A Comparative Analysis on the Diasporic Narrations in Lee Yung Ping’s “The End of the River” and Chang Kuei Hsing’s “Wild Boars Cross the River”

Abstract

Lee Yung Ping and Chang Kuei Hsing are both renowned worldwide Chinese writers in Malaysia. They share several significant common points: being born in Sarawak, having a close relationship with Taiwan, persevering in writing in the Chinese language, etc. The narrative backgrounds of The End of the River and Wild Boars Cross the River are contemporaneous and geographically proximate. Both authors employ a forthright approach in exposing historical traumas and vehemently criticize the atrocities committed by aggressors. However, starkly contrasting authorial attitudes lie beneath the veneer of shared thematic concerns. Lee Yung Ping’s portrayal of historical wounds adopts a tangible quality, earnestly endeavoring to articulate the ineffable and yearning for a form of “poetic justice.”In contrast, Chang Kuei Hsing’s depiction of wounds is more elusive, with the novel’s narrative structure unfolding in a non-linear fashion, beginning after its conclusion and ending before its commencement. This temporal distortion suggests a deeper existential struggle, transcending the confines of narrative and text, ultimately rendering each endeavor futile. This article briefly compares the two novels’ different narrations to investigate the connotations that exhibit the two authors’ nuanced attitudes towards their virtually and poetically sophisticated “homeland”. Therefore, their distinctive emotional pursuits for seeking homeland are explored, concluding that Lee’s diasporic perceptions of homeland are featured with reconciliation after experiencing turmoils in his early life, while the unforeseeable future of his community still shackles Chang’s perceptions.