Visions of a homeland in two recent Chinese American short story cycles: Andrea Louie's “Moon cakes” and Wang Ping's “American Visa”

Re 'IJ/a de Es udios No eame ica 11 os , 11. '' 5 ( 199 7).p p. 57 -73 VISIONS OF A HOMELAND IN TWO REC ENT CHINESE AMERICAN SHORT STORY CYCLES: ANDREA LOUIE' S MOON CAKES AND W ANG PING' S AMERICAN VISA Ro cio G. D A 1s Uni e sidad de Na a a Th e p owe ul images an d h emes ha ha e eme ged wi h he i se o c hnic li c a u es h a c led o a necessa y cwo king o adi ional mannc s o iewing he immíg an and mino i y si ua ion in he Uni cd S a es. En ance in o wha had l ong bccn conside ed hc e i o y o hc «Ü he » was made possible by he e e -expanding ic ion o w i e s w ho ha e epea cdly mc<li a ed on he si ua ion o he be ween-wo ld a is and p csc n ed us wi h a s ea ch o p e so nal and com munal iden i y, h ough c lec ions on a homeland a nd he ac i e esponses o he imm ig a n s « 11C W» wo ld. Thc co nplica ed p ocess o se l hood and he inc sc a pable do ubleness o he be we cn - wo ld subjc c is he co c 1 he n e o mu ch o his e hníc i c ion, as he w i e s ques ion wha i is h a de e min es bo h iden í y and com nuni y, signalí ng how gcog ap hical, c hnic, poli ícal and cul u al makcup and di e cn cc s se e as sig ni ying aspec s o his compl ex se l . The ec ca ion o his in ica e sel in ic ion has, ín e es ingly enoug h, b oug h ahou he de clopmcn and cx pansion o a li c a y gcn c ha has p o en i sel cx cep ionally sui ed o he ask o a icula ing and elabo a ing di s inc i encss. A su ey o c hn ic i c ion in he Uni cd S a es de mon s a es a p oli e a ion o he sho s o y cyclc, a hyb id o nn ha man y o hc p i nci pa l e hníc w i c s ha e ada p ed and pe ec cd as a oo l h ough whi ch h ey enac hcí d ama s. This papc w ill ex plo e he sho s o y cycle as a ehícle o he dc e l opmen o Ch ínese Ame ican ic ion in pai1icul a , and wíll analyzc he cyc l es o wo Chin ese Ame ican w i e s in he Uni ed S a cs oday, And ea Louic 's Moo11 Cakes (1995) ancl Wang Ping 's Ame ican Vi sa (1994 ), o show 58 Rocío G. Dm·is how he d ama o he ela ionship wi h a homeland cxecu ed by hese w i e s inds i s ul illmcn h ough a gcn e ha is p a iwla ly i ing o he hemes hey embody. To ap he csou ces o memo y ami u n o a homeland o he sou ces o cul u- al oo s and idcn i y, a e a mo ng hc mos eliable app oach es o he qu cs ions h ese Chinese Ame ican w i e s mus dcal wi h. In his ega d. Sa lman Rushdie 's 1982 cssay «lmagina y Homelands,» may be conside ed a pa aclig n o he discou sc o w i e s in he be wcen-wo ld condi io n. He e, Rushdic desc ib es and de ines he si ua ion o hose w i e s who a e, in he wo ds o Michael Ondaa je's English pa ie n : «Figh ing o ge back o o ge away om ou homelands ali ou li es» (1992, 1 76). Mo e spcci ically. Rushdie analyzes he heme and p esen a ion o he ho neland in he wo ks o h is ype o w i e , poin ing ou ha he a emp o po ay onc 's land o e hnic o igin o n em - po a l and spa ial dis ance is ine i ably co upled wi h h e inabili y o be ai h ul o objec i e eali y. Al hough he speaks p incipally abou lndian w i e s. his obs e a li on o he si ua ion clea ly applies o mos w i e s who sha e he mul icul u al expe iencc. l may be ha w i e s in n y posi ion, cxilcs o emi g an s o expa ia es, a e haun cd by so ne sense o loss, so ne u ge o cclaim, o look back. e en a he isk o bcing mu a ed in o pilla s o sal . B u i wc do look back, we mus also do so in he knowled ge-w hich gi es ise o p o ound unc e ain ics- hal ou physical aliena ion om India almos ine i ably mcans ha we wi ll no be capable o eclaiming p ccisely he hing ha was los ; ha wc wi ll , in sho , c ca e ic ions, no ac ual ci ies o illagcs, bu in isible ones, imagina y home la nds, Indias o h e mind. (1992. 