In Pursuit of Maternal Love: Mother-Daughter Conflict in Daughter of the River and Beloved from a Thematic Perspective
School of Foreign Language, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
| Abstract: | In traditional Chinese and Western family conflicts, mother-daughter conflicts are often ignored and trivialized compared to father-son conflicts. However, the advent of women's literature in the new era has marked a significant paradigm shift, challenging the longstanding silence or aphasia surrounding women's voices. Through literary expression, contemporary female authors have sought to reclaim and foreground women's lived experiences, offering a nuanced portrayal of their realities. Notably, works such as Daughter of the River and Beloved as testaments to this literary renaissance, with both texts serving as powerful vehicles for female self-expression. Centered on the universal yet culturally specific theme of "in pursuit of maternal love," these narratives delve into the intricate dynamics of mother-daughter relationships, revealing the divergent paths taken by mothers and daughters in navigating familial conflicts across cultural divides. From a theoretical perspective of thematic, this paper focuses on the common motif of mother-daughter conflict in the two works, analyzes the three aspects of narrative structure and expression, family background and ethical environment, and cultural expression and value significance. By elucidating the disparities and underlying motivations driving women's writing across Western and Chinese cultural landscapes, this study aims to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted nature of female identity and agency in a globalized world. |
| Keywords: | Daughter of the River; Beloved; Mother-Daughter Conflict; Thematic Perspective |
| DOI: | 10.57237/j.ha.2025.02.001 |
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Received: 24 April 2025
Accepted: 18 June 2025
Published Online: 19 July 2025
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