Literary Comparison: Indian, Chinese, Japaneselit

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Clay Q. American School- The Namesake- Monkey- Theme: Identity fixed or definable Though the various cultures studied thus far are undoubtedly separated, be it through imaginary boundaries, the construct of multiple religions, or perhaps, through physical differences and the natural circumstance of existence, each story and individual author present certain patterns and themes which correlate with one another when taking a macro approach to interpreting the text. That being said, I selected three stories of which the authors arguably employ, or at least share the theme of “Identity beingFixed or Definable.” While comparing authors from Japanese, Chinese, and Indian cultures may seem difficult because of historical diversity and varying timescales attached to each, the selected stories (American School, Monkey, & The Namesake) both question and construct Identity using a variety of characters who interact internally as a means of connecting the reader to the emotions of the protagonist. The “American School” was Kojima Nobuo’s snapshot of post WWII in the eyes of struggling Japanese citizens, specifically the Japanese “English” teacher Isa and his companions. In this story, the author uses irony and symbolism to construct “Identity” and Isa’s actions determine the fixity of cultural identifiers such as language and communication. As the “anti-hero” Isa is symbolically struggling with a choice, and in light of the occupying force, he embodies the essence of what many Japanese citizens probably faced in post WWII japan. This connection with the protagonist to hero or antihero is very similar to the old Chinese text “Monkey.” Similarly to “American School,” “Monkey” features companions on a journey; however, the historical context of the story is laden with fiction while “American School” features reality, or real life probabilities. The character
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