10) Recognizing ha hc dis ances o 1 ime and space dis o ac s, Rushdic has s a ed ha emembc cd expe ie nc es nced no be alida ed by objec i e eali ics. Consequen l y, hc na a i es h a a ise a e «Ímagina i ely ue» and ha h e esul wo uld be «a no el o me mo y and abou mcmo y, so ha my Ind ia wa-; jus ha : 'my· Ind ia. a e sion and no mo e han jus onc o ali he hund cds o millions o possible e sions» (1992, 10 ). Any w i c who w i es abou his homeland om he ou sid e. he claims. mus ncccssa ily «deal in b okcn mi o s, so ne o whosc agmen s ha e been i e ic ably los » ( l 992, 11 ). None heless, i is p eciscly hc ag nen a y na u e o hese memo ies, he in com plc c u hs hcy con ain. hc pa ial explana ions hcy o e , ha makc hc n pm icula ly c oca i e o h c « ansplan ed» w i e . Fo Rushdic, hcse «sha ds o memo y acqui ed g ea e s a us, g ea e esonance, becausc hcy we e emains; agmen a ion ma de i ial hings seem like symbols, and he mundane acqui ed nu minous quali ies» ( 1992, 12). Th e a emp o build na a i es abou he homeland on hc basis o pe sonal o co llec i c me no y has p e e n o be an a ac i e p ospec o m an y exilcd o immig an w i e s, who may e cn ccl ha his is he only way o ec oncile onesel o bo h one's pas and p cscn . In ela ion o his. i may be no ed ha na a i es o nemo y p oli e a c in c hnic Ame ican li e alu e in gene al. This obse a ion may co espond o a conscious Visio11s o a Homelund úz 1} n Recell Clzille.1·e Ame ican Sho S o y Cyclc. 1· 59 o e en subconscious desi e o es ablish o p ese e connec ions wi h hc pas . wi h onc's cul u al oo s, in o de o allow one o ac cely on he p esen . As he edi o s o Memo y, Na a i e. mzd lden i y ha e explained: «Mcmo y .. . shapcs na a i c o ms and s a cgies owa d cclaiming a supp essed pas and helps he p ocess o e- isioning ha is cssen ial o gaining con ol o e one's li e and u u e. The e hnic na a i e hus becomes, in S ua Halls' ph ase, 'an ac o cul u al cco e y ,' and he eme gen e hnici y embedded he ein de elops a new ela ionship wi h hc pas , which is o be eco e ed h ough bo h memo y and na a i e»(l 994 , 19). This, pe haps, o suppo Rushdie 's claim ha somehow, inescapably, «i 's my p esen ha is o eign. and ha he pas is home, albei a los home in a los! ci y in he mis s o los ime» ( 1992, 9). The dynamics o he sho s o y cycle make i a pa icula ly app op ia e o m o hose na a i cs o memo y ha a icula e his imagi na i e qucs o a homeland. This hyb id li e a y gcn e may be <le ined as « .. . a se o s o ies linked o cach o hc in such a way as o ma imain a balance be ween he indi iduali y o each o he s o ies and he necessi ies o he la gc uni ... (so) ha he eade 's successi e expe ience in a ious lc els o hc pa em o he whole signi ican ly modi ies his expe ience o each o i s componen! pa s» (lng am 1971, 15. 19). The expe imen al quali y o his onn is a undamen al cons i uen o he new de ini ion o cul u al plu alism ha inco po a es he immig an legacies o Asían Ame icans, while adap i ng o he p ac ices o he cul u e in which hesc wo ks a e c ea ed. The enn «shon s o y cycle» implies, abo e all, a p incipie o o ganiza ion, a s uc u al scheme o he wo king ou o an idea, cha ac e s, o hemes , e en a ci cula disposi ion in which he cons i uen na a i cs a e simul ancously independen and in e dependen . The pi o a! challenge o each cyclc is wo old: he collec ion mus , a one and he same ime , asse he indi iduali y and independence o cach o he componen! pa s while c ca ing a necessa y in e dependence ha cmphasizes he wholeness and essen ial uni y o he wo k. T ng am has u hc poin ed ou ha consis ency o hemc andan e olu ion om one s o y o he nex a e among he classic cqui emen s o he o m, wi h ecu ence and de elopmen as he in eg a ed mo eme n s ha c ec inal co hesion (1971, 20). Sho s o y cycles magni y he ela ionships be ween he sepa a e s o ies o c ea c a la ge wh ole, wi hou des oying