Fluidity of Religious Identity in David Henry Hwang's
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International Journal of Technical Research and Applications e-ISSN: 2320-8163, www.ijtra.com Volume 5, Issue 4, (July-August) 2017), PP. 36-42 FLUIDITY OF RELIGIOUS IDENTITY IN DAVID HENRY HWANG'S GOLDEN CHILD Rajiha Kamel Muthana (Ph.D) University of Baghdad/ College of Arts/ Department of English Language [email protected] Abstract— Religion plays a significant role in the lives of Both internal and external forces are at play in Hwang's human beings, yet, religious fluidity has its own consequences. Golden Child which depicts this change in religious identity, This paper aims at investigating the impact of religious fluidity as the protagonist Tieng-Bin converts from Confucianism to on the identity of an early twentieth-century Chinese family. Christianity. This change is triggered by Tieng-Bin's Golden Child illustrates how a devoted Confucian Chinese dissatisfaction in his religious beliefs and practices which is struggles to leave parts of his culture behind by converting to considered one of the strongest internal forces. Tieng-Bin's Christianity. Tieng-Bin's conversion brings good and bad consequences to his household. The story ends with the death of travel to the Philippines, his staying there for three years, the Tieng-Bin's two wives , on the one hand, and with rebirth of influence of the Western people he has met there, as well as Tieng-Bin's daughter, Ahn, on the other hand. the influence of Reverend Baines, the missionary, who pays many visits to Tieng-Bin's household are considered external Keywords— Religious Identity, Foot Binding, Christianity, forces. Baines' lectures are attended by Tieng-Bin's second Confucianism, Tieng-Bin. wife, Luan, and his daughter, Ahn. In addition to these forces, the readiness and the willingness of Tieng-Bin to I. INTRODUCTION conversion may be added. In Golden Child (1998), 1Hwang discusses a crucial question in man's life. He discusses the relation of religious conversion to identity formation process. In fact, the play II. HWANG'S ROOTS AND GOLDEN CHILD deals with the protagonist conversion to Christianity and Interestingly, through Golden Child, Hwang revives his forsaking his ancestors' religion, Confucianism. family's history when his great grandfather converted to The story of Golden Child is told by Andrew Kwong, a Christianity [2, p.77], and as a result, the whole family became writer, and his grandmother’s ghost, Ahn, who tells him about Christians. Thus, Hwang recognizes the importance of the her father, Eng Tieng-Bin, and his three wives; Siu-Yong, relationship between religion and history. About his great Eng-Luan, and Eng-Eling. Tieng-Bin has travelled and grandfather's decision to convert to Christianity, Hwang says, brought three Western gifts to his wives; a cuckoo clock to "He understands the importance of such a decision in Siu-Yong, a waffle iron to Luan, and phonograph player to disrupting his own [religious] identity"[2, p. 80]. That is why Eling. Each gift has its symbolic meaning. The first two gifts he wants to go back to the Philippines. The play, however, indicate that the first and second wives are traditional wives achieves great success in Singapore and establishes a personal who keep the system of the house and make banquets, while connection between the dramatist and his audience. the third wife represents his true love. Through these gifts, the Regarding this, Hwang comments saying that “many of whom actual identity of each wife is defined. Tieng-Bin has, also, [Singaporean Chinese] told me that the work had caused them met white Christian sailors who tell him about Christianity and to rediscover their own ancestral histories"[3, p.ix]. Finding consequently make him question his own religion. out their history is very important to people, since they cannot In his dissertation, “Religious Identity and Social cut their roots and live only by the present. This means the engagement" (2007), Bryan C. Shepherd deals with religious religious identity of Hwang's great-grandfather is liable to identity and mentions that the earlier works in this field reveal change, and accordingly his whole family. many facts about this kind of identity [1, p.13 ]. Among these The source of the play was derived from Hwang's facts is the flexibility of religious identity because "it can writing when he was ten years old [4, p.1]. He heard about his change as a result of internal and external forces" [Ibid.]