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1. Introduction
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada in 1970, the number ofChinese immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China has dramatically increased, also alarge number of Southeast Asians of Chinese origin people have immigrated to Canada, includingmany Vietnamese of Chinese origin. Southeast Asian Chinese have been good at doing business andhave accumulated a great deal of wealth with intelligence and diligence, which makes themvulnerable to political persecution and torture of war. One of the historical and political roots ofSoutheast Asian immigration was wars in Southeast Asia, the most famous of which was the VietnamWar. People who flee to a foreign country to escape war are refugees.
Refugee narrative is a kind of political and historical writing which is a continuation of therealistic literary tradition in Western literature, reflecting the political and historical picture of warswhich is a reflection of western hegemony in the world. Moreover, refugee narratives make arealistic writing of the refugee tide like in Southeast Asia. Thus, it is of great value to explore thehegemonism in the world and the division and civil wars caused by the interference in the internalaffairs of western countries.
In modern Canadian literature, refugee narratives reflect the change of the global political powercaused by the neo-colonialism in the western power after the World War II, as well as turbulence ofthe political situation in the third world, the economic chaos and the frequent occurrence of the civilwar. Behind civil wars in many countries are the traces of western power manipulation, so-called"Military assistance".
Ru, an autobiographical novel, is written by Kim Thuy, tells the legendary experience of theauthor's family members who make hazardous journeys to Canada after the Vietnam War, striving totake root in Canada, and finally realizing the American Dream. Although the author gives a fullaccount of her ambition to make her fortunes in Canada, she uses the word "American Dream". Thisshows that Canada is the representative of western powers, reflecting the same ideological andpolitical and social context as the United States. Although Canada did not directly participate in theVietnam War, it provided a large number of weapons and materials to America. Rureflectscharacteristics of refugee narratives from three aspects: war narrative, the experience of refugees andtheir identity construction.
2. Refugee Narratives
2.1. War Narrative
During the Vietnam War, the social structure of South Vietnam was destroyed. Original ruraleconomic system collapsed; the simple and harmonious lifestyle disappeared. The countryside wasAdvances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 425
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Refugee Narratives in Ru
urbanized and the original tranquil life of the peasants was destroyed. American consumerisminvaded South Vietnam and depraved young people. Bars spread all over the streets; deterioratedwomen appeared everywhere. Many American soldiers contracted a liaison with South Vietnamesewomen and gave birth to illegitimate children. The degraded South Vietnam condition was due todestruction of the war. In Ru, Kim depicts the North Vietnamese soldiers directly, and elaborates howthey escape the dangers of the war; also she portrays the invisible Vietnamese women who sufferedfrom the war, as well as the tragedy of the illegitimate and half blood children who were produced bythe American soldiers and Vietnamese women. “In times of war the image of the child has beenadopted, particularly in journalistic media, as a symbol of vulnerability.”[1] The author condemns thecruelty of the war, indicating that both sides of the civilians in the war are victims, including NorthVietnamese soldiers, the South Vietnamese people and the half blood children of United States andthe Vietnamese, even the American soldiers who draft the war are victims. Therefore, what should becriticized is American imperialism which interferes with the Vietnamese National LiberationMovement. Western countries, led by the United States as an example, carried out neocolonialism onSoutheast Asian countries after World War II, resulting in extremely devastating results. “Theviolence that had supposedly ended erupted once more in the refugee community, caused by thosetraumatized by the war or by those who had no other opportunities because of the war.” [2]Nowadays, the problem of refugees is the focus of international attention. The paper focuses onrefugee narratives in Ru, coming into the conclusion that colonialism and hegemonism result indisasters. Besides, refugees must experience a long and harsh process of identity construction.
2.2. The Experience of Refugees
Kim narrates how her family risk insecurity at sea and refugee camp in Malaysia, and how theystruggle for life after emigration to Canada. These experiences are in common for all refugees and socan represent all refugee experiences. For instance, when they received a physical examination bythe Canadian delegation, the doctor was very rude to the Vietnamese refugees. The literal meaning ofthe word Ru means drifting, flowing and being exiled, which is the theme of the novel. The Kim'syoungest son, Henri, is autistic. Similarly, Kim is like her son, also going through the condition ofdeaf and silence in her initial survival experience in Canada. So autism is a figurative use, indicatingthat refugees must go through cultural shock in an adopted country. "I was like my son Henri: unableto talk or to listen, even though I was neither deaf nor mute. I now had no points of reference, notools to allow me to dream, to project myself into the future, to be able to experience the present, inthe present. "[3] (Thuy,8) After the Vietnam War and the hell life in the Malaysian camp, Kim'sfamily has determine to cast away the past and took root in Canada.