he spcci ici ies o each indi idual s o y. As a gen e, he cycle looks back o Wes e n o al adi ions o na a i e whilc cmbodying signs o mode ni y: hey may be said o emula e he ac o s o y elling, h c e o o a speake o es ablish solida i y wi h an implied audience by ecoun ing a se ies o ales linked by hei con en o by he condi ions in which hey a e e la ed. In e es ingly, Chinese Ame ican li e a u e has e ea le<l a adi ion simila o his Wes e n phenomenon, hc long olk adi ion o song and s o y con en ionally called « alk- s o y» (gong gu sai) in immig an ci cles, b ou g h o popula a en ion by Maxine Hong Kings on 's The Woman Wa io . This adi ion, da ing om he Sung dynas y s o y elle s in China and con inually e i alized by Chinese a i als in Ame ica, has been de ined as «a conse a i e, communal olk a by and o he common people, 60 Rocío G. Da is pc o ned in he a ious dialec s o di e se e hnic encla es and ne e in ended o he ea s o non -Chinese ... i se ed o ede ine an emba led immig an cul u e by p o i ding i s memb e s immedia e. ce emonial access o ancie n lo e (and) e ained he s uc u es o Chincse o al wisdom (pa ables, p o e bs. mmu laic desc ip ion, he oic biog aphy, casuis ical dialogue) long a e o he old-coun y adi ions had died» (Sledge 19 90, 143). The ac ha he o iginal s o ies in bo h Wes e n and Eas e n adi ions a ase om olk imagina ion, om he co ll ec i e c o o many people, ga e each a sepa a e iden i y, a uniqueness, and an ind epe nden ce which h en was subsumed and in eg a ed in o a whole, by a single au ho who modi ied and e old he s o ies as he i ed hem in o his own design. Al hough i is ob ious hal he exis ence o sho s o y cycles is a global phenomenon, s ill he p agma ic a ini y o shon s o ies ha shaped he li e a u e u he Un i ed S a es decisi ely in he nine ccn h cen u y seems o pe sis in he o m o a na ional inclina i on in he p esen cen u y o o ganizcd sh on s o y collec ions: pe haps hc c y de c mina ion o build a uni ied epublic ou o di c se s a es, egions, and popula ion g oups, helps o accoun o his con inuing passion o cycles (Kcnn edy 1995, iii). As such, he sho s o y cycle may be iewcd as a o mal mani cs a ion o he plu alis ic cul u e in which i is c ea ed and nou is hcd. Thc undamen al s uc u e o a cycle eme ges om he in e ac ion o he di e se clcmcn s in he ela i ely independen com pone n s. A h e same ime, connec i e pa e ns on ali l e e Is d aw hese oge he in u a o ali y s cng hened by a ying ypes o in e na! cohesion. In hc i s place. hc ille o a olume may indica e an o ganizing concep ha ac qui cs dcp h and csonance as he co ll ec i on un olds: i lcs ha poin o a pa icu- l a locale o o a uni ying el eme n gi c immedia c ocus and di ec ion o hc p oc ess heing un eiled. The p incipal app oachcs o hc necessa y co hesion may in ol c, o ins ance, hc p occss o dc clopmen o a cha ac e ; a dominan , explici heme, such as a gcne a ion gap o sea ch o iden i y, he delinea ion o a pa icula locale o commun i y, o he ques o a homeland. Since sho s o y cycles do no usually equi c hc ype o cnding expcc cd o a adi ional no el. i s ypical concluding sec ion o sec ions end o simply ou nd o he hcmcs. symbolism, and wha e e pa cmed ac ion he cyc le possesscs. In his manne , h ough he d awing oge h e in a inal s o i es o se ies o s o ies he hcmes and mo i s. symbols, o he cha ac e s ami hei communi ics which ha c been dc cloping h oughou , hc au ho places he i nishing ouchcs on he po ai being c ca ed. None heless, as Ing am ha s emphasizcd. he mos pe asi c uni ying pa c n o sho s o y cyc le s appea s o be he dynamic pa em o e cu en! de elopmcn ( 17). This a ec s ali he elcmen s o hc na a i e: he hemes, /ei noll , se ings, cha ac e s. ami s uc u cs o he indi idual s o ies and, in consequence, he en i e con exl o he collec ion as a uni . The epe