. grandmother's illness and asked his parents to go to the Internal forces are usually related to the persons' inner sense of Philippines to learn more about his roots [2, p. 77]. Hwang dissatisfaction and questioning of the validity of some decided to know his family's history: religious beliefs and practices. External forces which originate It is a sort of striking really that I thought it was important in the outside world sometimes impinge on the individuals to know what my family history was, and that I want to see her religious choices. They attract them and make them question [his grandmother] that summer and did the oral histories. In their religious identity. These forces create an inner conflict retrospect I think it has to do with needing to understand within the individuals that impels them to choose an myself in the context of being a Chinese- American growing appropriate identity that suits his situation and life. up in Southern California, where there were a lot fewer Asians than there are now. [qtd.in 4, p.2] 36 | P a g e International Journal of Technical Research and Applications e-ISSN: 2320-8163, www.ijtra.com Volume 5, Issue 4, (July-August) 2017), PP. 36-42 In fact, at an early age, Hwang feels the significance of as Ahn complains of her painful and smelling feet. He says," his family's history. He wants to expose his identity as a The world is changing. There's a whole new generation of Chinese American. He has recorded his grandmother's stories men who will want an educated wife. Not some backward girl and made them into a novella called Only Three Generations hobbling around on rotting feet, filling the room with the [2, 3, 5]. The title was motivated by the Chinese proverb "The stench of death" [7, p.13]. wealth of a Chinese family lasts only three generations." [2, Western costume is another aspect in Golden Child that p.77] illustrates the painful practice of foot binding. Luan, Tieng- Another point about Hwang's identity is that he knows Bin's second wife, changes her appearance and appears to that the Asian American stereotype of "Charlie Chan" or “Fu Baines in the Western dress to prove that she is modern. By Manchu"is an exaggerated and distorted image of the Asian doing this she tries to change her Chinese identity, which is American people. He hopes to give more authentic and not easy for her despite her readiness to do so. She is shocked humanistic image of his own people in his writing. by her inability to wear high heels shoes because of her In relation to this, Hwang recounts his personal experience binding feet. For that reason, she decides to give them to Ahn: when he was ten years old: TIENG-BIN: You look so- At ten, could I have known that my adult self would one LUAN: Atrocious- day return to this work? Probably not. But something at that TIENG-BIN: Exotic… young age did compel me to record these stories, to ensure that [ ] my life as an American would exist in a context more real and TIENG-BIN: The mysterious Occidental. human than “Charlie Chans" or “Fu Manchus" I saw on BAINES: Very modern. television or in the movies. [3, p.vi] [ ] LUAN: But I could never be as graceful as those Western That is why he chooses to write about the history of his own women. To get into those shoes- did you realize, they actually family. Hwang, however, recounts his family's history as it walk on their toes? happens in Golden Child: BAINES: Chinese women –no can? As in the play my great-grandfather did convert to LUAN (To Baines): Well, you see, most of us lost our toes Christianity, at which point he unbound his daughter's feet. years ago … The first and the third of his wives died and he was left with BAINES: Oh… I see… the one who was the most ambitious. My grandmother's LUAN: Maybe I could give my Western shoes to Ahn, mother, his first wife, died of opium addiction. And my For when she is older. [7, pp. 35-36] grandmother is, to this day, very fundamentalist Christian in her religious beliefs. The west is associated with modernity, and Luan wants [qtd.in 6, p.16] to be modern. She changes herself to the extent that she astonishes her husband as he says," I'm amazed that you can Hwang points out that his great-grandfather's decision of transform yourself …into an entirely different person"[7, unbinding his daughter's feet is a great one since it breaks with p.36]. Although this change is in appearance only, Luan asks "a centuries- old tradition" and challenges a tradition that Tieng-Bin to provide a Western suit for their son, Yung-Bin. makes women lame in the name of beauty [2, p.80]. Such By this change, she wants to attract the attention of her decision represents a big challenge that Hwang’s great- husband and be his only wife. grandfather undertakes; as a mature man he knows the . consequences of it. Yet, he insists on carrying it on.