Shirley Geok-lin Lim’s “Self-Orientalism” Writing in Mr Tang’s Girls

Yixin Zhang

doi:10.54691/py0bc345

Authors

Yixin Zhang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/py0bc345

Keywords:

Shirley Geok-lin Lim; Mr Tang’s Girls; Orientalism; Self-Orientalism.

Abstract

In Mr Tang’s Girls, Shirley Geok-lin Lim portrayed a typical Chinese father Mr. Tang, and ended up with the eldest daughter, Kim Li, who was influenced by western thoughts and killed him in order to fight for independence and freedom, showcasing the family tragedy caused by cultural conflicts. In her characterization, Shirley Geok-lin Lim displayed both explicit and implicit “Self-Orientalism” writing, which was reflected in her explicit portrayal of Mr. Tang as an oriental man with authoritarian character and weakened masculinity, and implicitly in Kim Li’s image who was willing to take extreme actions in pursuit of freedom and independence. From the perspective of “Orientalism”, this article analyzes the characters of Mr. Tang and Kim Li, and discusses the reasons for the tendency of “Self-Orientalism” writing in this work from the aspects of Shirley Geok-lin Lim’s self-awakening and educational background, diasporic experiences and reader market.

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