i ion o a h emc om di e en angles, o ins ance, and i s cnsuing g ow h in dep h in he mind o hc eade , may uni y a cycle al hc same ime hal il indi idualizes ca ch s o y. The image o he Moon Cakes in And ca Louie 's cycle emphasizcs he se e ed ela ionship wi h he a he and he e o s o es ablish a Visions u a Homl!lwul in Two Recen Chi11ese Ame ican Sho S o y Cydes 61 connec ion bc ween he sel and he la nd he amily and he lo e come om. In much he same way , Wang Ping 's Ame ican Visa ou lincs he aJious s ages o he joumey o he Uni ed S a cs, wi h cons an e e ences o he s a ing poin o his ip: he li e in China. The speci ici ies o he onn he e o e wo k o make he sho s o y cycle an especially pe inen chicle o hc dis inc i e cha ac e is ics o e hnic ic ion in gene- al. The sho s o y cycle i sel is a hyb id, occupying an odd, inde e m in a e place w i hin he lield o na a i e, esembling he no el in i s o ali y, ye composed o dis inc s o ies. Such a usion o modes «imposes new s a egies o cadin g in which he mo emen om one s o y o hc nex necessi a es eo ien a ion, jus as h e uneasy ecip oci y be ween pa and whole condi ions he ongoing de e mina ion o meaning» (Kennedy 1988, 14}. E hnic ic ion has also obliged owa ds new s a egies o eading and h as caused a ncw awa eness h ough a e isioning o hc be ween-wo ld ci cums ancc. The sho s o y cycle, which ho e s bc ween he no el and hc sho s o y, is hus a pa icula ly ap medium wi h which o enac he enigma o e hnici y, he eeling, in Rushdie 's wo d s, ha onc alls «be wecn wo s ools» (1992, 21 }. Thc e hnic sho s o y cycle may be conside c<l he o mal ma e ializa ion o he ope o doubl eness as h e be wecn-wo ld condi ion is p escn ed ia a o m ha i s el acilla es be ween wo gen es. The ac ha sho s o y cycles cx is in ali he di c en e hnic l i e a u es also signals hc app op ia encss o he o m opo ay a common expe ience. Glo ia Naylo 's The Women o B ews e Place, Louise E <l i ch's Lo e Medicine, Sand a Cisne os' Ti e Hou se on Mango S ee , and Julia Al a cz·s How he Ga cía Gi ls Los Thei Accen s a e o nl y a small sampling o h e numbc and a ie y o e hnic sho s o y cycles o be ound. Kings on's The Woman Wa io and Amy Tan's The Joy L11ck Cl11h may be conside ed he mos emblema ic Chincsc Ame ican sho s o y cycles: h ey a emp o syn hcsizc Asían he i age wi h Ame ican aspi a ions p ese n ing po ai s o mo he -daugh e ela ionships ha ha e o endu e and b idge no only a gene a ion gap bu ha c ea ed by he waning in luence o an ol de cul u e and hc o e whelming p esence o ano he . Thc cycles o be analyzed in his pape , in so me way, look o Kings on's and Tan's na a i es and s em om hei expe imen a ion wi h he o m. Pa icia Lin Blinde, speaking o Maxine Hong Kings on, has poin ed ou how hc si ua ion o h e indi idual w ho mus ac hi e e he in eg a ion o he i age wi h he socio-cul u al adi ions o he adop ed land inds i s o mal cp esen a ion in hc use o hyb id li e a y gen es. As he ba ba ían melodies « ansla ed well» whcn played on Chinese ins umen s, Kings on 's wo k, and in pa icula h e de elopmen o a e y dis i nc mode, is he esul o he inco po a ion o elemen s unique o h e «exilcd» cxpe ience as a Chincse Ame ican woma n wi h he li c a y o ms a ailable o he ( 1979, 52). Th is is pc haps hc well sp ing o he n ec d o app op ia e a hyb id o m, as he blcnding o gen es nay also e ea] uniquc sensibili ies o o u s ide eali ies. Expe imen ing wi h gen e combina i ons and disco e ing he u ili y o hesc is an in insic pa o hc w i e 's ask, mo e so when hc ex pe i en ce o be cmbodied is cha ac c ized by i s 62 Rocío G. Da is con inua! c ossi ng o bounda ies. As such, o choose o w i c a sho s o y cycle is emblema ic o he c ea i c posi ion hese e hnic w i e s choose, one ha is almos an op ical illusion, being wo hings a he sa mc ime, and c ea ing some