Conflicts between American Born Chinese with Chinese Immigrant Parents in Gloria Chao’s American Panda

Putri, Fawaidul Amaliyah. 14.05.111.00.128. Conflicts between American Born
Chinese with Chinese Immigrant Parents in Gloria Chao’s American
Panda: Sociology of Literature. Thesis. English Study Program of the
Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences, University of Trunojoyo Madura.
Advisor: Erika Citra Sari Hartanto, S.S., M.Hum.
Social situations that happen in society become an effective way to be a
great topic in literary work. The correlation between them is a reflection of
sociology of literature. According to Laurenson and Swingewood (1972: 13),
sociology of literature studies literature as “a direct reflection of various facets of
social structure, family relationship, class conflict, and possibly divorce trends
and population composition.” They divide sociology of literature into three
perspectives. They are literary work as social documentation that reflects the
conditions when the literary work is created, as the reflection of the author and the
production, and as the representation of history, social, and culture situations.
However, this study uses the first perspective which literary work as social
documentation that reflects the conditions when it is created.
This study focuses on the representation of Asian American conflicts in
American Panda by Gloria Chao. The purpose of this study is to depict the
representation of Asian American conflicts that occurred in America through this
novel. The study applies descriptive qualitative research and the theory of
Sociology of Literature by Laurenson and Swingewood. In the data analysis, the
writer analyses Asian American conflicts which happened to the main character,
Mei Lu in American Panda by identifying, categorizing, and classifying the issue
into four aspects. The study finds out four main conflicts which are represented by
Mei Lu. They are education, career, rearing system, and partner selection. All
those conflicts occurred in the novel.
Keywords: Sociology, literature, sociology of literature, Asian American, culture,
conflicts, documentation, autho