmof
isawordtheworldneverlearnedtosaytoher”（Walker,onehandand‘no’
2319）“.Shewouldalwayslookanyoneintheeye.Hesitationwasnopartof
(Walker,2320).Andherstrongcharacterismoredistinctbycom-hernature”
paringtoheryoungersisterMaggie,whoisalwaystimid,nervous.Wetendtobelievethatsuchindependentwomanwithstrongpersonalityisnotpliabletobeinfluencedorevenbecontrolledbytheexteriorworld.Butthetruthisjustonthecontrary.Suchkindofcontrastmakethereadershavetopaymoreat-schangeisrepresentedintwotentiontothepoweroftheouterinfluence.Dee’
aspects.First,sheistheslaveofthedeifiedmainstreamwhiteAnglo-Saxonideologyandlosesselfidentityandherownvaluessystem.Theadvantageandsupremacyoftheadvancedstaffmakeherdevalueself.Asaresult,Deedis-likesherownlivingenvironmentandherrace.Shefeelsdisgustedatthehouseandwishitwouldcollapseassoonaspossible.Shewillneverbringherfriendshomesoasnottoletothersknowwhatpoorenvironmentshewasraisedin.shelikestoreadtoMomandMaggie,thoughtheyaretotallyignoranttowhatshereads.Butbecauseofthestaffshereads,shefeelsastrongsenseofsatisfactionandsuperiority.Thereasonoftheminorityethnicgroups’willfulsubmissiontothemainstreamwhiteculturecanbeanalyzedfromtwoperspectives,fromthesubcultureitselfandfromthedominantculture.Justasonesentencein
“Deewantednicethings”(Walker,2320),peopleallhavetendencythenovel,
toacceptadvancedanddevelopedstaffs,bothmaterialandphilosophical.Thisisalsothereasonoftheworld’senduringdevelopmentandprogress.Wecan-notdenythispoint.Butastheless-developedwhollyembracethedeveloped,atthesametimeitsidentityisalsolostmoreorless.Fromanotherperspective,thedominantculturealsotendstocontrolthesubculture,whichisthemaindoctrineofpost-colonialism.TheculturalimperialismimposeditspowerbymeansofdissimilatinginsubjugatedcoloniesaEurocentricdiscoursethatas-sumedthenormalityandpreeminenceofeverything“Occidental”,the“Ori-ental”asanexoticandinferiorother.Undersuchkindofculturalhege-monism,themarginalizedcultureisslavedandwillingtoconformtothemain-streamideology.Dee,isarepresentativeofsuchkindofslaves.SotheChinaAmericans,alsoasthemarginalizedgroups,sufferthesamedestinyasDee.Idon’tknowwhetherthephrase“bananapeople”whichisusedtodescribethenewgenerationofChinaAmericanYoungmanispositiveornegative.ButitisdefinitelynotthephenomenaweChinesewouldliketosee.Thosepeople,withyellowskinandblackeyes,speakpureAmericanslangandhavenoideaofwhoisYueFeiatall.Aracewhichforgetshisownhistoryisperilous.Aracewhichignorestheexistenceofitshistoryandcultureismoreperilous.Facing
thesamequagmire,whatweshoulddoisnottolettheassimilationdevoursusbuttostriveforourownposition.
ThechangeofDeeistherepresentationofsuchawakening.Whentheactualstoryinthenovelhappens,weseeadifferentDee.Whensheshowsherfirstappearance,thoughherwearingisstillimpressivewhichcorrespondstoherpersonality,itisquiteadifferentstyle.SheaddressesinAfricanvernacu-lar,andnevertakesphotographwithoutmakingsureincludingthehouse,whichisoriginallythemostresentfulthing.Shechangesanewnametoex-presssolidaritywithherAfricanancestorsandtodejecttheoppressionim-pliedbythetakingonofAmericannamesbyblackslaves.Theoldbenchesinhereyesbecomelovelyandvaluable.Sodothechurntopandthedasher,whichinthepastsheignoredandwouldpossiblynevertookaglance.Thischainofchangeisquitecontradictorytoherformerbehavior.Butitisthere-flectionoftheideologyandmovementofthatperiod.TheAfro-Americans,whobearsthedoubleculturalidentity,afterexperiencingthedilemmaofselfidentity,thepressureofcultureconflictsandthelostoftheirvalues,begintotakegreateffortstoreconfiguretheirownidentitiesandtostruggleforthejus-tifiableandbelatedrecognitionintheAmericansocialandculturalcontexts.
“BlackPower”expressingaForexample,thereisapoliticalmovementcalled
newracialconsciousnessamongblacksintheUnitedStatesinthelate1960s.Underthemottoof“Blackisbeautiful”,theblackAmericansstartedtoseektheirculturalrootsinAfrica.Inthestory,Deeisportrayedastheperfectex-ampleoftheblackstudentsseekingforanAfricanbackground.Thiscanbetracedinherattitudetowardsthequits.Sheusedtothinkthequitvalueless,oldfashioned,andoutofstyle,butnowitbecomespriceless.ShewouldnotliketobringthequitswhenshewenttocollegebutnowshecomesbacktocontendwithMaggie.JustbecausethequitsaremadeofallpiecesofdressesGrandmausedtowearandarestitchedbyhand.Itistheuniquerepresenta-tionoftheblackAfricancultureandheritage.
ItistruethatpeoplelikeDeeareexperiencingakindofawakeningbe-causetheychangedfromselfdenyingandselfdevaluationtoselfappreciation.
sunilateralandshallow.Whattheycareisthefacevalue.DeechangesButit’
hernametoindicateherembracetoherownculture.Herstrivingforhavingthequitsisjustforhangingthem.Theculturebearerhasbecomesomekindofdecoration.Shedoesn’tknowthattheculturalheritageshouldbealiving,breathingorganism,ratherthanafrozenstatuetobeobservedfromadistance.Thecultureissomethingintangiblewhichshouldbeimmergedinbothyourmindandheart.Itisnotsomethingtobeadoptedforthesakeofatrendbutto
sawakeningandbetaughtfromgenerationtogeneration.SowecanseeDee’
re-orientationofselfvalueissuperficialandstilldoesn’thaveaclearunder-standingofwhatshehaslost.
.IntheTheUnitedStateshasalwaysbeencomparedtoa“meltingpot”
meltingpot,firstlyeveryelementneedstobemeltedandre-meltstogetherwithotherelementandformsanewone.Thenewelementhasnoindividualityanduniquenessoftheformerselfbutacombinationofalltheelements.Thisisnotweexpecttosee.Whatwewishisthatkeepingandanimatingtheessenceofourownculture,atthesametimeabsorbtheexcellentcultureofotherraces.Suchkindofinter-complimentcanmakeusconsciousofourownpositionandkeepourselfidentity.
Notgoingwiththeflowisthepreconditionofkeepingone’sselfidentity.Duringtheprocessofanti-assimilationandculturalcolonization,keeponeself
llfindourownvaluessparklingandtrytoanimateourownculture.Thenwe’
intheworld.
References［1］Greenblatt,Stephen.ed.NewWorldEncounters.Berkeley:Uni-versityofCaliforniaPress,1993.［2］Lauter,Pauletal.,eds.TheHeathAnthologyofAmericanLitera-ture.2vols.Lexington,Mass.:D.C.Heath,1990.［3］Walker,Alice.“EverydayUse.”TheNortonAnthologyofAmeri-canLiterature.Ed.Baym,Nina.etal.U.S.A.:W.W.Norton&Company,Inc.,1989.
［4］常耀信.漫画英美文学.天津：南开大学出版社，2004.
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