hing o ally ne w: a mc apho o hei ask o nego ia ing idcn i y. In hi s cga d, Elizabe h O doñez h as poimed ou ha he « <l is up ion o gen e» is a common h e ad ha links a ious e hnic cx s: « he ex i scl bccomes bo h he means and embodimen o modi ying and eshaping emale his o y, my hs, and ul ima ely pe sonal and collec i e iden i y» ( 1982, 19). Mo eo e , h e c hn ic sho s o y cycle, as a hyb id wi hin a hyb id, ul ima ely o e s di c se le e Is o eading and unde s anding. and may hclp u he he e hnog aphic pu poses o hc w i e s. On he one hand, he e is he pa c ned closu e o he indi idual s o ics which p incipally enac pe sonal d amas o i de n i y and, on he o he , he disco e y o la ge uni ying s a cgies ha anscends he gaps be ween he s o ies and se e o cons uc a la ge sphe e o ac ion h ough imagina i e ecollec ions ha se e o e- ision a homcland. Asian Ame ican w i e s, who may be conscious o a double li e a y inhe i ance o , a leas , he cali y o an inside /ou side poin o iew, end o con empla e how bina y ca ego ies o cul u al classi ica ion ha e wo ked in he p oduc i on o knowledge and coun e -knowledge wi hin he amcwo k o li e a y and cul u al s udies, a posi ion om whe e hey ede ine and cons uc al ema i e iden i ies and communi ies. Hyb id i y, an impo an cha ac e is ic o ali e hnic li c a y cx s, can he e o e be conside ed a s eng h a he han a weakness. I does no imply a denial o he adi ions om which i sp ings, bu a he ocuses on a con inua! and mu ual de elopmen . In his mannc , hc ex i sel becomes bo h he means and embodimen o he his o ies, he mechanism o modi ying and ec ea ing pe sonal and collec i e iden i y. On di e en le els, e hnic sho s o y cycles may p ojec a desi e o come o e1ms wi h a pas ha is bo h pe sonal and collec i e: his ype o ic ion will explo e he e hnic cha ac e and his o y o a communi y as a eílec ion o a pe sonal odyssey o displacemen , and sea ch o se l and com nuni y. The be ween-wo ld w i e 's si ua i on is he in ense ewo ki ng o ques ions ha ul ima ely e e o issues as opposi ionali y, ma ginali y, bounda ies, displacemen , and au hen ici y: a p ocess a he han a s uc u e, equi ing cons an a ia ion and e iew. This p ocess is no di e en om ha in ol ed in he app ecia ion o a s o1y cycle, in which he e olu ion and g a du al un olding o he hemes, a disco e y o a new kind o uni y in disuni y, in eg a e he essence o he o m. Fu he mo e, insis ing on a uni a y iden i y can be a means o opposing and de ending onesel om ma ginaliza ion. Al hough he e is no limi o he kinds o subjec s o hcmes ha a e ound in cycles, one epea edly disco e s ha wen ie h-cen u y cycles a e p eoccupied wi h cc ain hemes, including isola ion, disin eg a ion, inde e minacy, he ole o he a is , a nd he ma u a ion p ocess (Mann 19 89, 13 - 14 ). As Elaine H. Kim assc s, he mos ecu en! heme in ou w i ing is wha l call claimingAme ica o Asían Ame icans. Tha does no mean disappea ing li ke aind ops in he ocean o whi e /isions o a Homeland in Two Recell Chinese Amalean Sho S o y C yde s 63 Ame ica, igh ing o become «no mal,» losi ng ou scl es in he p ocess. I means in en ing a new iden i y, <le ining ou sel es acco ding o he u h ins ead o a acial an asy, so ha we can be econciled wi h one ano he in a de o celeb a e ou ma ginali y. l is his secming pa adox, he Asian Ame ican claim on Ame ica, ha is he opposi ional quali y o ou discou se. (1987, 88) As such, she appea s o sugges ha hc need o a e alida ion o he classic li e a y gen es may be pa o his «claim.» No ably, he mos emblema icAsianAme ican wo ks ha e challenged gene ic cons ain s, a phenomenon ha Pa icia Lin Blinde a ibu es o « he ichness o bi-cul u al li e expe ience (which) canno be con ained wi hin he limi s o li e a y dic a cs» (1979, 53). The p ocess o es ablishing Asian Ame ican iden i ies om wi