Postmodernism
In "Foreign Bodies", although Hwee Hwee Tan explores what has been done before - the blend of East and West, themes both light and serious - the treatment has her own signature, and the political satire existing side by side with the Christian preaching is unique. The main effect that emerges is that of humour through the contradictions within each component and against each other, in the motley selection. Especially engaging is the expose on the cultural practices, idiosyncrasies and two-facedness of Chinese Singaporeans. On the one hand, both local and non-Singaporean readers derive fun as the former see themselves in a comically unflattering but true light, while the latter get acquainted with the local culture in an entertaining way from Tan's light-hearted portrayal. Later in the book, deeper issues push to the droll surface because facing the characters in the end is the dilemma of life-choices and moral integrity. This engages the reader into a contemplation of serious issues beyond Tan's wit. On the other hand, alienation may also result from readers in disagreement with her views on certain aspects of Chinese culture, those who find her pro-Christianity stance too forward and those unable to identify with the characters.
There are characterisation flaws in the novel that may disengage the reader. Mei is too clever and her humour seems slightly forced and out of place since it is unlikely anyone real perceives things the way she is portrayed. She feels neither Singaporean nor European, but perhaps she is a hybrid that Tan intends to represent the new cosmopolitan Singaporean? Andy, too, is unconvincing and will not be immediately identified by the English themselves. He is a romanticised picture of a simple English lad by the Singapore-Party-Girl-like Mei who has a slight Pinkerton syndrome. However, it is possibly Tan's attempt to exoticise the West in reaction against the popular exoticism of the Asian girl. The reader is hard-pressed to imagine a simpleton with brains, who can put a tin of beans into the microwave oven, and unexpectedly displays an artful self-defence in court. Some issues that are foreign to Singaporean readers may also alienate instead of engage them. The yuppie lifestyle of Loong and Eugene, and the friendship/romance between a local and foreigner are unfamiliar to most, therefore may do little to engage. It may be objectionable to some readers to have the didactic preaching of Christian values thrust upon them. In fact, some of the supposedly Christian values exist in other religions (e.g. unconditional love in Buddhism). The born-again Christian passages of Andy and Mei are reminiscent of the pamphlets about Christian conversion stories distributed by overzealous preachers in the streets. The rather bleak ending, but containing sentimental pseudo-enlightened feelings, does not break from the mould, common nowadays, of gritty stories finally expressing unconditional faith, to attract the world-weary youth. In conclusion, Tan combines elements of postmodernism to create a refreshing way of perceiving the world. Her mixing of different genres - politics, social situation, culture, humour and irony - and probing of the polemic binaries of the East and West, and the flippant and the solemn, distinguish her writing as her very own. Furthermore, the fluid and deliberate intertextuality of pastiche and allusion dissolves the distinctions between high and low culture. Tan is more successful in her secular contemplations as they provide valuable insights to the Singaporean psyche and greater awareness of painful truths through the experiences of her various characters. The obstinacy of blame of Mei on her mother whom she has not realised to be every bit as much a victim to her father's oppression, disappears as "Now (she) realised that (her) mother did nothing, not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't". She begins to understand that it is human nature that "If anything went wrong, we acted like it never happened" because reticence is a safety mechanism against further hurt. The belief in the "correlation between moral fibre and good grades" is inadvertently cha
Some common words found in the essay are:
Mu Lian, Little Singapore, Loong Eugene, Interact Club, Chinese Singaporeans, Eugene Singaporean, Andy Mei, Thou Wong, East West, NTUC MP, professional mourners, mei's grandfather, mei mother, non-singaporean readers, east west, political satire, mei's mother, singaporean readers, chinese culture, christian values,
Approximate Word count = 1955
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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