An Analysis of Ralph’s Fate in Typical American from the Perspective of Cultural Adaptation

李晨

【Abstract】Ralph， the hero of Typical American written by Gish Jen， is originally a Chinese man who goes to America for PhD but finally becomes a typical American after a series of cultural crisis and adaptation. This paper is intended to analyze the fate of Ralph from the perspective of Lysgaards U-curve cultural adaptation theory.

【Key words】Ralph； Fate； Typical American； Cultural Adaptation

Typical American， the maiden work of Gish Jen， tells the story of a Chinese man named Zhang Yifeng who goes to America to obtain a PhD and becomes a typical American after experiencing cultural crisis and adaptation.

According to the U-curve cultural adaptation hypothesis raised by Lysgaard， people go to America with other national identities need to go through three adaptation stages： the initial adjustment， crisis and regained adjustment. This paper is intended to analyze the fate of the hero Ralph from the perspective of cultural adaptation.

1. Ralphs Expectation： Initial Adjustment

To study abroad meant a lot to Ralph and he made it a rule to study hard. Once stepping into America， the foremost problem he confronted was the language gap. Ralph was able to read English materials， but unable to express himself in English. Having spent enough time in learning and practicing English， Ralph made great progress. From this subtle change， it could be found that Ralph slowly adjusted himself to the new environment.

2. Ralphs Dilemma： Cultural Conflicts

2.1 Conflict in Love

At the very beginning Ralph was quite a traditional boy and he was determined to become a good son that he listed such an item that he wouldnt date any girl. But when he got to America， he was attracted by the teaching secretary Cammy. Although he broke through the traditional concept to show love towards her， he failed to make this western lady his girlfriend. In fact， Cammy was the sweetheart of the headmaster. Theres no doubt that Cammy would rather keep affairs with the headmaster than date Ralph， a poor boy from another country. Having realized such a cruel fact， Ralph couldnt help struggling in the cultural conflicts of love. He was shocked by the American standard of choosing lovers.

2.2 Conflict in Belief

According to Chinese culture， wealth comes after virtues and achievements. For Ralph， to behave well and study hard was quite enough. But in order to make a living in America， he went to work in an underground slaughter house. The real life made him aware that without money he had to go through the hardships.

Furthermore， Ralphs determination letter indicated that he succeeded the Confucian morality and ethics， which emphasized that humans should have the sense of responsibility. Ralphs primary goal was to gain the doctorate in mechanical engineering； nevertheless， his experience in America motivated him to make more exploration. At that time， wealth was absolutely the main symbol of success. All in all， material to spirit， individualism to collectivism， both binary oppositions kept Ralph in serious culture conflicts.

3. Ralphs Struggle： Cultural Adaptation

3.1 Ralphs American Dream

Ralph changed his American dream. One day， encouraged by Grover Ding， Ralph purchased a low land from him and set up a fried-chicken shop. Unfortunately， this land was closed to collapse， which was actually a well-designed trap of Grover. The shop collapsed in the end. Frankly speaking， Ralph was pursuing wealth and also wanted to get rid of racial discrimination. However， such kind of cultural assimilation without careful consideration was easy to fall down， just like Ralphs shop.

Besides， Ralphs American dream is also reflected in other aspects. For instance， Ralph bought a villa of high quality through the loan. In addition， Ralph lost himself in the materialism of American dream， he even misguided his little laughter that money was everything. Driven by extreme money-worship， he put himself closer to danger.

3.2 Ralphs Identity Reconstruction

Great efforts were spent by Ralph in becoming a typical American， but all in vain. He obtained the American citizenship and got rich but the white people were still unfriendly to his family. In addition， misfortunes never came singly， and tragedy forced people to make changes. Grover told Ralph about his affairs with Helen intentionally. Heart-broken by his wifes adultery， also depressed by the bankruptcy of his business， Ralph took his wife to a crazy drive and， by accident， knocked down his sister. All of these disasters woke him up from his daydream. Finally， he was aware that only by taking the essence and discarding the dregs of both national values could he survive in America in a relatively smooth way.

4. Conclusion

This paper mainly employs Lysgaards U-curve theory to analyze the fate of Ralph. According to the analysis， Ralphs fate is summarized into three stages： his initial adjustment， the cultural conflicts he faces and the cultural adaptation he makes. All of his experiences in America force him to adapt to the culture through the integration of the essence of both cultures， providing a new way for the contemporary Chinese American to reconstruct their cultural identities by means of culture adaptation.

References：

[1]Jen，Gish.Typical American[M].New York：Penguin Books USA Inc，1991.

[2]蔡青，張洪偉.《典型的美國佬》中的房宅意向分析[J].外語與外語教學，2006，（3）：44-45.

[3]程愛民.美國華裔文學研究[M].北京：北京大學出版社，2003.