Abstract

“Other” is a concept formed relative to “self”, referring to all people and things other than self. Western philosophers believe that the “other” is a prerequisite for the “self.” Subject consciousness cannot be established without the “other” in consciousness. The formation of the other takes place in the relationship of binary opposition. One party uses force, language and ideology to exercise hegemony over the other party, making the other party lose its right to speak and be marginalized, thus becoming “other”. The concept of “the other” has been widely used in feminist, post-colonial and other research fields. In his novel Story of Your Life, Ted Chiang uses “alien” as a metaphor for the Chinese image of “the other”. The image of China as the “other” reflects the complex mentality of the West towards China. In general, although the novel embodies the author’s cultural and ethical reflection to explore the equal communication between different civilizations and build a community of human destiny, the author’s orientalist imagination is hidden deep inside.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.