Symbolism in Contemporary Asian American Women’s Short Stories

Authors

  • Suradet Thongbunchu Prince of Songkla University Pattani Campus

Keywords:

Symbolism, Asian American Women, Short Stories

Abstract

Abstract

            This research aims to study symbolism in nine short stories written by contemporary Asian American women. The selected short stories have two major themes including cultural conflict and identity and women’s subordination. Other significant literary elements such as plots, characterization, setting and tones will also be discussed to better understand the stories and their symbolic presentation.

 It is found that, in the selected short stories, characters, animals, actions, objects, settings and situations are presented as both private and traditional symbols to clarify the major themes of the short stories which center on Asian American women’s subordination and cultural conflict and identity. The distinctive symbols also reflect the writers’ bicultural backgrounds and perspectives from American and Asian cultures.

Symbolism is, thus, considered one of their significant literary features in the nine selected short stories. These symbols in the nine stories by contemporary Asian American women are employed to reinforce the two major themes in subtle and thought-provoking ways, which make the stories concise and yet complex as well as moving, as the readers are invited to analyze and interpret the hidden meaning. 

Author Biography

Suradet Thongbunchu, Prince of Songkla University Pattani Campus

Suradet Thongbunchu
M.A. (English), Academic Officer
Prince of Songkla University Pattani Campus

References

1.Baym, Nina, et al. (1998). The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 5th ed. Oxford : Oxford University Press.
2.Chanthana Chaiyachit. 2001. American Literature: The Middle Twentieth Century to the Late Twentieth Century Historical and Analytical Approach (First volume). Bangkok : Chulalongkorn University Press.
3.Gilbert, Sandra M. and Gubar, Susan. 1996. The Norton Anthology: Literature by Women. 2nd ed. New York : Norton & Company.
4.Gudykunst, William B. 2001. Asian American Ethnicity and Communication. California : Sage.
5.Hilfer, Tony. 1992. American Fiction Since 1940. New York : Longman.
6.Holman, C. Hugh. 1972. A Handbook to Literature. 3rd ed. Indiana: The Odyssey Press.
7.Nittaya, Masawisut et al. 2001. American Poetry: Analysis and Anthology. Bangkok: Siam.
8.Perkins, Barbara ; Warhol, Robyn and Perkins George. 1994. Women’s Work: An Anthology of American Literature. New York : McGraw-Hill.
9.Rose, Peter I. 1997. They and We: Racial and Ethnic Relations in the United States. 5th ed. New York : McGraw-Hill.
10.VanSpanckeren, Kathryn. 1994. Outline of American Literature. The United States Information Agency.
11.Watanabe, Sylvia and Bruchac, Carol. 1990. Home to Stay: the Asian American Women’s Fiction. New York : Greenfield.

Downloads

Published

31-03-2021

How to Cite

Thongbunchu, S. (2021). Symbolism in Contemporary Asian American Women’s Short Stories. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Prince of Songkla University, 16(1), 159–191. Retrieved from https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/eJHUSO/article/view/251142

Issue

Section

Research Article