A Study on the Cultural Trauma Writing of Ulysses and Guiding Figures in the Novel Gunga Din Highway

Abstract

In the novel Gunga Din Highway, Frank Chin deconstructs the traditional stereotypical image of Chinese Americans and reshapes a new type of Chinese American Ulysses. The novel focuses on the contrasting attitudes of two generations of the Kwan family towards the portrayal of the character Charlie Chen, providing a profound critique of the white depiction of Chinese American stereotypes. This article aims to analyze the protagonist Ulysses' dual traumas in his coming-of-age journey and examine how he establishes a new racial ideology and constructs a hybrid identity under the guidance of Longman Kwan's reverse leadership. Furthermore, it seeks to elucidate the author's viewpoint, which vehemently criticizes conforming to mainstream American culture, breaking stereotypes of Chinese people and inspiring cultural consciousness among ethnic minorities.