Abstract

The Hundred Secret Senses is one of Amy Tan’s most acclaimed novels. This paper attempts to study the representations and subversion of Orientalism from the perspective of Said’s post-colonial theory. By depicting the protagonist Kwan’s marginality as the Other, exotic images of Chinese, Amy Tan actually reinforces the negative stereotype of the Chinese in the version of Orientalism. But her efforts to subvert and transcend Orientalism cannot be neglected. Amy Tan develops her writing strategies to challenge the mechanism of the American mainstream and subvert the stereotypes of Chinese. Kwan’s exotic and rebellious voices also act as a powerful weapon to break the silent stereotype and to fight against western language hegemony. And the Oriental representative Kwan functions as an active guider for her spiritually-lost sister Olivia. The limitation of Chinese American writers’ double identities inevitably covers their works with veils of Orientalism, but Amy Tan’s novels are imbued with superb artistic techniques to subvert and transcend it. The co-existence and co-benefit of different cultures and beliefs could be the consideration for Amy Tan’s wish in presenting this novel.

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