The Female Migration Dilemma in Different Routes but the Same Destination ——An Analysis of Female Characterization in Eileen Chang’s novel Aloeswood Incense: The First Brazier

Abstract

Eileen Chang is one of the typical representations of Shanghai school literature in Chinese modern literary history. Her debut short story, Aloeswood Incense: The First Brazier, was written during her time studying in Hong Kong. The novel presents a glimpse of the flamboyant and extravagant Hong Kong society in the early twentieth century with refined strokes and delicate descriptions. Through textual analysis, this paper will explore two female figures, Ge Weilong and Mrs. Liang, of the novel in three aspects: different personalities and backgrounds, language and psychology, as well as life experiences. This paper will also explore the emergence of the Mainland-Hong Kong migration boom during this period in terms of the political and economic situation of Hong Kong as a colony, the collision of ideas between the old and the new societies, and the choices made by individuals in the face of the general trend of the times. It also reveals the reasons why immigrant women in general are faced with a difficult situation in terms of survival in the context of this trend. By analyzing this novel’s women portraying techniques and the implied historical reasons behind them, it further reveals the significant role that literary works play in the understanding of social microcosms and group images of a specific period of time.