Amy Tan’s Thing-Narrative in The Valley of Amazement

ABSTRACT

Delving into the various things in Amy Tan’s The Valley of Amazement, this article seeks to value the being of materiality with inspiration gained from Thing Narratology and New Materialism. Rather than relegating fictitious objects to the overlooked background, this research illuminates their significance in shaping the protagonist Violet’s upbringing and identity, exposing the gender hierarchy that has exploited her, and promoting the narrative about her transformation. Notably, the furniture in the courtesan house bears the “material unconscious” and constitutes an “in-between” space that forms Violet’s multicultural identity, which proves pivotal in her later career success. As Violet enters the courtesan world herself, the presents from her male patrons begin to manipulate and materialise her, and her movement in the patriarchal society further reduces her to a sexually desired commodity. In her fight against male oppression, objects take on the vibrant agency by intra-acting with her, facilitating her growth, and propelling narrative progression. With her thing narrative, Tan suggests her advocacy for the quality between cultures, genders, and between objects and humans. This analysis endeavours to inhabit things with a radiance rarely called out in previous critical readings of Tan’s novels and to liberate critical discourse on Chinese American literature from Orientalist caricatures.

KEYWORDS:

• Thing narratology
• new materialism
• Chinese American literature
• Amy Tan
• The Valley of Amazement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Unlike prostitutes, courtesans serve clients of higher education and economic standing. Their role extends beyond mere sexual services to companionship and entertainment.

2 Cited from Tan (2013, 10). In subsequent references to the book, denoted by the abbreviation “VA,” citations will be provided parenthetically within the text.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences [grant number 22&ZD288].