Why are the Children Dying?: Mixed-Race Children in Chang-rae Lee’s First Five Novels

Authors

Holly E. Martin, Appalachian State UniversityFollow

Language

English

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The mixed-race children in each of Lee’s first five novels constitute an overarching set of symbols, reflecting, at first, society’s intolerance of miscegenation and its resulting mixed offspring, as demonstrated in the dysfunctional behaviors of the parent(s) (or society) and the death or disappearance of the mixed-race child. Then, later in the novel, a second mixed-race child’s birth, or its impending birth, signifies an acquired racial awareness on the part of the parent(s) and an overcoming of trauma that leads to hope for a more tolerant and understanding social environment for the mixed-race child.

DOI

10.55917/2154-2171.1098

Recommended Citation

Martin, Holly E. (2017) "Why are the Children Dying?: Mixed-Race Children in Chang-rae Lee’s First Five Novels," Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies: Vol. 8, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55917/2154-2171.1098
Available at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/aaldp/vol8/iss1/8