hin, independcn ly o imposed de ini ions, has eached a u ning poin clea ly esonan wi h he phenomenological eali y o he new Asian Ame ican. The expe imen a ion wi h gen e as a s a egy o au ho ship mani es s how hese w i e s ha c «mo ed beyond he con en ional dicho omous, bina y cons uc ion o whi e and Asian-na ional o a posi ioning o e hnic iden i y as in e oga i e, shi ing, uns able, and heu is ic» (Li n 1993, 160). The wo s o y cycles o be analyzed in his pape ul ill hc po en ial o he cycle onn as a ehicle o he exp ession o he pa i- cula sensibili y and expe ience o he Chincse Ame ican subjec in di e se ways. These wo ks may also be conside ed exp essions o a new con idence demons a ed in a ee use o language and gen es ha s ems om he Asian Ame ican 's inc eased app ecia ion o cul u al plu alism in Ame ican socie y and he awa eness ha hey ha e a place in he cano ns. Fu he mo e, he p oblems o ace an<l adap ing o he mains eam Ame ican li e, as well as he consciousness o ma ginali y, he be ween-wo ld posi ion, and he inescapable desi c o belong a e ccu en hemes in bo h na a i cs. Mo e speci ically, he na a o s o hc cycles add ess he enigma o hei e hnici y h ough e lec io ns on China and hei ela ionship wi h ha land and i s people. One o he p incipal aspec s o each o hc cycles is hc dilemma o he main cha ac e 's ela ionship o China, ep esen ed in di e se ways. Somehow, each o he p o agonis -na a o s is obliged o deal wi h his ques ion and esol e he p oblem o he ole hei cul u al he i age plays -o should play- in hci li es. Ali he poin s o iew a e US-based, bu China, as coun y, as mo he , as home, o as undeniable in luence, looms la ge in he backg ound. The collec ions a e hus exe cises in dc ini ion o he ela ionship be ween China and he Uni ed S a es as embodied in he li es and pe spec i es o he di e en cha ac c s. Thei e sul s cons i u e an essen ial pa o he de elopmen o he heme. And ea Louie'sM omz Ca/.:es is acollec ion o ales ha a ise om he p o agonis - na a o 's eílec ions while on a ou o China. In e spiced wi h s o ies o Maya's joumey, o wha she sees ami expe iences, a e s o ies o he childhood, he amily, and o h e men who mos in luenced he : h e Chinese a he , he i s ]o e and he Chinese boy iend. She opens he na a i e by saying she will ell a «la e s o y ... bu no he kind you hink ... (l ) has no beginning, no end. So 1 simply mus s a somewhe c in 64 Rocío G. Da is he middle, which is now» (5-6). This in oduc i on im media ely se s he one o he s o ies o ollow: nos algia and a sen imen al looking back coup led wi h a sea ch o a poin o e e encc. Thc d ama ic se ing o hc opcning sccn e, Maya looki ng ou o h e sea om a moun ain in China, se es as he a ne o hc cs o hc s o ies as i se s o hc cha in o he ecollec ions and h e analysis o he di e se ci cums ances ha b ough he o his spo . «I s and a he edge o China, which is li ke being a he end o he Ea h. I wan o s ep o he cdge. I wan o s ep ou i n o he wa e , know ing h a i wi ll n o eally suppo1 hc weigh o a woman bu ins cad will cn e l opc me, hold me like he wa1m. sa e emb ace o a mo he holding he daugh e wi hin he inne sea o he body»(7). In his mann e , China is se a he cen e o he collcc ion in a e y pa icula way: he s o ies, hou gh mo s ly lashbacks, a ise om he expe iencc o C hi na, om h e g owing awa encss o i nally being in he coun y ha had subconsci ous ly molded he lile. The joumey Maya will un de ake is wo old: he oyage away om he amilia su oundings in o he mys e y ha is China se s in mo ion ano he jou ncy -in o h e pas , in o he uncha ed wa e s o he emo ions and he memo ics she had ied so ha d o supp ess. This a i al in China awakens in Maya con lic ing eel ings o belonging. and o scl -awa cncss. «Pe haps I eally am in he land o d cams: Ch ina is so ea hy, so closc o he g ound ha I canno belie