Summary:
William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying; Gish Jen, Mona In the Promised Land; Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five
A contrast and comparison of the main characters in each and their cultural perspective.
A major theme in Mona In the Promised Land is the disconnection of Mona from her traditional Chinese culture. The implications of her break with her culture include a salvation through her Judaism, as well as the exclusion from her family as a rebellious younger daughter, destined to fail in the shadow of their Harvard-attendee: Callie. However, Mona learns for herself that there is no prescription family and that her role in her own family is what she defines it to be. This revelation, though, does not come without many doubts and grievances. After beau Sherman Matsumoto, a Japanese student, tells her that "she will need to study how to switch [to be his Japanese wife]" (21) Mona always dwells on where she fits in the classification system of America, and of China, and of Judaism......
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