The protagonist's mother was born in a prominent family. While in Canada she lived a harsh life.However, she was very strong; she never succumbed to misfortunes. The mother often cited a wordthat the "Life is a struggle in which sorrow leads to defeat." [3] (Thuy,12) They had gone through theVietnam War and spent the miserable life in the Malaysian refugee camp. After immigration toCanada, Kim's mother abandons the past, starting from the most humble work and taking root inCanada. “She went to work for the first time at the age of thirty-four, first as a cleaning lady, then atjobs in plants, factories, restaurants. “Before, in the life that she had lost, she was the eldest daughterof her prefect father. All she did was settle arguments between the French-food chef and theVietnamese-food chef in the family courtyard.” [3] (Thuy,13) Her mother is constantly full ofanticipation for the future, the pursuit of a dream, and even she started an English class in the refugeecamp. The mother was very strict with her daughter, forcing her daughter to speak English andFrench in order to integrate into the Canadian society. One time she forced her out to buy a sugar,and she had not bought it, and was rejected by her mother. Later, she realized the mother's pain. "Ialso understood later that my mother certainly had dreams for me, but above all she’d given me toolsso that I could put down roots, so that I could dream." [3] (Thuy,22) Kim’s mother is the model forher, so the relationship between Kim and the mother have no intergenerational conflicts.
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2.3. Identity Construction
Identity is an individual's choice in a certain social and historical context.“The domain of identity isa more subjective construct that refers to one’s identification with both the ethnic culture and the hostculture” [4]. In Ru, the protagonist's embrace to the American Dream and her gratitude to Canadashow that she inclines to assimilate with the West. She chose to forget and abandon the past.Gradually she alienated from her home country, Vietnam. The assimilation of the protagonist withthe West is also determined by her background of growth. In Vietnam, the protagonist's family is inthe upper class, her mother is the eldest daughter of the governor. All of her family members areprominent in that society. Some of them are rich Chinese businessmen, while others are Vietnamesepoliticians, artists and scientists. Before emigration to Canada, the protagonist had been in deepcontact with the cultural customs and values of western society. Her parents often went to dances, ateFrench food and wore French imported clothes. In other words, the protagonist already hadcross-cultural awareness before emigration, which also shaped her Canadian identity afterimmigration. Also, language is an important aspect of cross-cultural adaptation. Kim’s mother takesthe initiative to ask her children to learn the language of the mainstream society in Quebec, Canada,which embodies the cross-cultural consciousness of the mother. Her mother has already had a wealthof cross-cultural awareness and cross-cultural knowledge before emigrating to Canada. As a memberof the upper class of South Vietnam, she is very familiar with the clothing, diet, etiquette andlanguage of western society.
The protagonist is deeply grateful to Canada and has a forgotten attitude towards the past to acertain extent. "For a whole year, Granby represented heaven on earth." [3] (Thuy 25) Theprotagonist mentioned her childhood friend Joana after she arrived in Canada. Joana establishedfriendship with her, like an angel, regardless of whether she was a Vietnamese refugee or her poverty.The protagonist also writes about Canadian volunteers who help Vietnamese refugees, as well asCanadian government assistance to refugees. "…with our three-hundred dollar governmentallowance meant to furnish our first home in Quebec." [3] (Thuy 24) Indeed, Canada once providedshelters for refugees. “The integration of refugees into Canadian society is promoted as a source ofpride and nation-building, adding to the richness and diversity of the Canadian population. [5]” Theprotagonist's father also has no nostalgia for the past. Her father was an important official in SouthVietnam when he was in Vietnam. After immigrating to Canada, he needed to do jobs like cleaningthe stairs in order to survive, but no matter what kind of life he lived, wherever he was, his fatheralways maintained a sincere, happy and positive attitude.
However, despite the protagonist's embrace of the American Dream, her relationship with Vietnamcannot be separated because many of her relatives remain in Vietnam. After her family of threeimmigrated to Canada, her mother still helped Vietnamese relatives, such as her second uncle, toimmigrate to Canada. The protagonist also returned to Vietnam due to her work. The protagonist'sbig family formed a complex immigration network across Canada and Vietnam, so that her memoriesand feelings shuttled through Vietnam and Canada, which made her unable to fully assimilating tothe West; she remains the memory of Vietnam and the war. Also, her identity remains traces of herhome country, Vietnam.
3. Conclusion
Literature has its special function of unfolding the darkness and sin under the cover of history fromthe perspective of microscope. History is a kind of grand narration, which permeates ideologyeverywhere; while literature is a powerful weapon to question or even subvert the grand historicalnarrative. From a micro perspective, Ru examines the destruction of a country caused by war,presents the tragic life of the people slaughtered by the war, and also celebrates the wisdom,determination and courage of individuals, especially women, who struggle with fate andenvironment.
Kim Thuy is very concerned about refugee narratives in novels. She broadens her vision to theAdvances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 425
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whole world, especially pays attention to geopolitics, and the trauma caused by the world war. In amodern society with complicated international circumstances, the fate of human being has been tiedup by the conflicts of international political forces, and no one can escape from misfortunes if thecountry is overwhelmed by wars. Kim Thuy, with a strong sense of humanitarianism, uses literaryworks as weapons to denounce the disasters brought to all mankind by Western imperialist hegemony,in order to arouse people's vigilance and attention.
Previous history records the history of great men and great men, and previous statements alsobelieve that history is determined by great men. Now the view of history has changed from grandnarration to post-modern history. Kim’s novel is a typical representative. Kim’s novel does notdirectly present the cruel scene at battlefields, but puts the perspective on ordinary people and theirlife. With the help of the narration in daily life, the novel indirectly reflects the cruelty of war. Also,refugee narratives in Ru demonstrate how difficult it is for refugees to survive the host country andconstruct their new identities. So with its humanistic concern, refugee narratives play a certain literalrole in terms of reflecting the social reality and accomplishing a humanitarian mission.

Part 3 (Reflection)
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