e i o be eal ... l ha e been in China o ba ely six weeks, bu al eady I ha e no concep o Ame ica. o wha my li e was likc he e. 1 ha e no scnse o cali y. o wha is u h o ic ion. p esen o pas » (9). The s nggle o a dc ini ion o a homeland, ul ima ely o he oo s and he mcaning o belonging. is a h eme h a links he s o ies Maya ells. Cen al lo his is he g ow i ng consciousness o he be ween-wo ld si ua ion. Ne e ha ing doub ed he Ame ican iden i y be o e. shc mus now ace he possibil i y o a bond wi h a he i agc shc had no been awa e o o had no wished o ecognize be a e. This jou n ey is p ece ded by he s o y o a symbolic d ea m o «a child o con ic i on» ( 11) -he sel - going ou on a u ilc ad en u c o ind moon cakes in he Midwes e n neighbo hood. The image o moon cakes is a clea e e ence o he 'a h e , and he pain al ha ing los him be a e being allowed o de elop a mcaning ul cla ionship wi h hi m. This image is , mo e impo an ly, a spcci ic e e ence o a adi ion he amily obse cd: «E e y ye a du ing he Mid-Au u mn Fes i al my a he would insis ha wc ali si down and ea a single moon cake oge he . Tha was one old Chinese cus om ha was e y impo an o him, and he C hi nese a e big on ood me apho s. Thc moon cake symboliz ed wholeness and oundne ss ancl comple eness. The amily. China. Thc uni e se» ( 137). The yea Maya was ele en, h e a hc died wo weeks a e he mid- Au umn Fes i al. This ea ly loss would la e awaken in Maya hc need o know China, as a manne o knowing he a he . I wi 11 also make he awa e o he impol ance o a pa s o he sel , as a ouchs one o idcn i y and belonging. The memo ies she ha bo s o he a he , o he li le ime she sha ed wi h him, a e a co ne s one o he cons uc ion o he own iden i y, an idcn i y she will y o build wi h ools she ecognizes a e un cliable. «l lca n cd ca ly on ha memo ies could be a icky h ing. I began wi h my Visions o. a Home/ami i11 T1 n Recem Chi11cse Ame ican Sho S o Cycles 65 a he , who had no pas , no childhood. O a lcas one ha he ca ed o sha e» ( 115). In he s o y ha cen e s on he a he . Maya wi ll explo e he ela ionship she had wi h him and he possihili ies ha migh ha e been. Unasked and unanswe ed ques ions abou bis pas will haun he . «l do no know i his you h in China was illed wi h pain o hungc o bli zed wi h wa ime ea s . .. . I don ' know which illed his you h mo e, happiness o ho o ; he simply would no say ... l was as i my a he had delihe a ely misplaced his pas when he was ou een, as i he had le his boyhood on so ne San F a ncisco sidc s ee and ne c gone back o gc i » (116). He a he 's appa en willingness o nced o o ge he Chincsc pan o his li c will only inspi e Maya o wan o know mo e. Ul ima cly. she will come o cscn his holding back hc sha ds o he i age she migh ha e inhc i cd o n him. He jou ncy o China will hen ake on hc aspec o illing in hc gaps. The s o y o he a he and hc ccollec ion o he amily adi ion he os c ed e nphasizcs he spccial ela ionship wi h hi n and. con c scly, he dis ance ha sepa a es he om he mo hc and sis e . Rela ionships. moslly ailcd ones, ecu in he cycle, as Maya seeks o iden i y he scl wi h he people a ound he . Man y o hc cha ac e s M aya c lcc s on a e cponymous hc oes o he oines in he di e se s o ies. He !o e o he a he , umed ea ly on o bi e g ie . will make he seck ou o he men agains whom o measu c hc sel and o n whom she can gain a sensc o secu i y. This nay be because he ela ionships wi h wo ncn only seem o hinde he p ocess o scl -iden i ica ion. Thc s o ies ha deal wi h hc mcn in he li e ha e !o e in di e se o ms as hei cen al heme, and he sea ch o he sel h ough ha !o e. «Fa he ,» «Lance,» and «Alex» desc ibe he de eloping ela ionships wi h he nen who, in a way. mo ld he and agains whom she neasu es hc scl . «Men un h ough my li e like a kind o unde ow, bo h gen le and insis en , occasionally unsa e, bu always hc e .. . i is hy men ha I kcep ime: hey a e hc ones who punc ua c, who gi e hy hmic and o wa d no emcn o my yea s. Pe haps i is because hey ha e caused mo e o a dis u hance, ha e l e mo e chaos in hci wake. No woman, no e en my mo hc , has caused me as nuch pain o joy as a man. The e is no happy medium in hei p escnce» (239). Ul ima ely i is he memo y o hese ncn, pa icula ly ha o he a he and o Alex ha will ake he o China. in an a emp o cco e h em by knowing lhei homelands. Maya's ailed ela ionships seem o be hose wi h he women who play he mos impo an oles in h e li e. The s o ícs en i led «Childhood» and « Womanhood» ei e a e he hemc o he usl a ion she eels in he dealings wi h hese: « he e is my mo he , who has he au ness and p ecision o an i on wi c, and my sis c , who is some hing o an al e ego - he p e ic , sma e , mo e ampish sel I ne e was ... » (239). The nai n o can nei he con ide in no undc s and he cold mo he . « M y mo he is an amazing woman, and I ega d he wi h equal measu cs o e e ence, ca , and esen men . Ea ly on, I lea ned i was wise nei he o c oss my mo he no o expec oo much om he » ( J 9). He sis e Mau a was, o mos o he childhood, Ma ya 's p incipal poin o c c encc. «I was pe cc ly happy being he younge sis e ; in my eyes i was he p e ecl posi ion. 72 Rocío G. Da is None heless, he mys e ious pul! o Ame ica is s onge , and shc con inues o help he amily come o e , lac en wi h hope. Wi h he unhlinke cd icw o bo h China and Ame ica, shc s ill eels he ug- o - wa be ween ho h in he own sel . This highly pe so- nal d ama is enac ed on wo s agcs, bo h which a e mo e simila han hey o iginally appe a . As such, he d ama is co n e ed in o a highly pe sonal one, in which hc ue land o d eams is hc p o agonis hc sel , and he will o kecp li ing and s i ing. Scaweed no longe ea lly d eams, no is he li c a ul illmen o any o he d ea ns she had: li e o he is con e ed in o simple li ing. ln e es ingly, he las s o y, «Song o he Fou Scasons» cnds he collec ion wi h he sugges ion o a e u n o China anda ea inna ion o pe sonal idcn i y and wha one ca n achie e h ough his: « Wha ma e ed was my in en ion, my will o keep ying, always kcep ying, no ma e whal» ( 179). Th ese sho s o y cyclcs, as discou ses on Chinese Ame ican sel -de ini ion ha c ec olleclions and pe sonal ex pe iences o China asan impo an aspee! o he c ea ion o sel . The qucs ions he cha ac e s ask hemse l es a e an swe c d h ough na a i es ha a icula e s o ies o su i o s. Th e w i e s ha e umed o oo s - ami l y, communi y, and e hni ci y- as sou ces o pe sonal iden i y and c ea i e exp ession. Mo e impo an ly, hese cycles show how he de elopmen o hc p ese a ion o an imagina i e ela ionship wi h a homcland se es an a signi ying ac o owa ds g ow h and iden i y. Thc manne in which hey, as o he e hnic w i c s, ha e app op ia ed he sho s o y cycle as a me aph o o he agmen a ion and mul iplici y o e hnic li es is i scl an a icula ion o he be wccn-cul u e posi ion and he complex p ocess owa ds sel -idenli ica ion. As such, he mul iple imp essionis ic pc spcc i es and agmen a ion o simple lin ea his o y cmphasize he subjec i i y o exp e ien ce and unde s anding. The subsequen na a i es, a e lec ion o a endency owa ds a hyb id onn, p o idc en ich ing glimpses o iden i ies and socie ies in he p ocess o ans o ma ion and g ow h. WO RK S CITED BLINDE, PATRICIA UN. 1979. «An Icicle in he Dese1 : Pe spcc i e and Fo n in h e Wo ks o Two Chinese-Ame ican Womcn» MELUS 6.3 (Fa ll ): 51-7 1. INGRAM, FOR REST L. 19 71. Rep esen a e Sho S o1y Cycles o/ he Twenlie h Cen u y: S udies in a Li e a y Gen e. The Hague: Mou on. KENNEDY, J. GERALD. 1995. Mode n Ame ican Sho S o y Sequences: Composi e Fic io ns and Fi c i e Conm1u11i i es. 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